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A review by agirlushouldknow
1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley
4.0
While I have always been interested in the Roman Empire, my interest waned after the split and definitely never followed the Eastern Roman Empire, that is until I listened to this book.
It is an incredibly detailed book that examines both sides of the siege of Constantinople, the defenders who were the last remnants of the Roman Empire, and the newer force under the auspices of Mehmed II. I knew it was an important battle that changed the course of history in the region and the world, but didn't realize I would like reading about it so much.
The author gives enough detail of many of the individuals involved, and enough back history to give the feeling of the situation. Lots of little details I had never heard of, like the large cannons commissioned by Mehmed to take down the walls, the various infighting that occurred both inside and outside the walls and the repercussions of the fall of Constantinople.
I highly recommend this book, and it definitely makes me interested in reading other books written by Roger Crowley. Also, I was very impressed in the audio version with Simon Prebble's reading, he reminded me a lot of Roy Dotrice and I would recommend him as a narrator anytime.
It is an incredibly detailed book that examines both sides of the siege of Constantinople, the defenders who were the last remnants of the Roman Empire, and the newer force under the auspices of Mehmed II. I knew it was an important battle that changed the course of history in the region and the world, but didn't realize I would like reading about it so much.
The author gives enough detail of many of the individuals involved, and enough back history to give the feeling of the situation. Lots of little details I had never heard of, like the large cannons commissioned by Mehmed to take down the walls, the various infighting that occurred both inside and outside the walls and the repercussions of the fall of Constantinople.
I highly recommend this book, and it definitely makes me interested in reading other books written by Roger Crowley. Also, I was very impressed in the audio version with Simon Prebble's reading, he reminded me a lot of Roy Dotrice and I would recommend him as a narrator anytime.