This book is built around the fortunes of one family with two branches; the Brunis and Brutis. It traces their beginnings, rise, fall and fortunes over the course of the 16th century. I was looking forward to reading this book after a good series of reviews, but, unfortunately, I found the book to be ponderous reading, full of minute information (someone’s mother’s maiden name, or the name of a village, once in Italian, then Albanian and also Turkish) that clogged up the flow of the narrative. It is also a difficult book for anyone who does not have a good overview of the locations and history as some events (which I consider to be key) are reviewed in a very short manner (such as the battle of Lepanto).
On the positive side, he provides an interesting history of the diplomatic and economic history of the area comprising of Moldavia, Wallachia, Transylvania, etc. as well as the efforts by the Church of Rome to bring those areas back into Rome’s control as opposed to the Orthodox faith. In the western Mediterranean, we find Queen Elizabeth of England (a Christian) attempting to ally herself with the Ottoman Empire (Muslim) in order to create havoc for Spain (a Christian power). Whoever says that religion has caused wars knows nothing of the political and economic forces behind centuries of warfare in Europe.
Written for an audience beyond the average, it is an excellent source for some of the more obscure facts and forces of the age but I would not recommend it for the average person who is looking for an exciting history that covers that exciting period and area.
