First published 2014
Roger Crowley examines the Mediterranean as the center of global power during the 16th century. The Ottoman Empire under Yavuz Sultan Selim, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Selim II competed with Spain's Charles V and Philip II for control of these vital waters. England's Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Russia's Ivan the Terrible, and Vatican Popes Pius IV and V all played roles in this grand struggle. The Barbary Coast produced legendary corsairs like the Barbarossa brothers Oruç and Hayreddin, along with Turgut and Uluç Ali, who terrorized coastlines. Venice deployed its most skilled diplomats to navigate between these powers. Crowley, who knows Turkey and its history well, approaches this imperial competition with a novelist's eye for drama while supporting his narrative with solid historical sources. This work continues the story he began in his acclaimed book about the 1453 siege of Constantinople.
Genres: history, political-science, military-history, naval-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, global-conflict
Setting: Mediterranean, Ottoman Empire, Spain, England, Russia, Vatican, Barbary Coast, Venice, Turkey
Period: 16th Century
528 pages · Paperback · April Yayincilik