In this panoramic and multifaceted book Gábor Ágoston captures the grand sweep of Ottoman
history from the dynasty's stunning rise to power at the turn of the fourteenth century to the
Siege of Vienna in 1683 which brought an end to Ottoman incursions into central Europe. He
discusses how the Ottoman wars of conquest gave rise to the imperial rivalry with the Habsburgs
and brings vividly to life the intrigues of sultans kings popes and spies. Ágoston examines
the subtler methods of Ottoman conquest such as dynastic marriages and the incorporation of
conquered peoples into the Ottoman administration and argues that while the Ottoman Empire was
shaped by Turkish Iranian and Islamic influences it was also an integral part of Europe and
was in many ways a European empire.
