First published 2008
Roger Crowley chronicles the epic Mediterranean struggle between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe from 1521 to 1571. The historian traces how Suleiman the Magnificent's attack on Rhodes sparked decades of brutal warfare that would determine Europe's fate. Crowley examines the key players in this clash: the pirate Barbarossa who terrorized European coasts, Emperor Charles V and his risky gambits, the Knights of St. John as the final crusading force, Pope Pius V with his messianic vision, and the skilled admiral Don Juan of Austria. The author focuses on three pivotal confrontations that decided the conflict's outcome. At Malta in 1565, a small Christian garrison withstood the full Ottoman assault. Cyprus fell after savage fighting. The climactic naval battle at Lepanto in 1571 produced such carnage that survivors could barely navigate through the floating corpses. Crowley draws on eyewitness testimony to recreate this world of galley warfare, slavery, and religious fervor, showing how these seven years established the Mediterranean boundaries that persist today.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, non-fiction, military-history
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: clash-of-civilizations, epic-battle
Setting: Rhodes, Malta, Cyprus, Lepanto
Period: 1521-1571
336 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: violence, war