Empires of the Sea

The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580

by Roger Crowley

ISBN: 978-0-571-23231-4

First published 2008

301 pages

Cover image: The Naval Battle of Lepanto by Antonio de Brugada

Cover design: Gavin Morris

Publisher: Faber.co.uk

5/5 Stars

The great empires of the 16th century, the Ottomans versus the Hapsburgs, the Spanish versus the Turk, Christendom versus the Muslim lands.

It is a frightening account of the lack of sanctity of human life shown by both sides, towards each other, and to their own people. Pirates, both Moors and Christians, would raid coastal lands and steal men, women and children, for either working in their galleys or to sell back home in the slave markets.

If they needed slaves – often there was just wanton butchery. It was the heyday of pirates, Barbarossa (Red Beard) being the fiercest.

Life in a galley was short and disgusting. Men defecated on their seats, in order to keep on rowing. The filth and muck would be so extensive that the only way to clean these ships were to sink them and have the salt sea wash them out. They were re-floated with the use of barrels of air.

This great historical narrative follows the defense and capture of Christian outposts left long after the end of the crusades.

• The Knights of St. John were first evicted from Rhodes, they learnt their lesson.
• They were able to defend Malta their new home successfully but with huge sacrifice.
• The Ottomans learnt their lesson from Malta, and were able to conquer Nicosia and Famagusta (and all the island of Cyprus) from the Venetians.

War beget war.

Eventually European eyes turned north. The death and destruction that had laid waste to the Mediterranean, also meant there was little interest for the northern European monarchies.

The battle of Lepanto while nominally won by the west, meant that the Mediterranean would become a back-water.