Empires of the Sea
The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World
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Product: Book
ISBN-10: 0-8129-7764-5
ISBN-13: 9780812977646
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Country:
Year: May 12, 2009
Size: 13.41 x 20.19 x 2.21cm
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 259gr
Binding: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0-8129-7764-5
ISBN-13: 9780812977646
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Country:
Year: May 12, 2009
Size: 13.41 x 20.19 x 2.21cm
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 259gr
Binding: Paperback
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Product Description
In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic clash between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world. In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiraling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar. Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality. Empires of the Sea is a story of extraordinary color and incident, and provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilizations.
In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic clash between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world. In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiraling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar. Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality. Empires of the Sea is a story of extraordinary color and incident, and provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilizations.
reviews
Great read 
A simple review. This reads like an epic adventure and that it is. Take no prisoners, maim, mutilate, betray. Self sacrifice, mental and physical toughness, care and loyalty. We see all of humanity here in it's worst and best lights. Crowley does a wonderful job of writing and researching this history. He tells us what the conditions were like at sea and on land in these times. The psychological stresses and strains these men (and women and children) endured as well as how these stresses were manipualted by both sides. Total war indeed. What is remarkable is how the participants held up and functioned under the circumstances. What Crowley does is take a rather obscure story and makes it very readable and interesting. It is a wonderful insight on todays worlds condition and a more even and open history then I received growing up in an east coast liberal private school setting.
A simple review. This reads like an epic adventure and that it is. Take no prisoners, maim, mutilate, betray. Self sacrifice, mental and physical toughness, care and loyalty. We see all of humanity here in it's worst and best lights. Crowley does a wonderful job of writing and researching this history. He tells us what the conditions were like at sea and on land in these times. The psychological stresses and strains these men (and women and children) endured as well as how these stresses were manipualted by both sides. Total war indeed. What is remarkable is how the participants held up and functioned under the circumstances. What Crowley does is take a rather obscure story and makes it very readable and interesting. It is a wonderful insight on todays worlds condition and a more even and open history then I received growing up in an east coast liberal private school setting.
Great history that brings you into the battles!
Roger Crowley does a wonderfull job of describing the battles for Malta. His detailed descriptions of the type of seige warfare used down the the types of clothing worn show Crowley attention to detail. What I specifically enjoyed was the story of the sultans huge force being defeated by a small number of Hospitallers and a rag tag band of Maltese people. The history on the grand master of the Hospitallers Jean Parisot de La Valette is amazing, talk about a man of will and heroics. Its all here from the Barbarossa's long stand hatred for Venitian Doria clan to Don Juan Dancing on the stern of the real. Crowley presents this story in a detailed way that does not bore the reader. His battle scenes are lucid and carry the reader to another time and place. One can almost feel the despair of the men doomed in the fort of Malta. I recommend this book even to the novice historian as Crowleys easy style and good backround descriptions make it a read anyone can enjoy.
Roger Crowley does a wonderfull job of describing the battles for Malta. His detailed descriptions of the type of seige warfare used down the the types of clothing worn show Crowley attention to detail. What I specifically enjoyed was the story of the sultans huge force being defeated by a small number of Hospitallers and a rag tag band of Maltese people. The history on the grand master of the Hospitallers Jean Parisot de La Valette is amazing, talk about a man of will and heroics. Its all here from the Barbarossa's long stand hatred for Venitian Doria clan to Don Juan Dancing on the stern of the real. Crowley presents this story in a detailed way that does not bore the reader. His battle scenes are lucid and carry the reader to another time and place. One can almost feel the despair of the men doomed in the fort of Malta. I recommend this book even to the novice historian as Crowleys easy style and good backround descriptions make it a read anyone can enjoy.
La cruz de Malta 
Roger Crowley pertenece a una venerable tradición de historiadores británicos, donde las cifras y los eventos dejan paso a un talento narrativo sin igual.La historia del terrible asedio a la pequeña isla de Malta, protegida por los caballeros de la orden de san Juan y algunas huestes bien entrenadas de soldados españoles. El equilibrio entre el movimiento pendular de las tácticas militares, la moral y el poder de la política, tejen una lectura hipnotizante. El choque inevitable entre Turquía y las potencias cristianas de Europa, no se ganó en Lepanto, sino en el Escorial y en los monasterios, deja entrever su autor, quizá prefigurando la famosa frase de Orwell, en el sentido que Inglaterra no venció a Francia en Waterloo, sino en los campos de Eton. Un elemento sorpresivo del libro es el hecho que numerosos elementos, que han desertado de un bando u otro, combatían contra sus antiguos camaradas, sustancia que le da un matiz importante a la guerra entre estas 2 culturas. Se trata, en suma, de un libro aleccionador para los tiempos de hoy, donde el asedio a Malta y la Batalla de Lepanto, se están produciendo en escenarios más sutiles, en campos de batalla más abstractos , al interior de una Europa laica,opulenta, liberal y urbana.
Roger Crowley pertenece a una venerable tradición de historiadores británicos, donde las cifras y los eventos dejan paso a un talento narrativo sin igual.La historia del terrible asedio a la pequeña isla de Malta, protegida por los caballeros de la orden de san Juan y algunas huestes bien entrenadas de soldados españoles. El equilibrio entre el movimiento pendular de las tácticas militares, la moral y el poder de la política, tejen una lectura hipnotizante. El choque inevitable entre Turquía y las potencias cristianas de Europa, no se ganó en Lepanto, sino en el Escorial y en los monasterios, deja entrever su autor, quizá prefigurando la famosa frase de Orwell, en el sentido que Inglaterra no venció a Francia en Waterloo, sino en los campos de Eton. Un elemento sorpresivo del libro es el hecho que numerosos elementos, que han desertado de un bando u otro, combatían contra sus antiguos camaradas, sustancia que le da un matiz importante a la guerra entre estas 2 culturas. Se trata, en suma, de un libro aleccionador para los tiempos de hoy, donde el asedio a Malta y la Batalla de Lepanto, se están produciendo en escenarios más sutiles, en campos de batalla más abstractos , al interior de una Europa laica,opulenta, liberal y urbana.
Very Enlightening
I very much enjoyed this history of the war for the white sea in the years 1520-1580. The book is very well written and a compelling page turner, much more than novels I have read lately. I am a history buff, but I admit I did not know much about this area of the world during this period of time. Here it was all brought to life as we are introduced to very dynamic and interesting personalities, some of incredible brutality and others of surpassing magnanimity. A good case is also made for the importance of the battle of Lepanto, which has quite escaped our notice in this modern age. Perhaps this is because of the victory of the west. Had it been the other way around, our world could well be very different than it is today. Highly recommended, at least for the general reader, which is how I classify myself.
I very much enjoyed this history of the war for the white sea in the years 1520-1580. The book is very well written and a compelling page turner, much more than novels I have read lately. I am a history buff, but I admit I did not know much about this area of the world during this period of time. Here it was all brought to life as we are introduced to very dynamic and interesting personalities, some of incredible brutality and others of surpassing magnanimity. A good case is also made for the importance of the battle of Lepanto, which has quite escaped our notice in this modern age. Perhaps this is because of the victory of the west. Had it been the other way around, our world could well be very different than it is today. Highly recommended, at least for the general reader, which is how I classify myself.
A gripping account
This is a truly gripping account of the siege of Malta in 1565 and the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The siege of Malta, particularly, was long and vicious. The battle of Lepanto was certainly vicious but was over in a matter of hours. The average person living today probably is largely unaware of how close Europe came to conquest by the Turks in the 16th century. I certainly was. Oh, I know about Vienna, of course (and I'll read more on that as a result of this book) but the events in the Mediterranean from 1520-1565 were mostly a blank for me. This book went a long way in fixing that. My only complaint was the lack of maps showing the action, particularly at Lepanto. But the text was certainly adequate to make up for the lack of maps. After reading this book, be sure to come to a decision one way or another of the dangers of a Muslim takeover in our era.
This is a truly gripping account of the siege of Malta in 1565 and the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The siege of Malta, particularly, was long and vicious. The battle of Lepanto was certainly vicious but was over in a matter of hours. The average person living today probably is largely unaware of how close Europe came to conquest by the Turks in the 16th century. I certainly was. Oh, I know about Vienna, of course (and I'll read more on that as a result of this book) but the events in the Mediterranean from 1520-1565 were mostly a blank for me. This book went a long way in fixing that. My only complaint was the lack of maps showing the action, particularly at Lepanto. But the text was certainly adequate to make up for the lack of maps. After reading this book, be sure to come to a decision one way or another of the dangers of a Muslim takeover in our era.
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Roger Crowley
Hyperion; 2006
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