Agents of Empire - Knights, Corsairs, Jesuits and Spies in the 16th-Century Mediterranean World (Noel Malcolm, 2015)

To me - this is how history should be written.  Author selects a relatively narrow focus, researches it to the nth degree, tells the story with plenty of context.  History comes to life.

Exact opposite effect of this plodding compendium - which, interestingly enough, overlapped a fair amount with "Agents of Empire".   But Greengrass's book is just unreadable - lacks focus - tries to address whatever was happening in pretty much every decent-sized country in Europe over too many years - too much.

Author's focus area here:  he runs across a reference to a contemporary description of Albania - written in late 16th century - apparently nothing like this had surfaced - so he tracks it down, and follows the trail from there.  The author of the 16th-century Albanian description was a member of a family that somehow insinuated itself - starting without any particular resources or prestige - into the foreign affairs (and/or diplomacy and/or spying) in Spain, England, Poland, Austria, Papal States, Moldavia, Wallachia, Transylvania, Hapsburgs, Ottomans, Venice, etc.  (One of the family members was killed at the Battle of Lepanto, interestingly enough.) (One became a Knight of Malta.)  These folks sometimes served as diplomats or translators, which - even then - often bled over into intelligence-gathering and outright spying.

After reading several books about this era - or perhaps because of reading them - this book finally helped make sense of some of the relationships here.  Venice dependent on Ottomans for trade but of course traditionally Catholic.  Wary of the too-powerful Hapsburgs - either the Spanish or Austrian branches.  Pope trying to jump start the Counter-Reformation; one method is to try to put together anti-Ottoman alliances (even, in bursts of optimism, coalitions that would include both Catholic and Protestant states).  But France often allying with Ottomans (which seems odd but serves purpose of countering Hapsburg power).  Spain holding onto Italian territories, great wealth from the Americas, troubles in the Netherlands, dealing with pirates/corsairs.  Ottomans interested in buffer states (Moldavia, Wallachia, Hungary) and sucked into exhausting war with Persia in the east.  And already worrying about an emergent Muscovy.  Etc.  I find this era endlessly interesting.

And the Albanians!  Sitting in the pathway - traditionally European, dominated by Ottomans, playing both sides.  Often serving as janissaries and rising to senior levels in Ottoman administration.  Living in that area couldn't have been easy.

Author does a really effective job sifting through records and correspondence - more survives than I would have ever guessed - but author also avoids conjecture and grand conclusions.

Was surprised to see that this author had written this very interesting work on Bosnia (another somewhat fairy tale location).

Much worth reading.

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