Constantinople: The Last Great Siege, 1453

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Constantinople: The Last Great Siege, 1453 Page 39

by Roger Crowley


  ‘Gripping … Mixes intriguing details of military history with rich references to the religious imagery that influenced both parties.’ The Economist

  ‘Crowley’s fascinating account of the years leading up to and the final sacking of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire reads more like lively fiction than dry recounting of historical events. The characters, led by Mehmet II, the young leader of the Ottoman Turks, and Constantine XI, the wearying fifty-seventh emperor of a weakening Byzantium, are drawn in great detail.’ Michael Standaert, Los Angeles Times

  Author biography

  Roger Crowley read English at Cambridge before going to live in Istanbul. He now works in publishing and lives in Gloucestershire. His first book, Constantinople, was published in 2005 and his second, Empires of the Sea, in 2008. His website is at rogercrowley. co. uk.

  Copyright

  First published in 2005

  by Faber and Faber Limited

  Bloomsbury House

  74–77 Great Russell Street

  London WC1B 3DA

  This ebook edition first published in 2009

  All rights reserved

  © Roger Crowley, 2005

  Maps © John Flower

  The right of Roger Crowley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  ISBN 978—0—571—25079—0

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  List of Illustrations

  Maps

  Note on Sources

  Prologue: The Red Apple

  Chapter One: The Burning Sea

  Chapter Two: Dreaming of Istanbul

  Chapter Three: Sultan and Emperor

  Chapter Four: Cutting the Throat

  Chapter Five: The Dark Church

  Chapter Six: The Wall and the Gun

  Chapter Seven: Numerous as the Stars

  Chapter Eight: The Awful Resurrection Blast

  Chapter Nine: A Wind from God

  Chapter Ten: Spirals of Blood

  Chapter Eleven: Terrible Engines

  Chapter Twelve: Omens and Portents

  Chapter Thirteen: ‘Remember the Date’

  Chapter Fourteen: The Locked Gates

  Chapter Fifteen: A Handful of Dust

  Chapter Sixteen: The Present Terror of the World

  Epilogue: Resting Places

  Illustrations

  About the Sources

  Bibliography

  Index

  Acknowledgements

  Credits

  Praise

  About the Author

  Copyright

 

 

 


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