The Great Siege

Malta 1565

By: Ernle Bradford

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the most powerful ruler in the world, was determined to conquer Europe. Only one thing stood in his way: a dot of an island in the Mediterranean called Malta, which was occupied by the Knights of Saint John, the cream of the warriors of the Holy Roman Empire. A clash of civilizations was shaping up, the likes of which had not been seen since Persia invaded Greece. Determined to capture Malta and use its port to launch operations against Europe, Suleiman sent an armada and an overwhelming army. A few thousand defenders in Fort Saint Elmo fought to the last man, enduring cruel hardships. When the Turks captured the fort, they took no prisoners and mutilated the defenders’ bodies. Grand Master La Vallette of the Knights reciprocated by decapitating his Turkish prisoners and using their heads to cannonade the enemy. Then the battle for Malta began in earnest: no quarter asked, none given.

The Great Siege is not merely a gripping tale of brutality, courage, and tenacity but the saga of two mighty civilizations struggling for domination of the known world.

Ernle Bradford (1922–1986) was a prominent British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval history. He served in the Royal Navy for the duration of World War II and later traveled throughout the Mediterranean, living for a while on Malta. He was a BBC broadcaster and magazine editor, as well as the author of many acclaimed books, including biographies on Cleopatra, Hannibal, and Caesar.

©2012 Ernle Bradford (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc

What an epic story!

First off. Simon Vance is a great narrator.
Second. What a great story! I've heard of the siege from watching the movie Patton. But I never knew all the details.

16th century superheroes and villains

Vance lends his masterful narration to this amazing story of real courage , heroism and resilience of a long forgotten time in history when war was as brutal as it gets.

A rousing tale of valor.

A stirring rendition of a truly amazing historical event! This one is a definite keeper.

"This was no ordinary enemy"

Even though I knew the outcome of the Great Siege, listening to Simon Vance smoothly read Ernle Bradford’s 1961 history of the months-long Ottoman siege of Malta in 1565 was absorbing and suspenseful, because Bradford tells a good (his)tory: vivid, concise, clear, compassionate, and, for the time he wrote it, balanced. That is, although his sympathies may belong more to the Christian Knights of St. John than with the Ottomans, for he highlights the “fanaticism” of the “Turks” a bit more than that of the Knights (“The knights met, many for the first time, the burning fanaticism of Islam” vs. “The Knights had such determination to die rather than surrender”), and he spends a bit more time narrating from the point of view of the defenders than from that of the attackers, he does give a fair amount of the Ottoman background, goals, strategies, and strengths (as soldiers) etc.

After introducing the antagonists--Suleiman the Magnificent and the Ottoman Empire against the Knights of St. John--and how they came to be where they were in 1565 and why the Ottomans wanted to take Malta and why the Knights wanted to defend it, Bradford describes the defenses of the island and the preparations of the defenders and of the attackers and then proceeds to recount the siege, starting with the lengthy Ottoman attack on the fort of St. Elmo.

Throughout, Bradford serves up choice morsels of information about things like the conditions of galley slaves, the hierarchy and composition of the Knights, the composition and training of Janissaries, the lives of the local Maltese peasants, the surprisingly aged and vital leaders of the opposing sides like the 70-year-old Grand Master Jean de Valette and Musfafa Pasha, not to mention the 80-year-old super corsair Dragut, the pluses and minuses of armor, the implementation and effects of canons and firearms and incendiaries (Greek fire and firework hoops and infernal engines and siege towers!), mining and counter-mining, spies, the precious relic of the hand of St. John the Baptist, how the Maltese women were the mainstay of the defense, and more.

Throughout there are impressive moments, like when the Ottomans roll a massive round slow-fuse bomb filled with shrapnel over a defensive wall only for the defenders to roll it back over the wall so it detonates among the densely packed attackers, or like when the Grand Master organizes a surprise chain-shot canon to deal with a threatening siege tower, or like when the Grand Master rallies the defenders at the point of a massive breach, or like the fall of St. Elmo, or, like, yes, the Grand Master executing all Ottoman prisoners and firing their heads from canons into the enemy positions.

Bradford highlights the brutal holy war nature of the conflict. He vividly relates how good people are at destroying things and how desperate they are at defending them, as with the “storm of marble and metal” the Ottomans unleashed for months 24-7 on the forts and towns of Malta.

It reminds me of Roger Crowley’s 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West. Readers who like vivid military history about turning point moments would like Bradford’s book (though it is over sixty-years old now and may have been superseded by more current research?)

The Knights who stood

This is an amazing account of the siege of Malta where the Knights withstood the muslim assault. Would highly recommend this book.

Gripping!

A truly amazing story. Will leave you searching for more on the subject.
Great narration too.

Excellent

I loved everything about this book. The history, the story, the narration. A perfect mix of historical exposition with the compelling narrative flourish about one of the greatest sieges in history. The characters were likewise intriguing. A true story of the Hospitaliers, or Knights of St John, who suffered months of bombardment from Ottoman besieges. Highly recommend

Epic heroism

I found this a most wonderful a listen. Stellar narrative performance and content. Enjoy this epic tale.

Enthralled!

A great historical event well narrated. I lost track of time listening to it! Enjoy the adventure

Interesting Piece of History

I've heard of the Hospitalers (sp) from the Crusading era . I've also heard a little about the Ottamon Empire . I've never heard about the clash between the two that took place on the island of Malta .
There is not much background or personal history , which makes the story stay with the subject at hand . Never having heard of this part of history , I truly didn't know who was going to win until the last chapters .