--- product_id: 1372473 title: "Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of theWorld" price: "19703CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1372473-empires-of-the-sea-the-siege-of-malta-the-battle store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of theWorld **Price:** 19703CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of theWorld - **How much does it cost?** 19703CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1372473-empires-of-the-sea-the-siege-of-malta-the-battle) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic clash between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world. In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiraling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar. Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality. Empires of the Sea is a story of extraordinary color and incident, and provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilizations. Review: Riveting....who said history was boring? - Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World by Roger Crowley provides the reader with a clear picture into the world of the 16th century Mediterranean and more importantly into warfare for the time. Crowley wastes no time with preliminaries but gets quickly to work in the first chapter with Suleiman's attack on Rhodes. There's no beating around the bush here. Crowley does a terrific job looking at the art of war and how the two sides differed in their respective approaches to battle. On the one hand, the Knights of Saint John, who, like the Templar's, was an international organization with members pulled from the major European countries and provinces of the time. On the other was the Turkish army of Suleiman, large, mobile, well equipped and quick to mount an offensive; apparently lacking nothing needed for conquest. That the Christians were out-numbered is made clear. To the defenders of Malta the loss of any knight was a loss that was difficult if not impossible to replace. Suleiman had numbers on his side and spent freely suffering huge casualties for the time of both his soldiers and slaves. It was all out warfare. Rhodes was strategically important, in part, due to the loss of Constantinople in 1453. However, the loss of Rhodes could not compare to the loss of Malta fifty years later. Without Malta, Italy would become the "front lines" in the battle between Christendom and the door to Europe would be open. Crowley also does a masterful job by incorporating primary sources where possible. Descriptions by eyewitnesses are scattered throughout the text and add an important element to the book. Also the Turkish side of things is presented pretty clearly as illustrated with the following: "Selim, Ottoman Sultan, Emperor of the Turks, Lord of Lords, King of Kings , Shadow of God, Lord of the Earthly Paradise and of Jerusalem, to the Signory of Venice: We demand of you Cyprus, which you shall give Us willingly or perforce; and do you not irritate our horrible sword, for We shall wage most cruel war against you everywhere; nor let you trust in your treasure, for We shall cause it suddenly to run away from you like a torrent; beware to irritate Us." (page 207) Empires also does a great job in examining the growing Turkish presence in the Med as a naval power. Sulieman's reach and projection of power was made possible in part by the wonderful naval commanders that were available to the Sultan and by the absolute naval incompetence of the Europeans. In the end Sulieman's navy couldn't help him however. Crowley writes for the layman and explains himself clearly. The information that is presented is done so in context and though I'm not an expert on the subject feel that I've read a complete treatment of the topic. The maps that are included in the book make sense and are easy to read and the inclusion of the illustrations and woodcuts add to the information in the text. I recommend Empires of the Sea. Peace Review: Well-written account of the Mediterranean in the 16th century - Roger Crowley is an excellent writer and this book provides an interesting account of the epic struggle between Catholic Spain and the Ottoman Turks for control of the Mediterranean during the sixteenth century. It spans the period from the Ottoman's capture of the island of Rhodes from the Knights of St John in 1521 to the defeat of the Ottoman fleet at Lepanto in 1571. Crowley does a good job of describing the ebb and flow of the struggle during this period. At times, the Turks and their corsair allies attained dominance, raiding the coasts of Italy and Spain almost at will. During those periods, the Pope's fears that Rome itself might fall to the Turks appeared realistic. The narrative brings home the relative fragility of Christian Europe, divided as it was between Catholics and Protestants and between the Hapsburgs and their rivals, notably, France. Crowley is writing popular history, which is a good thing in terms of readability but also means that there may be aspects of his narrative that academics would have issues with. Although I am a long way from being an expert on this period, I do have a few criticisms. I found it surprising that Crowley devotes almost no attention to the failure of the Turks to take Vienna in 1529. Although he is concentrating on the Mediterranean -- he also devotes little discussion to the Spanish attempts to suppress Protestantism in the Netherlands -- I think that the struggle over Vienna played such a significant part in the Ottoman's decision to concentrate on expanding their control in the Mediterranean that it merited more discussion. Crowley also mentions that many current historians no longer see the Battle of Lepanto as a decisive turning point. He discusses the fact that Ottomans rapidly rebuilt the fleet they lost in that battle and that they continued to menace the Hapsburgs in the Balkans. But he argues that, in fact, Lepanto was an important turing point because, in effect, a de facto truce prevailed thereafter in the Mediterranean with neither side attempting to make significant gains at the expense of the other. I was left puzzled why the Ottomans didn't press on in the Mediterranean if their fleet was quickly rebuilt. I was also unimpressed by Crowley's attempt to provide a brief economic explanation for the long-run decline of the Ottoman Empire. His argument has something to do with the indirect effects on the Ottomans of the surge of gold and silver from the New World into Christian Europe, but his reasoning is hard to follow. Finally, at several points, Crowley describes in somewhat lurid detail the atrocities that the two sides inflicted on each other. Necessary, perhaps, in establishing the context of the struggle, but I wanted to give a head's up to anyone who might find such things unsettling. These quibbles aside, if you have an interest in this period, you should enjoy reading Crowley's book. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #36,936 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #13 in Turkey History (Books) #20 in History of Islam #25 in Naval Military History | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,035 Reviews | ## Images ![Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of theWorld - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91LOWh3dmEL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Riveting....who said history was boring? *by R***O on August 7, 2008* Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World by Roger Crowley provides the reader with a clear picture into the world of the 16th century Mediterranean and more importantly into warfare for the time. Crowley wastes no time with preliminaries but gets quickly to work in the first chapter with Suleiman's attack on Rhodes. There's no beating around the bush here. Crowley does a terrific job looking at the art of war and how the two sides differed in their respective approaches to battle. On the one hand, the Knights of Saint John, who, like the Templar's, was an international organization with members pulled from the major European countries and provinces of the time. On the other was the Turkish army of Suleiman, large, mobile, well equipped and quick to mount an offensive; apparently lacking nothing needed for conquest. That the Christians were out-numbered is made clear. To the defenders of Malta the loss of any knight was a loss that was difficult if not impossible to replace. Suleiman had numbers on his side and spent freely suffering huge casualties for the time of both his soldiers and slaves. It was all out warfare. Rhodes was strategically important, in part, due to the loss of Constantinople in 1453. However, the loss of Rhodes could not compare to the loss of Malta fifty years later. Without Malta, Italy would become the "front lines" in the battle between Christendom and the door to Europe would be open. Crowley also does a masterful job by incorporating primary sources where possible. Descriptions by eyewitnesses are scattered throughout the text and add an important element to the book. Also the Turkish side of things is presented pretty clearly as illustrated with the following: "Selim, Ottoman Sultan, Emperor of the Turks, Lord of Lords, King of Kings , Shadow of God, Lord of the Earthly Paradise and of Jerusalem, to the Signory of Venice: We demand of you Cyprus, which you shall give Us willingly or perforce; and do you not irritate our horrible sword, for We shall wage most cruel war against you everywhere; nor let you trust in your treasure, for We shall cause it suddenly to run away from you like a torrent; beware to irritate Us." (page 207) Empires also does a great job in examining the growing Turkish presence in the Med as a naval power. Sulieman's reach and projection of power was made possible in part by the wonderful naval commanders that were available to the Sultan and by the absolute naval incompetence of the Europeans. In the end Sulieman's navy couldn't help him however. Crowley writes for the layman and explains himself clearly. The information that is presented is done so in context and though I'm not an expert on the subject feel that I've read a complete treatment of the topic. The maps that are included in the book make sense and are easy to read and the inclusion of the illustrations and woodcuts add to the information in the text. I recommend Empires of the Sea. Peace ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-written account of the Mediterranean in the 16th century *by H***N on April 1, 2012* Roger Crowley is an excellent writer and this book provides an interesting account of the epic struggle between Catholic Spain and the Ottoman Turks for control of the Mediterranean during the sixteenth century. It spans the period from the Ottoman's capture of the island of Rhodes from the Knights of St John in 1521 to the defeat of the Ottoman fleet at Lepanto in 1571. Crowley does a good job of describing the ebb and flow of the struggle during this period. At times, the Turks and their corsair allies attained dominance, raiding the coasts of Italy and Spain almost at will. During those periods, the Pope's fears that Rome itself might fall to the Turks appeared realistic. The narrative brings home the relative fragility of Christian Europe, divided as it was between Catholics and Protestants and between the Hapsburgs and their rivals, notably, France. Crowley is writing popular history, which is a good thing in terms of readability but also means that there may be aspects of his narrative that academics would have issues with. Although I am a long way from being an expert on this period, I do have a few criticisms. I found it surprising that Crowley devotes almost no attention to the failure of the Turks to take Vienna in 1529. Although he is concentrating on the Mediterranean -- he also devotes little discussion to the Spanish attempts to suppress Protestantism in the Netherlands -- I think that the struggle over Vienna played such a significant part in the Ottoman's decision to concentrate on expanding their control in the Mediterranean that it merited more discussion. Crowley also mentions that many current historians no longer see the Battle of Lepanto as a decisive turning point. He discusses the fact that Ottomans rapidly rebuilt the fleet they lost in that battle and that they continued to menace the Hapsburgs in the Balkans. But he argues that, in fact, Lepanto was an important turing point because, in effect, a de facto truce prevailed thereafter in the Mediterranean with neither side attempting to make significant gains at the expense of the other. I was left puzzled why the Ottomans didn't press on in the Mediterranean if their fleet was quickly rebuilt. I was also unimpressed by Crowley's attempt to provide a brief economic explanation for the long-run decline of the Ottoman Empire. His argument has something to do with the indirect effects on the Ottomans of the surge of gold and silver from the New World into Christian Europe, but his reasoning is hard to follow. Finally, at several points, Crowley describes in somewhat lurid detail the atrocities that the two sides inflicted on each other. Necessary, perhaps, in establishing the context of the struggle, but I wanted to give a head's up to anyone who might find such things unsettling. These quibbles aside, if you have an interest in this period, you should enjoy reading Crowley's book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spellbinding tales of slaughter on the Mediterranean *by G***H on May 26, 2012* If you are going to read this book, you'd better like slaughter. It features lots of blood. Mostly, this occurs during sieges of fortified towns, but sea battles claim their fair share of victims too. All of it is described with great gusto, skill and narrative flair by the author, who clearly loves a good battle and knows how to recount it. In this, the book is similar to his previous work, 1453, which was largely devoted to the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmet the Conqueror. Fast forward three-quarters of a century to Mehmet's great-grandson Suleiman the Magnificent (known as "the Lawgiver" to the Ottomans), and once again the story and the carnage resume with Empires of the Sea. Crowley begins his story begins with the taking of Rhodes in 1522. Suleiman had been on the throne for only two years, and the tradition was that a sultan consolidated his authority early in his reign with a series of victories. He had already conquered the fortress of Belgrade, in what is today Serbia. Rhodes was next. Since it lay just off the coast of Turkey, and was a stronghold of the crusading Knights Hospitaller who had kept their toehold in the Eastern Mediterranean ever since being booted out of the Holy Land upon the failure of the Crusades, Rhodes was an obvious target. The Turks were very adept at siegecraft, and along with their massive advantage in manpower, took the Knights' key fortress after a prolonged siege and great loss of life. Suleiman generously allowed the defeated Knights to leave the island, thinking that would be the last of them. He was wrong. The balance of power in the sixteenth century in Europe and around the shores of the Mediterranean was mainly contested by two great powers: the Ottoman Empire and the Hapsburg Empire. The Ottomans' territories stretched across much of North Africa, and then from the Middle East through Turkey and the Balkans, all the way to Hungary. Their expansion into Central Europe was largely checked by the Hapsburgs, whose territories were a patchwork quilt across Europe, and included parts of Central Europe, Austria, parts of Germany, parts of Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. Suleiman the Magnificent was to enjoy a long reign of almost half a century, from 1520 to 1566, the longest serving sultan of the Ottoman Empire. His main opponent, the Hapsburg King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, had a similarly long reign from 1516-1556. Both monarchs had other worries than just each other. Suleiman was regularly engaged in wars in the Balkans as well as against the Persians, fighting a war against the Safavid Persian Empire that lasted nearly a quarter century. Charles V had to deal with the very combative Kings of France and with rebellious subjects in the Netherlands. At various times, the French would even go so far as to ally themselves against the Ottomans to counter the power of Charles V. In the Mediterranean, the Ottomans expanded across North Africa, absorbing the Barbary States of Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers. Autonomous provinces of the Empire, they were still an important part of the Ottoman military presence in the Western Mediterranean because of their fleets of corsairs. The corsairs functioned partly as free-lance pirates and partly as instruments of Ottoman naval power, seizing shipping and mounting coastal raids in Spain, the Balearic Islands and along the coast of Italy. However, strategically situated in the middle of the Mediterranean was the island of Malta, off the coast of Sicily. The Knights Hospitaller, after their defeat in Malta, had roamed homeless for some years, before eventually being given lordship over under the island, under the leadership of the Grand-master La Valette. Here, they became the Knights of Malta, and carried on their war against Islam, mainly through imitating the tactics of the corsairs. The Knights seized shipping wherever they good, roaming throughout the eastern Mediterranean under the noses of the Turks. After they seized one ship too many -- to be precise, the galley of the Sultan's Chief Eunuch -- Suleiman decided to put an end to the Knights once and for all. A massive invasion fleet was dispatched in 1565, and the fortresses of Malta were besieged. Tens of thousands died, but just as the fall of Malta seemed imminent, a Spanish relief force was landed and put the Ottomans to flight. The capital of Malta, Valletta, is named in honor of the commander who successfully defended it against near-impossible odds. Not long after, Suleiman died on campaign in Hungary -- though his death was kept secret, by using a double to conceal his death, until his retinue could return with his cold body to Istanbul. His successor and sole surviving son, Selim, was determined to follow in his father's conquering footsteps. He immediately set out to take the Venetian possession of Cyprus, with a much larger force than the one which had attempted to take Malta. After a couple of very bloody sieges -- of Nicosia and Famagusta -- the island was taken. These sieges are described in graphic, sometimes gruesome detail by Crowley. The new and aggressive Sultan was the proximate cause for the Christian powers of the Mediterranean, principally Philip II of Spain, Pope Pius V, and the Venetians to form a new alliance. Assembling a massive fleet, they set out to hunt down the Ottoman fleet. Amazingly, in October of 1571, they did so. What followed was the bloodiest naval battle in history, at Lepanto just off the west coast of Greece, as two massive fleets of oared galleys collided with one another in a spectacular cataclysm. The superior firepower of the Christian fleet prevailed, mainly due to the Venetians whose heavily armed gun platforms, known as "galleasses", destroyed most of the Ottoman fleet and killed 40,000. Through all of this, Roger Crowley's gift as a story-teller shine through. He focuses mainly on the military events and the personalities of the major military leaders, using his great narrative powers and his eye for interesting detail and anecdote to enliven the story. Yet he sketches in enough of the background grand strategy of the major powers involved to provide wider understanding. Even if you know nothing of this era of history or its war-making techniques, Crowley manages to make the story both clear and compelling. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1372473-empires-of-the-sea-the-siege-of-malta-the-battle](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/1372473-empires-of-the-sea-the-siege-of-malta-the-battle) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-14*