Theodore Spandounes: On the Origins of the Ottoman Emperors [Paperback]

Donald M. Nicol (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0521102626 | ISBN-13: 978-0521102629 | Edition: 1

The Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the phenomenal expansion of the Ottoman Empire thereafter produced a ready market in the West for works about the origins, history and institutions of the Turks. Theodore Spandounes, himself of a Greek refugee family from Constantinople who had settled in Venice, was one of the first to publish such a work. Its final version, published in 1538, was written in Italian. This book offers the first English translation of the complete text, with a historical commentary and explanatory notes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In essence, this is a treatise that was `partially a plea to the Pope and kings of Western Christendom to unite against the Infidel and oust the Turks from Europe'(p. ix)." Middle East Journal

"With this volume, Donald M. Nicol has made accessible a valuable treatise about the Ottoman "other", as presented by an expatriate Byzantine living in western Europe in the first half of the sixteenth century. Anyone interested in the Ottoman Turks, in their interactions with western Europeans, or with western European perceptions of the "other" will want to have access to this volume. It is warmly recommended." James R. Payton, Jr., Sixteenth Century Journal

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (March 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521102626
• ISBN-13: 978-0521102629
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,385,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fall of Constantinople, December 14, 2009

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Norm Smith (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Theodore Spandounes: On the Origins of the Ottoman Emperors (Paperback)

Spandounes gives a brief but important history of the decline, fall and aftermath of the Byzantine Empire.

While he wrote this book to inspire the West to fight the Ottomans, it has become a valuable source for anyone interested in late Byzantine history.

Spandounes is one of the few contemporary Greek historians from that period whose work has been translated into English and is still in print. He is the only translated historian (that I know of) who carries the story of the aftermath of the fall of Constantinople into the 1530s.

A must for English speaking Byzantinists.