Empires of the Sea

More resources

Here is a short list of reasonably available, largely non-academic books on the contest for the Mediterranean in the sixteenth century.

Fernand Braudel: The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II – not a casual read (two volumes, 1,200 pages), this stands as one of the great works of twentieth century history. It’s a hugely enriching book. Braudel surveys everything – geology, climate, economics, transport, empires, forms of warfare as well as well as events, politics and people. It spans the period 1550-1598. Volume II, which covers events, politics and people, can be read on its own.

John Francis Guilmartin: Galleons and Galleys – a wide-ranging, highly illustrated study of sea warfare that includes a section on the battle tactics of galley fleets and the Ottoman failure to dominate the western Mediterranean.

Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq: Turkish Letters – wonderfully vivid, contemporary account of the Ottoman empire and Istanbul during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Jan Morris: The Venetian Empire: A Sea Voyage – ranges far wider than the period of my book but takes in the main events (Cyprus and Lepanto); enjoyable romantic travel/historical perspective on the history of the Mediterranean.

Andre Clot: Suleiman the Magnificent – biography of the sultan.

The Siege of Rhodes

Eric Brockman: The Two Sieges of Rhodes 1480-1522 – a lively account of the Knights of St John in Rhodes closely based on the sources.

Ernle Bradford: The Shield and the Sword – popular, rather partisan history of the Knights of St John.

Hayrettin Barbarossa awaits a decent modern biography in English. In the meanwhile there’s Ernle Bradford: The Sultan’s Admiral: The Life of Barbarossa – an exciting, if not terribly accurate, narrative account.

R.C. Davis, Christian Slaves, Muslim masters: White Slavery in the Mediterranean, the Barbary Coast and Italy, 1500-1800– serious but very readable academic work, based on a scrupulous study of sources and records in Italy – a fascinating read.

Jacques Heers: The Barbary Corsairs: Warfare in the Mediterranean – sober study of the subject.

The Siege of Malta

Francisco Balbi di Corregio: The Siege of Malta, 1565 (translated by Ernle Bradford) – the diary of Francisco Balbi, a first hand, very readable eyewitness record of the siege.

Stephen C. Spiteri: The Great Siege: Knights vs. Turks mdlxv – Anatomy of a Hospitaller Victory – for anyone seriously interested in the subject, this book is a must. Huge, compendious, brilliantly illustrated with contemporary prints, paintings, maps and computer recreations, based on detailed analyses of the sources, Spiteri graphically explains every aspect of the siege: fortifications, tactics, weaponry, armour, siege techniques – as well as events themselves. Go to www.fortress-explorer.org for purchasing details.

Ernle Bradford: The Great Siege: Malta 1565 – exciting narrative version of events.

The Battle of Lepanto

Jack Beeching: The Galleys at Lepanto – excellent general narrative history of the build up and the battle.

Hugh Bicheno: The Cross and the Crescent: The Battle of Lepanto 1571 – a recent account that gives due weight to the Ottoman perspective.

Niccolo Capponi: Victory of the West: The Story of the Battle of Lepanto – exceedingly well-researched recent version.