Sea of Troubles (Hardcover)

Ian Rutledge

ISBN 10: 0863569501 / ISBN 13: 9780863569500

Published by Saqi Books, London, 2023

About this Item

Hardcover. In the mid-eighteenth century, most of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, a vast Islamic power regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear. By the end of the First World War, however, this great civilisation had been completely subjugated, and its territories occupied by European powers. Sea of Troubles is the definitive account of the European conquest of the Levant and North Africa over three centuries. Ian Rutledge reveals the intense imperial rivalry between six European powers - Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary and Russia - who all jostled for control of the trade, lands and wealth of the Islamic Mediterranean. The competition between these states made their conquest a far more difficult and extended task than they encountered elsewhere in the world. Yet, as new contenders entered the contest, and as rivalries intensified in the early twentieth century, events would spiral out of control as the continent headed towards the First World War. Authoritative and compelling account of European imperialism in North Africa and the Levant, and of the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780863569500

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sea of Troubles (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Saqi Books, London
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0863569501
• ISBN 13: 9780863569500
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In the second half of the eighteenth century, approximately three quarters of the Mediterranean coastline and its hinterlands were controlled by a vast Islamic power, the centuries-old Ottoman Empire. However, by the end of the First World War in November 1918, this great civilization-once regarded by Christian Europe with awe and fear-had been completely subjugated, its territories occupied by European powers.

The history of imperialism in the Mediterranean involves not one but six European powers-Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Austria-Hungary, and Russia- jostling for control of the trade, lands, and wealth of those they saw as the existential “other.” The competition between these states made their conquest of the Islamic Mediterranean a far more difficult and extended task than they encountered elsewhere in the world. Yet, as new contenders entered the contest, and as the rivalries in the Mediterranean intensified in the early twentieth century, events would spiral out of control as the continent headed towards the First World War.

Set against a background of intense imperial rivalry, Sea of Troubles is the first definitive account of the European conquest of the Levant and North Africa in the last three centuries.

About the Author

Ian Rutledge is an economist and historian, who previously taught at the Universities of London and Sheffield. Rutledge has devoted the past two decades to researching the economic and political history of the Middle East. His other works include Enemy on the Euphrates: The Battle for Iraq, 1914–1921 (also by Saqi Books) and Addicted to Oil: America’s Relentless Drive for Energy Security.