The Great Siege, Ernle Bradford
The Great Siege, Ernle Bradford
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The Great Siege
Malta 1565

Author: Ernle Bradford

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 5 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/12/2012

Categories: Nonfiction, History

Synopsis

Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the most powerful ruler in the world, was determined to conquer Europe. Only one thing stood in his way: a dot of an island in the Mediterranean called Malta, which was occupied by the Knights of Saint John, the cream of the warriors of the Holy Roman Empire. A clash of civilizations was shaping up, the likes of which had not been seen since Persia invaded Greece. Determined to capture Malta and use its port to launch operations against Europe, Suleiman sent an armada and an overwhelming army. A few thousand defenders in Fort Saint Elmo fought to the last man, enduring cruel hardships. When the Turks captured the fort, they took no prisoners and mutilated the defenders bodies. Grand Master La Vallette of the Knights reciprocated by decapitating his Turkish prisoners and using their heads to cannonade the enemy. Then the battle for Malta began in earnest: no quarter asked, none given. The Great Siegeis not merely a gripping tale of brutality, courage, and tenacity but the saga of two mighty civilizations struggling for domination of the known world.

About Ernle Bradford

Ernle Bradford was born in 1922 and died in 1986. He was a noted British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval topics. Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his books are set. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first lieutenant of a destroyer. Bradford lived in Malta for a number of years. He did occasional broadcast work for the BBC, was a magazine editor, and wrote many books, including Hannibal, Paul the Traveller, Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power, Christopher Columbus, and The Mighty Hood.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Dutch on 2014-08-21 10:33:18

Simon Vance could read a phone book and make it enthralling, but here he is reading a well written, gripping and suspenseful history of the siege of the island of Malta by an enormous hoard of Muslim Turks. The Knights of St. John, one of the last remaining orders of holy warriors from the Crusades, were vastly out numbered, but mounted one of the most amazing and spirited defenses in history. Their leader, Jean de Valette, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest military leaders of all time. The audiobook is short, 6 disks, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. As with many of the best audiobooks, this is a Rare Book in Booksfree, so get it on your Queue and be prepared to wait and wait.

Goodreads review by Melindam

This has been a clearly biased* but super captivating and exciting read that drew me in from the start and resonated with me very strongly. A handful of seemingly doomed defenders in a stronghold against the overwhelming odds of a huge Ottoman Army (and Navy) in the 16th century - all Hungarians rel......more

Goodreads review by Jerrodm

Well-told story, but pretty terrible as history. This book is the story of the Great Siege of Malta by the armies of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, as told from the perspective of the Knights. Maybe it's that I just re-read Edward Said's Orientalism, but boy this book was super ethnoce......more

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