Roger Crowley je autorem, jehož díla se ponořila do historie a kultury středomořské oblasti. Jeho rozsáhlé cestování a hluboké znalosti regionu se odrážejí v jeho propracovaných a poutavých vyprávěních. Crowleyho psaní často zkoumá složitost historických událostí a jejich dopad na lidské životy. Jeho práce nabízí čtenářům bohatou a podnětnou cestu do minulosti.
Její pád zpečetil osud křižáků.
Město Akkon bylo poslední velkou pevností křižáků ve Svaté zemi a symbolem jejich moci. Když roku 1291 po šestitýdenním obléhání muslimskými vojsky padlo, dvě staletí trvající historie křížových výprav se uzavřela. Britský historik Roger Crowley se svou obvyklou hlubokou znalostí regionu a jeho dějin a s bezprostředností velkého vypravěče popisuje přípravy i dramatický útok na město. Prokletá věž byla středobodem obléhání – a stala se symbolem pádu starého světa.
Set against the backdrop of the 1521 invasion of Rhodes by Suleiman the Magnificent, this gripping narrative explores the fierce conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Christian forces for dominance in the Mediterranean. Roger Crowley vividly portrays a diverse array of characters, including pirates and religious warriors, as they engage in brutal galley warfare and face the harsh realities of slavery and violence. The book offers a riveting account of this historical struggle, illuminating themes of faith, power, and the ongoing clash of civilizations.
As remarkable as Columbus and the conquistador expeditions, the history of
Portuguese exploration is now almost forgotten. This title tells an epic tale
of navigation, trade and technology, money and religious zealotry, political
diplomacy and espionage, sea battles and shipwrecks, endurance, courage and
terrifying brutality.
Now in trade paperback, a gripping exploration of the fall of Constantinople and its connection to the world we live in today The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history, and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's readable and comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium, illuminates the period in history that was a precursor to the current jihad between the West and the Middle East.
Constantinople is narrative history at its very best: an intense, extraordinary tale of courage and cruelty, technological ingenuity, endurance and luck.
The narrative chronicles the rise of Portugal, a small, impoverished nation that achieved a century of maritime dominance through the audacity and navigational prowess of its explorers, unmatched by any other nation. Portugal's discovery of a sea route to India, its imperial conquests over Muslim rulers, and control of the spice trade disrupted the Mediterranean and established the first global economy. The author draws on letters and eyewitness accounts to illustrate Portugal's swift ascent to power. The story highlights the grandeur and brutality of the Império Português, featuring influential figures like King Manuel "the Fortunate," João II "the Perfect Prince," governor Afonso de Albuquerque, and explorer Vasco da Gama, who balanced personal ambitions with the empire's objectives in pursuit of wealth. A crucial element of the narrative is Portugal's mission to eradicate Islamic culture and forge a Christian empire in the Indian Ocean. Explorers ventured deep into Africa and aggressively besieged Indian port cities. The discovery of the route to India around Africa was a remarkable navigational achievement that disrupted the global order. For a century, no European empire was as ambitious or ruthless, creating the first long-range maritime empire and initiating the forces of globalization that continue to influence our world today.
A magisterial work of gripping history, City of Fortune tells the story of the
Venetian ascent from lagoon dwellers to the greatest power in the
Mediterranean - an epic five hundred year voyage that encompassed crusade and
trade, plague, sea battles and colonial adventure.
"As remarkable as Columbus and the conquistador expeditions, the history of Portuguese exploration is now almost forgotten. But Portugal's navigators cracked the code of the Atlantic winds, launched the expedition of Vasco da Gama to India and beat the Spanish to the spice kingdoms of the East - then set about creating the first long-range maritime empire. In an astonishing blitz of thirty years, a handful of visionary and utterly ruthless empire builders, with few resources but breathtaking ambition, attempted to seize the Indian Ocean, destroy Islam and take control of world trade. This is an epic tale of navigation, trade and technology, money and religious zealotry, political diplomacy and espionage, sea battles and shipwrecks, endurance, courage and terrifying brutality. Drawing on extensive first-hand accounts, it brings to life the exploits of an extraordinary band of conquerors - men such as Afonso de Albuquerque, the first European since Alexander the Great to found an Asian empire - who set in motion five hundred years of European colonisation and unleashed the forces of globalisation." --Publisher description.
A comprehensive account of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 examines the end of the Byzantine Empire and the medieval era, and the implications of the siege for the relationship between the West and Islam.
