When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, a remarkable era in world history ended. Crowley gives a complete and compelling account of the Holy War for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West that gave rise to today's jihad.

When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, a remarkable era in world history ended. Crowley gives a complete and compelling account of the Holy War for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West that gave rise to today's jihad.

** A gripping exploration of the fall of Constantinople and its connection to the world we live in today.**

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's readable and comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmet II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium, illuminates the period in history that was a precursor to the current conflict between the West and the Middle East.