Defenders of the Faith: Christianity and Islam Battle for the Soul of Europe, 1520-1536
A bestselling historian recounts the epic clash that ended the Renaissance and pushed Islam to the gates of Vienna\ In Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston, Jr., brought two epochal events in the struggle between Islam and Christendom to readers eager to understand the roots of the present-day conflict. With his unwavering eye for detail, Reston now weaves a captivating narrative that examines a pivotal period in that centuries- long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and...
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A bestselling historian recounts the epic clash that ended the Renaissance and pushed Islam to the gates of Vienna In Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston, Jr., brought two epochal events in the struggle between Islam and Christendom to readers eager to understand the roots of the present-day conflict. With his unwavering eye for detail, Reston now weaves a captivating narrative that examines a pivotal period in that centuries- long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and Islam on the attack. This saga of colliding worlds is propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns-the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the Turkish sultan Suleyman the Magnificent-and is supported by a wide range of larger-than-life characters, who lend this meticulously researched history a novel's worth of suspense and brio.
Foreword xixAct 1 The Die is Cast1 An Emperor Arrives in Europe 32 The Sword of Osman 93 Son of Satan 184 A Field of Fool's Gold 295 Let It Be Done! 396 The Sultan of Love and War 43Act 2 Horsetails and Worms7 A Diet of Worms 538 The Shadow of God Spreads Northward 699 Henry's Harangue 7610 The Blood Sport of Kings and Popes 81Act 3 Ancestral Aspirations11 Holy Smoke 9112 The Nest of Christian Vipers 9713 In the Truest Sense 10614 In the Extremity of His Affliction 117Act 4 The Capture of a King15 The Great Plan 12316 The Last Battle in the Age of Chivalry 13217 My Honor and My Life 14118 I Am King Once Again! 152Act 5 More Was Lost at Mohács19 The Golden-Grilled Window 16520 The Highway of Holy Struggle 17321 Squabbling at Spires 17822 The Game Pack of Jihad 18623 The Sow and Her Piglet 195Act 6 The Sack of Rome24 Alas, Poor Italy 20325 Setting the Stage 21226 Pay! Pay! 22127 Rabble at Porta San Spirito 229Act 7 The End of the Renaissance28 Single Combat 24329 Showdown at Blackfriars 24930 More Than Table Talk 25831 His Mouth Rains Pearls 269Act 8 The Gates of Vienna32 The Banks of the Rhine River 27933 Coronation in Fat City 29034 The Creed of Protest 29935 Ceremony of Amnesia 308Act 9 Last Gasp in Europe36 Two Wives 31737 Futile Diplomacy 32338 Stuck at Güns 32839 The Pomposity of Ibrahim Pasha 340Act 10 The Natural Enemy40 Two Iraqs 35341 Charles and the Barbary Sea Dogs 35942 Tunis: The Last Crusade 36443 Baghdad, Abode of Peace 37244 The Abrupt End of a Great Friendship 378Epilogue 382Acknowledgments 390Selected Bibliography 393Index 398
