Review: Killing Monarchs by Richard Heath

Synopsis: Rulers (and would-be rulers) have always faced the possibility of a violent death. Between the seventh and eighteenth centuries over 20% of all British and European monarchs suffered such a fate. Some died in battle or in accidents but most of them were murdered or executed.

During the time of the Tudors and Stuarts some monarchs were the victims of lone assassins, some were killed after palace coups led by relatives or royal officials, and others after being defeated in a civil war. Their manner of death included public beheading, internal injury as a result of a knife attack, being hacked down by a group of noblemen, and ritual strangulation with a silk cord.

Killing Monarchs takes us on a journey across Europe. Starting in England and Scotland (Lady Jane Grey and Mary Queen of Scots), it moves to France (Kings Henry III and Henry IV), and then further east to Russia (Tsar Feodor II and various pretenders to the throne) and the Ottoman Empire (Sultans Osman II and Ibrahim I). It then returns to Britain to consider why Charles I was executed.

It provides a clear picture of the various forces that existed in society at the time and these are reflected in the motives of the regicides - the killers of monarchs – even though many were not honest about them. The lust for power, the desire for a more effective leader, religious differences, and occasionally the wish to do away with monarchy altogether, all played a significant role.

~ ~ ~

This book explores not only the regicides of England, but also of France, Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Whilst it is presented in an informative, easy to read fashion, some may find it a bit of a slog if you are new to certain components of the book (ie: Russian / Ottoman history). For me it was familiar ground which I enjoyed revisiting
.

Review: The Case of Cem by Vera Mutafchieva

Synopsis: Vera Mutafchieva’s The Case of Cem, presented as a series of depositions by historical figures before a court, tells a straightforward tale: Upon the death of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1481, his eldest son Bayezid takes the throne. However, discontented factions within the Ottoman army urge Mehmed’s second son Cem, a well-educated and experienced warrior, to oppose his brother’s ascension. Bayezid refuses, setting off a ruthless power struggle and forcing Cem into long years of exile, a pawn for European powers as they try to slow the Ottoman Empire’s expansion.

This enticing novel of court intrigue maintains lasting resonance for being a personal exploration of emigration and loss as told through the historical era during which the politics of the East and West were sketched out with utter clarity. These early lines of demarcation, as voiced through Christian and Muslim emissaries, power hungry rulers, unflinching warriors, and poets, have indelibly influenced the word as we know it today.

~ ~ ~

As the synopsis mentions, this historical fiction novel is set out as if the characters were themselves in court, setting out their own history before embarking on their recollection of their involvement in the events surrounding the last years and days of the Ottoman Prince and Sultan Cem. Each character, speaking in the first person, provides their own unique and personal view on events from their interactions with the exiled Cem. Each character provides a little more to the overall story of Cem, with the fictional character of the poet Saadi, providing the main thread linking all to and providing an insight into Cem, as Cem himself does not provide any account for the reader.

Following his failed attempt to take his father's throne and the accession of his brother Bayezid as ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Cem became the ultimate bargaining chip in international political relations between the East (Ottoman Empire) and the West (Kings, Popes, Knights) - all of whom were eager to bring about some truce with the encroaching Ottoman Empire - for themselves, individually, not collectively. Cem is often viewed as "a hapless prisoner and cruelly betrayed paramour of a bored and similarly imprisoned noblewoman".

Cem was far from being a distant figure - having come across him in my readings on the Ottoman Empire (a fascinating lesson in the art of political survival) and other historical tomes where he has featured during his exile, not least as a "guest" of the Hospitallers on Rhodes and of the Borgia Pope in Rome.  Even in death, Cem still provided to be worthy of bargaining.

This is quite a lengthy read but I would say one that is not overly cumbersome - take your time and enjoy the story. A new reader to this period may find this style a bit more user-friendly as opposed to diving head first into Ottoman politics and history (which is quite the fascination).

Review: The Invention of Sicily by Jamie Mackay

Synopsis: A fascinating cultural history of this most magical of islands.Sicily has always acted as a gateway between Europe and the rest of the world. Fought over by Phoenicians and Greeks, Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Germans, Spanish and French for thousands of year, Sicily became a unique melting pot where diverse traditions merged, producing a unique heritage and singular culture.

In this fascinating account of the island from the earliest times to the present day, author and journalist Jamie Mackay leads us through this most elusive of places. From its pivotal position in the development of Greek and Roman mythology, and the beautiful remnants of both the Arab and Norman invasions, through to the rise of the bandits and the Cosa Nostra, The Invention of Sicily charts the captivating culture and history of Sicily.

Mackay weaves together the political and social development of the island with its fascinating cultural heritage, discussing how great works including Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard and its film adaptation by Visconti, and the novels of Leonardo Sciascia, among many others, have both been shaped by Sicily’s past, and continue to shape it in the present.

To be totally honest, I only read this one for selected chapters that covered the period from 826AD to 1693AD to enhance my already sound knowledge of this period in Sicily's history (and to pick up any nuggets I may have missed elsewhere).

Overall, it was an easy to read primer that flowed well; it was well researched and informative. It will provide an ample launching pad for someone who is interested in Sicily, its history and its diverse cultures and population.

Beyond the harem: ways to be a woman during the Ottoman Empire

From University of Cambridge: 

Ottoman women shopped. They didn’t just shop; they also ran businesses, owned property and, on occasion, stormed buildings to stage protest meetings. Not only did they flirt and dance – and infuriate their husbands with demands for the latest fashions – but they exerted genuine political and economic power. And they did all this much more visibly than is often assumed.

A new volume of essays looks afresh at women’s lives during the 600 years of the Ottoman empire. The book challenges the stereotypes of female lives confined to the harem and hamam – and reveals how women were surprisingly visible in public spaces.

In Ottoman Women in Public Space, a group of scholars of the Middle East and the Islamic world turn their attention to a neglected topic: what life was actually like for women at the height of an empire that lasted for 600 years (right up until the turn of the 20th century) and, at its most powerful, stretched eastwards from present-day Hungary, southwards to the religious centre of Mecca, and westwards around the southern Mediterranean to the bustling port of Algiers. 

Using a wealth of primary sources and covering the entire Ottoman period, Ottoman Women in Public Space challenges the traditional view that sees Ottoman women as a largely silent element of society, restricted to the home and not seen beyond the walls of the house or the public bath. Instead, taking women in a variety of roles, as economic and political actors, prostitutes, flirts and slaves, the book argues that women were active participants in the public space, visible, present and an essential element in the everyday, public life of the empire. 

Ottoman Women in Public Space thus offers a vibrant and dynamic understanding of Ottoman history.

read more here @ University of Cambridge

Review: The Traitor's Niche by Ismail Kadare

"At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the main square of Constantinople, a niche is carved into ancient stone. Here, the sultan displays the severed heads of his adversaries. People flock to see the latest head and gossip about the state of the empire: the province of Albania is demanding independence again, and the niche awaits a new trophy.

The Traitor’s Niche is a surreal tale of tyranny and rebellion, in a land where armies carry scarecrows, state officials ban entire languages, and the act of forgetting is more complicated than remembering."

This was an interesting read. Told in part via first person narrative it changes swiftly into third person narrative, and when you think you are following one voice, another steps forward.

Having said that, this novel takes place in predominantly in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul and in Albania, on the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire c.1800s. Rebellion is in the air, and the Ottoman Pashas are sent out to bring back the heads of the rebels (to be displayed in the traitors niche) or fill that void with their own.

To that end our narrators are one Abdullah, Keeper of the Traitors Niche (ie: caretaker of the featured severed head); Hurshid Pasha, who is sent out to captured the traitor, Black Ali; and Tundj Hata, the courier of the severed heads, and a man who enjoys his job a little too much. Each man tells his tale, giving us a glimpse into the fragile, yet tempestuous and dynamic Ottoman political and social scene.

As I said, it is an interesting story, translated from Albanian by John Hodgson. It may not be written in the style you are most used too, but perservere - the fates of of narrators are in your hands.

View all my reviews

Beyond the harem: ways to be a woman during the Ottoman Empire

A new volume of essays looks afresh at women’s lives during the 600 years of the Ottoman empire. The book challenges the stereotypes of female lives confined to the harem and hamam – and reveals how women were surprisingly visible in public spaces.

In Ottoman Women in Public Space, a group of scholars of the Middle East and the Islamic world turn their attention to a neglected topic: what life was actually like for women at the height of an empire that lasted for 600 years (right up until the turn of the 20th century) and, at its most powerful, stretched eastwards from present-day Hungary, southwards to the religious centre of Mecca, and westwards around the southern Mediterranean to the bustling port of Algiers.

With this new volume, Kate Fleet and Ebru Boyar and their contributors lift the lid on many thousands of lives previously marginalised by academic histories.

Read more here @ University of Cambridge and @ Brill Publishers