Empires of the Sea

The Contest for the Center of the World

By: Roger Crowley

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Empires of the Sea tells the story of the 50-year world war between Islam and Christianity for the Mediterranean: one of the fiercest and most influential contests in European history. It traces events from the appearance on the world stage of Suleiman the Magnificent - the legendary ruler of the Ottoman Empire - through "the years of devastation" when it seemed possible that Islam might master the whole sea, to the final brief flourishing of a united Christendom in 1571.

The core of the story is the six years of bitter and bloody conflict between 1565 and 1571 that witnessed a fight to the finish. It was a tipping point in world civilization, a fast-paced struggle of spiraling intensity that led from the siege of Malta and the battle for Cyprus to the pope's last-gasp attempt to rekindle the spirit of the Crusades and the apocalypse at Lepanto.

It features a rich cast of characters: Suleiman the Magnificent, greatest of Ottoman sultans; Hayrettin Barbarossa, the pirate who terrified Europe; the Knights of St. John, last survivors of the medieval crusading spirit; the aged visionary Pope Pius V; and the meteoric, brilliant Christian general, Don John of Austria.

It is also a narrative about places: the shores of the Bosphorus, the palaces and shipyards of the Venetian lagoon, the barren rocks of Malta, the islands of Greece, the slave markets of Algiers - and the character of the sea itself, with its complex pattern of winds and weather, which provided the conditions and the field of battle. It involves all the peoples who border the Great Sea: Italians, Turks, Greeks, Spaniards, the French and the people of North Africa.

This story is one of extraordinary color and incident, rich in detail, full of surprises, and backed by a wealth of eyewitness accounts. Its denouement, the battle of Lepanto, is a single action of quite shocking impact - considered at the time in Christian Europe to be "a day to end all days".

©2008 Roger Crowley (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A masterly narrative that captures the religious fervor, brutality, and mayhem of this intensive contest for the 'center of the world'." ( Kirkus)
"Masterfully synthesizing primary and secondary sources, [Crowley] vividly reconstructs the great battles...and introduces the larger-than-life personalities that dominated council chambers and fields of battle." ( Publishers Weekly)

A turning point in the struggle for East versus West

This book is an excellent deep dive into the events in the late 1500s kidding the Turkish sultans against especially the house of Habsburg

Many great houses of Europe participate in the main events: the battle for Malta and the battle of Lapento

The level of detail that Mr. Crowley provides without getting into conjecture or fancy is astounding.

Epic storytelling of an overlooked era

An amazingly detailed, unforgettable, and thrilling tale about 60 years of Mediterranean sea battles. This masterpiece brings to life the people, the battles, and the stakes of the final brutal dividing of the watery Mediterranean world.

First rate history

Very thoroughly researched materials that bring the listener into a front row seat of history.

Wonderfully Read

This book is fascinating at first, especially the detail in the battles at Cyprus and the battle for St. Elmo on Malta. Those are done in such detail that you are almost told what was going on each hour. The info is a little less specific later on, and by the time you get to the Battle of Lepanto, you're left a little disappointed since that battle was started and ended in the same day. Also, it's certainly a one-sided telling of the story, so if you're likely to be rooting for the Turks maybe you would want to listen elsewhere (even though they win a majority of the battles).

But, I would recommend a listen mostly because John Lee is the best narrator that I've heard so far. I try to get all of the books he's read.

Also, be prepared to open an atlas while listening.

Riveting history, well read!

The book is well written, full of detail, exciting, and beautifully narrated. A definite recommendation for anyone interested in this era of history and the turbulent times of the Middle Sea.

Most fun history book ever!

I was expecting a somewhat dry recounting of names and places and dates; what I got was an explosively exciting, richly detailed, superbly vivid tale of adventure, desperation, and glory on the not-so-high seas. I am running out of adjectives to describe how gripping this book was. I usually listen to audiobooks for less than an hour a day; with this one, I couldn't take my headphones off until I had finished.

Amazing

Amazing story. Why read fiction when history is so amazing. Would definitely suggest for anyone.

Compelling Story, wonderful narration.

John Lee is by far my favorite narrator even if his skill in voices isn't needed in this book. It is a well crafted narrative of what to me was a little known struggle between Christian Europe and the Islamic Otterman empire for supremacy of the Mediterranean basin. The intrigue, religious zeal and brutality of the period comes to life within the pages of the book. l looked forward to the read.

Very interesting story, exceptionally narrated

John Lee makes you want to slow down the speed and enjoy every word of this very interesting story. A contest that may have gone undiscussed, as two powers clash over a strategic prize in the Mediterranean.

The battles for control of the Mediterranean

An engrossing story about an era and area I was less familiar with. Highly recommend