<i>Empires of the Sea</i> shows the Mediterranean as a majestic and bloody theatre of war. Opening with the Ottoman victory in 1453 it is a breathtaking story of military crusading Barbary pirates white slavery and the Ottoman Empire - and the larger picture of the struggle between Islam and Christianity. Coupled with dramatic set piece battles a wealth of riveting first-hand accounts epic momentum and a terrific denouement at Lepanto this is a work of history at its broadest and most compelling.