Empires of the Sea

The Contest for the Center of the World

By: Roger Crowley

Narrated by: John Lee

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)

I loved this book!

I have probably started and stopped more books with finishing than any person alive. Well, close at least. Yet this book had me from start to finish.

First thing first, the narration was great. Flawless really.

Second this is a narrative history but not "pop history". It's chock full of contemporary sources, but the author manages to tell it in a way that many fiction writers would be jealous of.

There are three great set pieces that pace this story. The middle one, the Siege of Malta, could have been it's own story. The other two are well told, exciting and of course informative.

You meet a fierce Muslim pirate turned Amir, two wily old Christian Knights of St. John that lead their men with courage and panache. Great Turkish leader in Suliman and so many more.

This isn't naval history, it's religious, siege warfare, galley warfare, and geopolitcal history of a time and place full so foreign to ours.

Exciting prose

I sought out a good book about the siege of Malta after visiting the place on vacation, and Empires of the Sea really satisfied. I’m a history buff to begin with but I feel like the Ottoman-Christian wars are hardly discussed in most sources. I loved listening to this telling, and I especially enjoyed the author’s flair for exciting prose. I could completely imagine being in some of these battles from some of his descriptions and firsthand narratives.

Fascinating history brought to light

I heard this is a very interesting book. I had a hard time stopping listening to do other things. It is fascinating to hear what happened.
Very telling for things that we’re dealing with right now …

Military history, both epic and personal

Empires of the Sea is a fascinating look at the struggle between Christianity and Islam in the middle of the last millennium, as played out in the fight between the Ottomans and the Hapsburg. Crowley magnifies one perspective on this conflict: the military clashes in the Mediterranean and the sieges of Rhodes and Malta, and uses that as a lens on the entire conflict. In doing so, he is able to cast light on a few of the most interesting characters of the age - Mehmet, Don Jon of Austria, the Barbarossas, and many others. The result is an engaging take on this relatively overlooked but important war to rule the sea "at the center of the world."

The books strengths can also be its occasional weakness. The sieges of Rhodes and Malta are described in very great detail, as unfolding narrative. Usually this is terrifically interesting, but some of the details drag a bit. The author's narrow focus on the war in the sea also somewhat limits the perspectives of the book, making it hard to understand how important it was relative to other events in the world. The critical siege of Vienna, the high water mark for for Ottoman expansion, is barely mentioned in passing.

All of the strengths and weaknesses come together in the grand climax of the whole fight, the battle of Lepanto, with hundreds of thousands of sailors and galley slaves involved. It is told epically, but brings the book to a bit of an abrupt conclusion, with relatively little reflection on what the whole conflict meant on the wider stage.

The criticisms are minor, however, and the reading is excellent. If you like military history or want to know more about this fascinating period in history, this is an excellent choice. The only real downside is that the author never included parts of the poem Lepanto, which would have been wonderful to hear John Lee read:

White founts falling in the Courts of the sun,
And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;
There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared,
It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard;
It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips;
For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships.
They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy,
They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea,
And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,
And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross...

Simply one of the best Audible has to offer.

Empires of the Sea is the perfect introduction to the warring sixteenth century and the conflict between the forces of Christianity and Islam. In that century, the Mediterranean theater gave us some of the most famous battles and sieges, and Empires of the Sea brings them to life with stunning detail and realism.

First, the narration. John Lee’s narration is perfect for this book. His pronunciations are spot on and pauses are well-timed and appropriate. His voice is a joy to listen to and makes pausing this audiobook that much more difficult.

Second, the book. In my opinion, the sixteenth century is one of the most fascinating in human history. So many extraordinary and lauded rulers lived in this time. Sulieman the Magnificent, Phillip II, Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Charles V, Ferdinand I, Isabella of Spain, Catherine de Medici and the list goes on and on. I say this because the individuals of this century have all but eclipsed our modern memory when it comes to warfare in this time. Each of the people I mentioned have a plethora of books written about them. Astonishingly though, there are not many books written solely about the military aspect of the age. Enter Empires of the Sea, which focuses on the most famous battles of the century fought in the Mediterranean.

The book really begins with the Ottomans and their siege of Rhodes. From early on, Crowley sets the tone with a brutal and telling account of the siege. Instead of simply discussing what occurs, Crowley takes the time to let us into the minds of both commanders during the siege. He expertly weaves Sulieman’s own notes of the siege in real-time, telling us the sultans’ thoughts as the battle ebbs and flows. Although the siege of Rhodes does not take up a lot of time in the book, it is immediately apparent that you are reading a well-formed, expertly researched, and entertaining book. Crowley then sets the stage, explaining all the players in this game, and what their motivations are. He skillfully moves from Turkey to Spain to Rome, and the Barbary coast, humanizing it all with the lives of both kings and commoners alike.

Crowley gives you an idea of what it was like to be alive at this time. To be galley slaves abducted from Italy, or their abductors, sailing with some of the most famous names in history; men like Barbarossa and Dragut. There is a slight focus on the Ottoman side in the book. I find this refreshing as most books I have read on the era, focuses on the Europeans. There are many correspondents between Sulieman and his commanders and they are used to perfection here. When the naval battles begin, Crowley makes sure to set up both sides. His telling of the siege of Malta gives you an unprecedented view of the conflict from the Ottoman command while giving you an idea of how the entire European world reacted as well.
Aside from Malta and Rhodes, Empires of the Sea contains some of the most engaging descriptions of naval battles I have ever read. Everything from the setup to the battle, to the engagement itself, to the aftermath; it’s all brutal, memorable, and encapsulating. Crowley’s ability to bounce around the different civilizations in the Mediterranean only to zoom in on a battle taking place on a few miles of open sea, and do so seamlessly, is to be applauded.

Conclusion. I have read several audiobooks on Audible and Empires of the Sea just refuses to move from the top. It is near perfect in its execution and visceral in its telling of war on the Mediterranean Sea. I mark this as one of the best history audiobooks Audible has. After it’s done, you want nothing more than to learn more about these events in greater detail. I have sought out other historical works on the battles of Rhodes, Malta, Cyprus, and Preveza because of this wonderful book.

At one point during the battle of Lepanto, the Spanish Flagship, Real smashes into the Ottoman flagship, Sultana. Prepare your body and mind to be transported there.