Ernle Bradford Knihy

Poutavě psaná kronika křižáckého řádu sv. Jana Jeruzalémského od jeho založení v 11. století až do současnosti, kdy jeho duch dále působí Řádu maltézských rytířů.

V době, kdy se objevovaly nové světadíly a nové námořní cesty, ovládali Středozemní moře dva bratři – Oruč a Chizr Barbarossové. Legenda o nich praví, že byli korzáři, piráti a lupiči. Ve skutečnosti byli – zejména mladší z nich – nejlepšími námořníky své doby a udatnými bojovníky. Chizr Barbarossa byl zakladatelem tureckého válečného loďstva, vůdčí osobnost na dvoře Sulejmana Velkého, člověk vzdělaný a kultivovaný, který ovládal nejméně šest jazyků a který položil základy muslimských států na africkém pobřeží Středozemního moře. Bradfordova kniha o dobrodružných plavbách rudovousých bratří Barbarossů je pokusem odstranit falešné nánosy evropských historiků zkreslující portrét pozoruhodného člověka, jenž ovlivnil vývoj celého Středozemí.

Malta, then one of the easternmost bastions of Christendom, was attacked in 1565 by the Sultan of Turkey with 200 ships and 40,000 men. This book is based upon historical records and tells how approximately 700 Knights of St John plus 9,000 men defended Malta against the Sultan's armed forces.

An eyewitness account of one of the greatest-ever battles as a few men under the Knights of St John took on a huge Turkish armada.

The life of the great military commander of ancient Carthage from the bestselling author of Thermopylae and Gibraltar. Born in Carthage in 247 BC, Hannibal Barca is considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time. Following the example set by his father, Hamilcar, he dedicated his life to the defeat of Rome. At the outbreak of the Second Punic War, Hannibal famously led an army across the Pyrenees and the Alps to victory against the Romans at the Battle of Trebia. In the years that followed, Hannibal led the Carthaginian war on Rome through some of the most brutal and costly battles in recorded history. In this richly detailed biography, Ernle Bradford tells the story of a great leader whose military strategies have been studied and copied by commanders throughout history, from his own Roman enemies to Napoleon Bonaparte.

An impressively accessible narrative depicting the three-day battle for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates)--a critical contest in Xerxes's massive invasion of Greece. The bloody stand made there by Leonidas and his small Spartan army in 480 B.C. has been hailed ever since as an outstanding example of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.

An analysis of artifacts recovered from the Mary Rose, a sixteenth-century warship that sank off the coast of England evaluates the importance of the ship as an archaeological record of life in Tudor England

A gripping biography of Admiral Nelson, Napoleonic War hero and one of Britain's greatest naval tacticians. In the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson sent the signal from his flagship HMS Victory, "England expects that every man will do his duty." His defeat of the French that day in 1805 was a decisive turning point in the Napoleonic Wars, establishing British control of the seas. His death in that heroic battle gave those words immortal significance. For his bravery in battle and brilliance as a naval tactician, Admiral Nelson remains one of Britain's most inspiring heroes. In this nuanced and lively biography, Ernle Bradford presents the man behind the legend. From his youthful days in the Royal Navy to his famous battles and scandalous personal life, Horatio Nelson is shown here in all his human complexity. "This skillful portrait . . . combines accessible naval history with a psychological examination of heroism." --Kirkus Reviews

Since ships first set sail in the Mediterranean, The Rock has been the gate of Fortress Europe. In ancient times, it was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, and a glance at its formidable mass suggests that it may well have been created by the gods. Sought after by every nation with territorial ambitions in Europe, Asia, and Africa, Gibraltar was possessed by the Arabs, the Spanish, and ultimately the British, who captured it in the early 1700s and held onto it in a siege of more than three years late in the eighteenth century. The fact that that was one of more than a dozen sieges exemplifies Gibraltar's quintessential value as a prize and the desperation of governments to fly their flag above its forbidding ramparts. Bradford uses his matchless skill and knowledge to take the reader through the history of this great and unique fortress. From its geological creation to its two-thousand-year influence on politics and war, he crafts the compelling tale of how these few square miles played a major part in history.

A military genius worshiped for his courage; a fierce politician admired for his shrewdness and mercy; a brilliant writer and speaker. It's no wonder that in his lifetime, Julius Caesar held the positions of military tribune, praetor, consul, pro-consul, and dictator. But even his astounding ambition could not make him emperor, though it did achieve the conquest of Cleopatra, ruler of the most fabulous kingdom in all of known civilization. In this biography of Caesar, Bradford steers away from the clichés and legends to cut right to the heart of whom Caesar really was--a man who based his entire existence on the pursuit of power.