Magnetic Constantinople
Mehmed the Conqueror, the son of Murad II, sacked Constaninople, now Istanbul, on May 29, 1453 and brought to an end the Byzantine empire. He was only 21 and changed the course of world history.
The Crusades, Byzantium and the Ottoman empre have always aroused the interest and curiosity of students of history but for most people, the very names conjure up visions of a turbulent and glorious age.
This is a masterly account of the fall of Constantinople and the rise of the Ottoman empire.
To hold the attention of the reader, who is not a history student or specialist in the field, a historian needs to be precise and eloquent. Too many historians lose their readers when they digress from the central theme. Runciman knows his subject and knows how to tell a story and this story is fact not fiction.
With Turkey once again in the news almost on a daily basis, and ever more tourists and travellers visiting Istanbul, those wishing to know more about the background of this great city and a resurgent country should find this book an exciting read, something one cannot say about all history books, no matter how educative and informative they may be.