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The Great Siege: Malta 1565 Paperback – April 3, 2010

by Ernle Bradford (Author)

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Suleiman the Magnificent, 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, occupied by the Knights of St. 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 St. Elmo fought to the last man, enduring cruel hardships. When they captured the fort the Turks 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 Siege of Malta is not merely a gripping tale of brutality, courage, and tenacity, but the saga of two mighty civilizations struggling for domination of the known world.

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Product details

Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: e-reads.com; First Edition edition (April 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075929934X
ISBN-13: 978-0759299344
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 350 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #961 in Books > History > Middle East > Turkey
- #40344 in Books > History > Europe
- #56161 in Books > History > Military

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Excellent treatment of the great siege.

April 17, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Ernle Bradford has given us a very good account of the Siege of Malta in 1565 - the last stand of the Knights Hospitallers. I know, it wasn't their last action, but was certainly the high point and they would continue to fade away as the one of the last vestiges of the medieval world.

After their retreat from Rhodes, the Knights of St. John, known as the Hospitallers, were without a headquarters, a base and a home. Eventually, the Spanish king Phillip II gave them the small island of Malta as their fiefdom. The hot, infertile island of soft sandstone sat in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily and divides the east from the west. In the east, the Muslim Turks are masters. In the west, the fractured Christian powers vie with each other (the French actually had a "non-aggression" pact with the Turks) when not threatened from the east.

The ever aggressive Muslim Turks realize that Malta is a strategic asset - or liability - and are determined to take it. From Malta, Sicily can be threatened, then Italy. Likewise, their possessions in North Africa as well as shipping can be threatened by the Knights and their war galleys. It is at this point that the author takes up the story.

A massive fleet and army of 40,000 sail from Constantinople. A powerful, experienced fleet with elite and fanatical troops used to victories over Christian armies is on it's way. But, the Knights of St. John have a fanaticism of their own and the warrior monks of Christendom are prepared to sell their lives dearly. On the island, Grand Master de Valette shores up his defences, lays in stores for the siege and prepares his troops for the battle to come.

The author does a fine job of chronicling the course of the battle from both sides. His history is sprinkled with first-person accounts from both Muslim Turk and Christian Knight. The combat is bloody and brutal with quarter neither asked for nor given. The battle is one of endurance and the author is able to point out each side's mistakes and the turning point of the conflict.

This is a very good treatment of the siege and I recommend it with five stars. If you're looking for the bigger picture within which the siege of Malta is but a piece, I recommend Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World.

16 people found this helpful17 people found this helpful

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Jeff Dawson

Superb recounting of a truly climatic battle!

June 26, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The Ottoman Empire is at its height of power. The only thing holding up turning the Mediterranean into the Sultan’s personal pond is a tiny, insignificant island. The Knight’s of St. John have been granted the island as their last place of refuge to continue on the order. Sultan Solyman is convinced, once the island falls, he will be able to continue his quest of glory and the abolition of Christianity forever.
Grand Master, La Vellete has different ideals. He and his Knights will stand fast and protect the faith, even if it means every last person on the island is annihilated. To his God, he will be faithful and die defending the faith.
As I read this fascinating story, I couldn’t help but fall back the “Siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944. Out numbered, out gunned, out supplied, and despite horrific living conditions and mounting casualties, they held. Not much had changed in three hundred and seventy-six years.

Forty thousand Turks took to the sea and only ten thousand came back to tell the tale. A force of five hundred knights and eight to nine thousand men forced the Turks to return home with the jewel in their pocket.

La Vellete’s ability to recognize that if the Grand Harbor falls, so does Malta, he took to an aggressive plan of build Fort St. Elmo on the knoll overlooking the harbor. This brilliant stroke of engineering and planning would the cog that would have the invaders attacking again and again and again. Think of Thermopylae and you get the picture. Yes, the fort finally succumbed to the overwhelming weight of the attacks, but at a cost that couldn’t be replaced.

I highly recommend this work to those who are ardent followers of history and those who have a slight understanding but want to broaden their horizons.

Five Stars

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A Reader

History at its best

January 24, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I love this kind of history - well-written, well-researched (largely based on several first-person accounts), full of interesting characters and context. I was somewhat familiar with the history of Malta and the Knights and Turkish struggles for dominance in the Mediterranean from a fictionalized account I'd previously read about the 1551 siege, but I wasn't at all familiar with The Great Siege. I'm very glad I noticed this title; my husband, who's primed to read it next, will be, too.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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History Buff

This book provides a detailed analysis of the Sultan's preparations ...

July 16, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book provides a detailed analysis of the Sultan's preparations for the Malta siege and the defense preparations of the Knights of St. John. The siege itself is presented with much suspense. It is well written with many interesting facts. The event itself was important in the sixteenth century in that it the siege marked a turning point in the Sultan's ambitions to control the western Mediterranean. A very well-written and important story. The suggestion that a map or geographical sketches would have helped is well-taken.

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Celtic Chris

Great read! Who would have guessed!

February 15, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Really enjoyed this book especially the Audible version. Reads like a novel. The actual events twist and turn between victory and defeat for both sides. Bradford has done his homework and it helps to have an eyewitness document written not too long after the siege to refer to and to shed light on the defenses within the various fortifications.

The book is an easy read. I found myself mesmerized throughout and didn't want to put the book down. Add to it the significance of the seige with respect to the Ottoman intentions in the Mediterranean and this book is easily and highly recommended!

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

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J. B. S.

A page-turner all the way.

April 12, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a very readable and engaging history. I recognize that experts disagree with some of the details in various histories of the siege of Malta, but I am not competent to hazard an opinion on that, not being a historian myself. However, if there are a few details in question, that is not important to me. I read this for the pure enjoyment of the story and won't remember all the details in any event. This was a page-turner all the way. I'll leave to the experts all the quibbles.

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