City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas

City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas

â€œThe rise and fall of Veniceâ€™s empire is an irresistible story and [Roger] Crowley, with his rousing descriptive gifts and scholarly attention to detail, is its perfect chronicler.â€â€”The Financial Times
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The New York Times bestselling author of Empires of the Sea charts Veniceâ€™s astounding five-hundred-year voyage to the pinnacle of power in an epic story that stands unrivaled for drama, intrigue, and sheer opulent majesty. City of Fortune traces the full arc of the Venetian imperial saga, from the ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which culminates in the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, to the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1499â€“1503, which sees the Ottoman Turks supplant the Venetians as the preeminent naval power in the Mediterranean. In between are three centuries of Venetian maritime dominance, during which a tiny city of â€œlagoon dwellersâ€ grow into the richest place on earth. Drawing on firsthand accounts of pitched sea battles, skillful negotiations, and diplomatic maneuvers, Crowley paints a vivid picture of this avaricious, enterprising people and the bountiful lands that came under their dominion. From the opening of the spice routes to the clash between Christianity and Islam, Venice played a leading role in the defining conflicts of its timeâ€”the reverberations of which are still being felt today.
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â€œ[Crowley] writes with a racy briskness that lifts sea battles and sieges off the page.â€â€”The New York Times
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â€œCrowley chronicles the peak of Veniceâ€™s past glory with Wordsworthian sympathy, supplemented by impressive learning and infectious enthusiasm.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2012-01-24
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2012-01-24
Format	Kindle eBook

City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas

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