Publisher's Synopsis
In the mid-eighteenth century, most of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, a vast Islamic power regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear. However, by the end of the First World War, this great civilisation had been completely subjugated, its territories occupied by European states.
In Sea of Troubles, Ian Rutledge reveals how the Mediterranean – the fault line between Europe and Islam – became the most important centre of European imperialist rivalry. Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary and Russia all wrestled for control of the trade, lands and wealth of this Islamic region. As rivalries intensified, events would spiral out of control as the continent headed towards war.
This masterful, richly detailed account illuminates over three centuries of European imperialism in the Islamic Mediterranean. Sea of Troubles reveals the chain reaction of conquest and violence that culminated in the First World War and the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
‘A rich and complex narrative … Ian Rutledge's careful prose underscores the essential trends and events, on both land and sea, that have made the eastern Mediterranean a critical setting for modern history. A must read.’ Ryan Gingeras, author of The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire
‘This masterly history covers the gradual encroachment of European imperial powers into the territories and waters of the Ottoman Empire over the long nineteenth century. A lively and informative read.’ Charles Tripp, author of The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East
