Rhodes Besieged

Product Description

By the late fifteenth century Ottoman Turkish mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean was nearly complete. However, the tiny island of Rhodes, just a few kilometres from the south-west coast of Turkey, remained a thorn in their side. Home to the walled headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, a crusading Order of ”warrior monks”, Rhodes was besieged for three months by the full might of the Turkish army & artillery in 1480, but emerged undefeated. The Ottomans would inevitably return, so the Hospitallers strengthened & adapted their fortifications & defences in preparation for another siege. The Ottomans attacked again in 1522 &, after six months, captured Rhodes but were unable to defeat the Hospitallers who were allowed to leave with their lives, arms & possessions. Why were the Knights Hospitaller able to remain undefeated against the most powerful military force in the world? & what changes were made to the fortifications of their island stronghold? This book uniquely uses the eyewitness accounts, surviving guns & extant walls to deconstruct the story of these two sieges in detail, & uses these events as a backdrop to explore the wider relationship between the development of gunpowder weapons & the fortifications built to defend against them. Including detailed appendices with a wealth of images of the cannon & walls, this book will fascinate not only visitors to Rhodes, but also those who are interested in the art of medieval warfare.