Empires of the Sea - The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto (Roger Crowley, 2008)

This book was delightful in two ways. First, the baseline story - two empires with global reach duking it out via siege warfare and naval battles (using galleys) in the Mediterranean - is great. Second, the book is a different look at multiple threads read elsewhere that I've had a difficult time linking up.

Lepanto:  1571.  Just 65 years after Martin Luther; just 79 years after Columbus.

Some items:

1. It helps put Mediterranean geography in context - I've always been somewhat baffled as to the location of various islands that show up in story after story going back to Greek classics. I hadn't really thought of this sea as two separate spheres but it turns out that there is a pretty clear east/west split (running north to south from the toe of the boot - Sicily - Malta - North Africa); now I can finally keep straight (west to east): Majorca and Minorca; Corsica and Sardinia; Sicily and Malta; Crete; Rhodes; Cyprus.

2. And now I can better remember where Genoa and Venice fit, that these northern city-states surrounded Hapsburg and papal state territories, part of the reason why southern Italy is relatively undeveloped, why Italy featured cities instead of developing into a country like France or England or others.

3. Warfare that is startlingly modern - fort descriptions and gunnery positioning etc. reminded me of Verdun (described here); sophisticated cannon and other weaponry, supply arrangements, etc.

4. Yet warfare that is primitive in other ways - I didn't realize that in the 16th century naval warfare in this area was conducted via galleys - hearkening back to Ben Hur or far earlier in history. The situation had not improved about recruiting rowers; galley slaves; the disgusting conditions in which they rowed (and generally died).

5. The Ottoman siege of Malta sounded reminders to the siege of Malta in World War II, described here. Troop staging in Sicily reminded me of the Allies in World War II (described here). Same considerations of geography. etc

6. Rampant piracy - on both sides, though far more coming from the Muslim world. These folks were wrecking towns and hauling off slaves (many headed for the galleys) by the tens of thousands, with a focus on Italy, the Adriatic, Spain, France. (One can see where "the shores of Tripoli" - from the Marines' Hymn about stopping Barbary Coast pirates - could still have been an issue hundreds of years after the events in this book. And now we have Somalian pirates.) This also connected to the Vikings - the raids sounded quite similar (and southern Italy was hit up in both phases).

7. The events help put Spain in context - Moors recently ejected; but "unreliable" forced converts living oh so close to "Moorish" territory. Sounds like inquisition is in order.

8. Prescott discussed how Charles V (key Hapsburg emperor) paid little attention to Cortez; there was interest in treasure but otherwise events in the New World almost were a sideshow to events in Europe; this book puts some specifics around this. There were just a few folks sent to the New World; the bullion returned via treasure ships financed many projects and including in particular the naval warfare with the Ottomans. Cortez participated in a raid to North Africa later in life (trying to retake Algiers in 1541).

9. More context around Christianity v. Islam. This was 400+ years after the Crusades were launched. What an incredible, and incredibly ridiculous, history of fighting. Each side claiming true religion while leadership typically is pursuing far more earthly goals. And watching Christianity split with Protestant reformation. And even the Catholic domains (France and Venice) constantly cutting deals with Ottomans at the expense of Spain.

10. Vision of the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs as true world empires; only places with the $$ to put together significant armies/navies. Ottomans were so highly developed. I have this image of incompetence from all the references to the "sick man of Europe" = but that was ~300 years in the future. Ottomans were still awesome at this stage.

11. Sieges at Rhodes and Cyprus (in addition to Malta). Heroism by defenders; great stories throughout.

12. Miguel de Cervantes in the fighting at Lepanto (with Don Quixote making reference to the battle in the book). Quite the battle - 600+ ships (70% of oared vessels in entire Mediterranean in one spot); the author says the rate of slaughter (however calculated) wasn't matched until this battle in 1915. The fresco shown above shows ships in the lines of battle; compared to Trafalgar; hard to believe they could keep this many ships in order.

13. Apparently western Europe was under such pressure that finally having some success (meaning Lepanto) led to outbursts of joy; a series of famous art works by the "masters;" the story absolutely captured the popular imagination. And now there were printing presses to spread the word (and leave a huge trail for historians). The artwork at the top of the page certainly expresses a point of view as to where the religious preferences fell during the battle.

14. But as it turned out, Lepanto didn't disable the Ottomans, but broke momentum and with other events, ended efforts to go on to Rome when that seemed not only possible but likely. Attentions turned elsewhere. Spain sent a fleet to England. Burning energy fighting Protestants in Holland. Ottomans supposedly focused more on Persia, did keep going up the Danube basin (for over a century).

15. Read a lot about the Templars here; they were pretty much out of business at this point but the Knights of St. John had survived and played key roles in all this, especially on Rhodes and Malta (where they went after the Ottomans kicked them out of Rhodes).

16. Andrea Doria fought in this, along with other luminaries. Charles V apparently loved having court painters show him in war-like glory, as with this example.