Lords of the horizons : a history of the Ottoman Empire

For six hundred years, the Ottoman Empire swelled and declined. Islamic, martial, civilized, and tolerant, it advanced in three centuries from the dusty foothills of Anatolia to rule on the Danube and the Nile; at its height, Indian rajahs and the kings of France beseeched the empire's aid. In its last three hundred years the empire seemed ready to collapse, a prodigy of survival and decay. In this striking evocation of the empire's power, Jason Goodwin explores how the Ottomans rose and how, against all odds, they lingered on. In doing so, he also offers a long look back to the origins of problems that plague present-day Kosovars and Serbs. Lords of the Horizons tells the story of a people whose name does not describe a place, whose language nobody speaks. Ottoman ceremony was Byzantine, its wealth Egyptian, its dignity Persian; for six hundred years, the Ottoman Empire swelled and declined. Islamic, martial, civilized, and tolerant, it advanced in three centuries from the dusty foothills of Anatolia to rule on the Danube and the Nile; at its height, Indian rajahs and the kings of France beseeched the empire's aid. In its last three hundred years the empire seemed ready to collapse -- a prodigy of survival and decay. Jason Goodwin explores how the Ottomans rose, and how, against all odds, they lingered on. In doing so, he also offers an illuminating look back to the origins of problems that plague present-day Kosovars and Serbs. 'Perhaps the most readable history ever written' Time Out Lords of the Horizons charts the Ottoman Empire's swirling epic history; dramatic — detailed and alive — a journey, and a world all in one. The Ottoman Empire has long exerted a strong pull on Western minds and hearts. For over six hundred years the Empire swelled and declined; rising from a dusty fiefdom in the foothills of Anatolia to a power which ruled over the Danube and the Euphrates with the richest court in Europe. But its decline was prodigious, protracted, and total. 'A fascinating read...a perfect companion for anyone who visits Turkey and wants to make sense of it' The Times A history of the Ottoman Turks, founders of an empire lasting 600 years and stretching from the Persian Gulf to Hungary, to Algeria. The author describes the harems, the artistic and technological achievements--the cannon was first used by them in the siege of Constantinople--and the religious tolerance to which he attributes the empire's longevity The Ottoman Empire has exerted a long, strong pull on Western minds and hearts. For over six hundred years the Empire swelled and declined; rising from a dusty fiefdom in the foothills of Anatolia to a power which ruled over the Danube and the Euphrates with the richest court in Europe. This title charts the Ottoman Empire's swirling history. A rich evocation of the lost world of the Ottoman Empire traces the rise of the Turks, showing their early world dominance, which touched Europe, Africa, and India, and exploring the Empire's long degeneration and fall. The great Eurasian steppe is a region of scrub and feathery grasses which stretches from the borders of China to the shore of the Black Sea.