01892cam a2200313 4500 97081794 TxGeo 20120304120000.0 070814s2008||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2007033794 9781400066247 hc 1400066247 hc (OCoLC)164803887 DLC DLC DLC TxGeo Crowley, Roger, 1951- Empires of the sea : the siege of Malta, the battle of Lepanto, and the contest for the center of the world / Roger Crowley. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Random House, 2008. xvii, 336 p., [8] p. of plates : ill, maps ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-315) and index. A thrilling account of the brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe. This struggle's brutal climax came between 1565 and 1571, seven years that witnessed a fight to the finish decided in a series of bloody set pieces: the epic siege of Malta, in which a tiny band of Christian defenders defied the might of the Ottoman army; the savage battle for Cyprus; and the apocalyptic last-ditch defense of southern Europe at Lepanto--one of the single most shocking days in world history. At the close of this cataclysmic naval encounter, the carnage was so great that the victors could barely sail away because of the countless corpses floating in the sea. Lepanto fixed the frontiers of the Mediterranean world that we know today. 20080828. Naval history, Modern. Islam Relations Christianity. Naval battles History 16th century. Christianity and other religions Islam. Europe History, Naval. QS5