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The Great Siege: Malta, 1565 (Wordsworth Military Library) (Paperback)

by Ernle Bradford (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd; New edition edition (Jun 1999)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1840222069
ISBN-13: 978-1840222067
Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.6 x 1.4 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 182,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
In 1565 the Ottoman Empire was at its peak. Under their sultan, Solyman the Magnificent, the Turks had conquered most of Eastern Europe. The rulers of Christian Europe were at their wits' end to stem the tide of disaster. The Knights of St John, the fighting religious order drawn from most of the nations of Christendom had been driven from their island fortress of Rhodes 40 years earlier. From their new base of Malta their galleys had been so successful in their raids on Turkish shipping that the Sultan realised that only they stood between him and total mastery of the Mediterranean. He determined to obliterate the Knights of Malta. This reconstruction of the Siege of Malta brings history alive, and carries the reader through many battles, the heroism and the hunger to the relief which came, nearly too late, and the final victory.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious history brought to life in technicolour, 16 Mar 2001

By A Customer

I have read this "history" book several times and it is a fantastically thrilling and inspiring book of courage. The description of conditions and motives and tactics and character are absolutely fascinating as Bradford describes objectively the course of one of the most amazing military campaigns ever fought. Literally almost impossible to put down. Better than any fictional thriller you'll ever read. I urge you to get this book.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Endurance, faith, courage and great leadership, 21 Feb 2004

By	Clifford Matthews - See all my reviews

Grand Master Jean de la Valette gave his name to the capital of Malta, built to fortify the island after the Turkish invasion was repelled.

Left to stand or fall on their own by the rest of the christian world, The Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem with the people of Malta put up a heroic resistance against massive odds. The turks were well led initially and extremely experienced in the reduction of great cities. That they failed was due to the intelligent and tenacious leadership of Jean de la Valette and the willingness of the knights to sell their lives in a sacred cause.

Ernle Bradford has written an engaging account of the siege and one can only marvel at the courage, heroism, not to mention fanaticism displayed on both sides.

Malta was to become very important in a subsequent war and displayed the same heroism again. That it was in a position to do so was partly due to the resilience of 540 knights, some mercenaries and a few thousand Maltese.

This book is very readable. A brilliant page in history, not so well known now, but worth investigation.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We shall never take you... ", 3 Jul 2005

By	L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

"The Great Siege" is a fascinating study of the events surrounding the attempt in 1565 by the Moslem Turks to conquer Malta ,drive out the Christian Knights of St John and establish an Islamic hegemony over the Mediterranean ,with a view to using the island as a base for further expansion into Southern Europe. The book is written almost in the style of a novel with the narrative unfolding around the central characters Jean de la Vallette, the Knight's Grandmaster and Mustapha Pasha, the Commander of the Turkish Army ."The Great Siege" is completely absorbing and it conveys successfully the fanaticism and heroism of the participants.I was amazed at the courage and defiance shown by the Knights and their Maltese allies as they refused to bow to the superior numbers and firepower of the Turkish invaders first at St Elmo, whose resistance was unbelievable ,then at Senglea and Birgu. For four months the Knights held on against the Turks who had thought it would have been all over within four weeks, eventually demoralising them and forcing them to return home defeated. The book gives a blow by blow account of the Siege and provides details of the strategies and tactics of the respective military commanders."The Great Siege" is a remarkable true story and, looking back, its outcome is one of the great "What If's" of history. If the Turks had taken Malta, would swathes of Southern Europe have fallen to the Moslems and led to a very different geo-political landscape than that of today ? Their defeat by "The Incredibles", La Vallette's Knights and the Maltese, stung the Turks and destroyed their aura of invincibility -and they did it on their own, with no relief from outside. "The Great Siege" is a tale of individual heroism and collective bravery, of an immense religious and cultural conflagration and of a lionhearted people preferring martyrdom and death to submission.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great siege - great read
A fascinating and absorbing account of the life and times of all those engaged in the siege of Malta in 1565. Read more

Published 27 days ago by Mr. Jb Dunsire

5.0 out of 5 stars Great readable history
A marvellously readable book of a fascinating and pivotal episode in history. It made great holiday reading on a holiday to Malta.
It's astonishing that this isn't in print.

Published 3 months ago by Nigel Gale

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book to give to Teenage boys
I agree with the comments in the reviews below so I'll not repeat them. My wife and my sons have also read this book. Read more

Published on 27 May 2006 by Mr. Peter Cosgrove

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but read also from other sources
This book is much better than most novels, it makes history alive and it is a delight to read. However, if it awakens your interest in sixteenth century Mediterranean history,... Read more

Published on 1 Dec 2004 by Ignacio Recalde Canals

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it
Once there was a time I did not care to much for history books and prefered fiction, but as I have grown older I find that good history, especially of monumental events far... Read more

Published on 20 Nov 2003 by Gisli Jokull Gislason

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical writing at it's best
Earnle Bradford is a master story teller, he conjours up heroes and villains, tells of daring deeds and spins the web of a story to inspire. Read more

Published on 12 Jan 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read if you like military history
I read this book in 2 days and found it fascinating. It helps if you have visited Valetta in Malta to imagine what it must have been like to fight in the last battle of the... Read more

Published on 4 Jun 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Passionate and detailed account of the great siege
Ernle Bradford's book offers the classical account of the siege of Malta in English. Based on many contemporary sources (two of them written by soldiers who actually partecipated... Read more

Published on 30 Nov 1999 by Simone BONECHI

5.0 out of 5 stars A true story worthy of any Hollywood blockbuster
This fantastic true story of how the Knights of St John defended the mediterranean island of Malta from the Ottoman fleet of 200 vessels is an example to us all. Read more

Published on 6 April 1999

› See all 12 customer reviews...

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