Defenders of the Faith : Christianity and Islam Battle for the Soul of Europe, 1520-1536

by Reston, Jr., James (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780143117599
• ISBN10: 0143117599
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-27
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Summary

With fascinating detail, and a gift for uncovering the current relevance of past conflicts, acclaimed historian James Reston, Jr., weaves a captivating narrative that examines a pivotal period in the centuries-long war between Islam and Christendom.

Author Biography

James Reston, Jr., is the author of fourteen books, including Warriors of God, Dogs of God, Galileo: A Life, and The Conviction of Richard Nixon. His 1983 documentary, Father Cares: The Last of Jonestown, won the Prix Italia and the Dupont-Columbia Award. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xix
The Die is Cast
An Emperor Arrives in Europe	p. 3
The Sword of Osman	p. 9
Son of Satan	p. 18
A Field of Fool's Gold	p. 29
Let It Be Done!	p. 39
The Sultan of Love and War	p. 43
Horsetails and Worms
A Diet of Worms	p. 53
The Shadow of God Spreads Northward	p. 69
Henry's Harangue	p. 76
The Blood Sport of Kings and Popes	p. 81
Ancestral Aspirations
Holy Smoke	p. 91
The Nest of Christian Vipers	p. 97
In the Truest Sense	p. 106
In the Extremity of His Affliction	p. 117
The Capture of a King
The Great Plan	p. 123
The Last Battle in the Age of Chivalry	p. 132
My Honor and My Life	p. 141
I Am King Once Again!	p. 152
More Was Lost at Mohács
The Golden-Grilled Window	p. 165
The Highway of Holy Struggle	p. 173
Squabbling at Spires	p. 178
The Game Pack of Jihad	p. 186
The Sow and Her Piglet	p. 195
The Sack of Rome
Alas, Poor Italy	p. 203
Setting the Stage	p. 212
Pay! Pay!	p. 221
Rabble at Porta San Spirito	p. 229
The End of the Renaissance
Single Combat	p. 243
Showdown at Blackfriars	p. 249
More Than Table Talk	p. 258
His Mouth Rains Pearls	p. 269
The Gates of Vienna
The Banks of the Rhine River	p. 279
Coronation in Fat City	p. 290
The Creed of Protest	p. 299
Ceremony of Amnesia	p. 308
Last Gasp in Europe
Two Wives	p. 317
Futile Diplomacy	p. 323
Stuck at Güns	p. 328
The Pomposity of Ibrahim Pasha	p. 340
The Natural Enemy
Two Iraqs	p. 353
Charles and the Barbary Sea Dogs	p. 359
Tunis: The Last Crusade	p. 364
Baghdad, Abode of Peace	p. 372
The Abrupt End of a Great Friendship	p. 378
Epilogue	p. 382
Acknowledgments	p. 390
Selected Bibliography	p. 393
Index	p. 398
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