Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Grand Turk  By  cover art

The Grand Turk

By: John Freely
Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.95

Buy for $22.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A gripping biography of one of the most sensational figures in Turkish history!

Sultan Mehmet II, known to his countrymen as -the Conqueror- and to much of Europe as -the Terror of the World,- was once Europe-s most feared and powerful ruler. Now, Turkey-s most beloved American scholar, John Freely, brings to life this charismatic hero of one of the richest histories in the world.

Mehmet was barely twenty-one when he conquered Byzantine Constantinople, which became Istanbul and the capital of his mighty empire. Mehmet reigned for thirty years, during which time his armies extended the borders of his empire halfway across Asia Minor and as far into Europe as Hungary and Italy. Three popes called for crusades against him as Christian Europe came face to face with a new Muslim empire.

Revered by the Turks and seen as a brutal tyrant by the West, Mehmet was a brilliant military leader as well as a renaissance prince. His court housed Persian and Turkish poets, Arab and Greek astronomers, and Italian scholars and artists.

In the first biography of Mehmet in thirty years, John Freely vividly illuminates the man behind the myths.

©2009 John Freely (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

More from the same

What listeners say about The Grand Turk

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Too dry

I am sure that the author is an excellent scholar, but unfortunately he is not a good story teller. Perhaps this is because he does not want to speculate outside of the bounds of historical fact, but the result is a book that reads like the Book of Lists. There is too much historical detail presented without aide of a narrative, and I did not get any impression of the personality of the Grand Turk. Too bad because there is plenty of interesting material to work with when you are telling the story of a man who had 400 woman in his harem, kept a couple of pages with him at all times who were probably his lovers, and executed people by impaling. I would only recommend this book for a serious scholar of the era.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good listen

Nice book with a fair bit of detailed history, perhaps slightly biased in favour of the Europeans

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful