About this title: A bestselling historian recounts 16 years that shook the world--the epic clash between Europe and the Ottoman Turks that ended the Renaissance and brought Islam to the gates of Vienna.
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2009-05-14
ISBN-13:9781594202254ISBN:1594202257
Description: New in New jacket. Hardback book with publisher's inventory mark on bottom edges. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Description: Like New. Hardcover w / dustjacket. Like new; no internal markings; has lost its "Brand New" shine but no obvious defects. DJ nf; no priceclip; edgewear. No remainder mark. History 91709. In sealed plastic protection. 2009. Hardcover w / dustjacket. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Pr
Date Published: 2009-05-14
ISBN-13:9781594202254ISBN:1594202257
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781594202254. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781594202254ISBN:1594202257
Description: New in new dust jacket. Signed by author. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 407 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781594202254ISBN:1594202257
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2009-05-14
ISBN-13:9781594202254ISBN:1594202257
Description: Excellent unmarked text, nice an. Hardcover w/nice dust jacket. Hardcover in like new condition. Excellent text/images unmarked nice and clean! BUY IT NOW! . Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
"Not a bad book but bounced around too much. A better read on similar topic is "Enemy at the Gate" about the Siege of Vienna a century after Suleyman laid siege. In fact there is a rumour that it will be a film with Mel Gibson as King John of Poland, one of the military leaders that broke the siege by the Ottomansin the 17th Century."
"Defenders of the Faith is a history covering 1520-1536 AD which mainly focused on the politics and wars in Europe (Charles V, Francis I, Henry VIII, the popes, Martin Luther, etc.). Only a fourth of the book focused on Suleyman's battles in Europe, European diplomacy efforts toward him, descriptions of feasts he held, and his internal politics...and very little was said about the Sunni/Shi'i conflict.
The book used quotes from people living at the time and gave nice details about how things looked which helped bring the events alive in my imagination. However, for all it's detail (describing the scene, the weather, numbers of people, maneuvers, etc.), the book gave only a surface assessment of the motives behind the actions. The author judges the actions from hindsight, knowing the results of the decisions, rather than giving a "this is how the situation might have appeared to them" view. He also assumes the worst motives behind the actions. This critical and cynical view of events results in a lot of negative language being used to describe the people and their actions.
There was a mild bias in this book. Whenever the author described cruel actions by the Turks against Christians, neutral language was used. If Christians did the same actions against Turks/Muslims, negative language was used. Also, the Hospitaller knights were called "fanatics," popes rarely had anything positive said about them, and the author used mocking language when describing how Martin Luther feared he might be killed when he had every reason to think he would be. Also, descriptions of people changed throughout the book. For example, a pope was described as sly/scheming when he was being sly/scheming and then described as gullible when his actions appear gullible. I didn't feel I could trust the author's assessment of the situations, but he also didn't give me enough information for me to draw my own conclusions.
The book included several nice black and white maps covering the areas described and black and whites pictures of the personages described in the book.
If you're interested in the Reformation (which made up a large portion of this book), then I'd recommend other, less biased books. History buffs wanting an overview of European politics during this time period might find this book interesting. If you've read this author's previous books and liked them, then I suspect you'll like this book as well."
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