The Great Siege: Malta 1565

In the first half of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was thought to be invincible. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan, had expanded his empire from western Asia to southeastern Europe and North Africa. To secure control of the Mediterranean between these territories and launch an offensive into western Europe, Suleiman needed the small but strategically crucial island of Malta. But SuleimanÔÇÖs attempt to take the island from the Holy Roman EmpireÔÇÖs Knights of St. John would emerge as one of the most famous and brutal military defeats in history. Ernle BradfordÔÇÖs compelling and thoroughly researched account of the Great Siege of Malta recalls not just an epic battle, but a clash of civilisations unlike anything since the time of Alexander the Great.