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City of Fortune
- How Venice Rule the Seas
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's summary
The rise and fall of the Venetian empire stands unrivaled for drama, intrigue, and sheer opulent majesty. In City of Fortune, Roger Crowley, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author of Empires of the Sea, applies his narrative skill to chronicling the astounding five-hundred-year voyage of Venice to the pinnacle of power. Tracing the full arc of the Venetian imperial saga for the first time, City of Fortune is framed around two of the great collisions of world history: The ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which culminated in the sacking of Constantinople and the carve-up of the Byzantine Empire in 1204, and the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1499–1503, which saw the Ottoman Turks supplant the Venetians as the preeminent naval power in the Mediterranean. In between were three centuries of Venetian maritime dominance—years of plunder and plague, conquest and piracy—during which a tiny city of “lagoon dwellers” grew into the richest place on earth.
Drawing on firsthand accounts of pitched sea battles, skillful negotiations, and diplomatic maneuvers, Crowley paints a vivid picture of this avaricious, enterprising people and the bountiful lands that came under their dominion. Defiant of emperors, indifferent to popes, the Venetians saw themselves as reluctant freebooters, compelled to take to the open seas “because we cannot live otherwise and know not how except by trade.” From the opening of the spice routes to the clash between Christianity and Islam, Venice played a leading role in the defining conflicts of its time—the reverberations of which are still being felt today. Only an author with Roger Crowley’s deep knowledge of post-Crusade history could put these iconic events into their proper context. Epic in scope, magisterial in its understanding of the period, City of Fortune is narrative history at its most engrossing.
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An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeur Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.
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Omits slave trade
- By Rocky Stonebreaker on 08-21-16
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Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
- China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
- By: Stephen R. Platt
- Narrated by: Angela Lin
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
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Stephen R. Platt is widely respected for his incisive nonfiction, particularly in regard to his knowledge and understanding of China. With Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, Platt details the absorbing narrative of the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in the loss of 20 million lives. Occurring in the 1850s, this is the story of a cultural movement characterized by intriguing personages such as influential military strategist Zeng Guofan and brilliant Taiping leader Hong Rengan.
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InTOLerable Reader
- By Adam on 07-07-12
By: Stephen R. Platt
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Jefferson's War
- America's First War on Terror, 1801-1805
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
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Two centuries ago, without congressional or public debate, a president who is thought of today as peaceable, Thomas Jefferson, launched America's first war on foreign soil, a war against terror. The enemy was Muslim; the war was waged unconventionally, with commandos, native troops, and encrypted intelligence, and launched from foreign bases.
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A Great Read
- By Donald on 06-19-05
By: Joseph Wheelan
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Conquistador
- Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs
- By: Buddy Levy
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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It was a moment unique in human history: the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico, determined not only to expand the Spanish empire but to convert the natives to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable and tragic aspects of this unforgettable story.
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A Great Book
- By Victor on 02-27-11
By: Buddy Levy
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América
- The Epic Story of Spanish North America, 1493-1898
- By: Robert Goodwin
- Narrated by: Thom Rivera
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At the conclusion of the American Revolution, half the modern United States was part of the vast Spanish Empire. The year after Columbus' great voyage of discovery, in 1492, he claimed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Spain. For the next 300 years, thousands of proud Spanish conquistadors and their largely forgotten Mexican allies went in search of glory and riches from Florida to California. Many died; few triumphed. Some were cruel; some were curious; some were kind. Missionaries and priests yearned to harvest Indian souls for God through baptism and Christian teaching.
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A Narration That is Difficult to Follow
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-19
By: Robert Goodwin
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The Pirate Queen
- By: Susan Ronald
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
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Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Spain's Philip II, Elizabeth I was feared and admired by her enemies. Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, Elizabeth was the epitome of power. Her visionary accomplishments were made possible by her daring merchants, gifted rapscallion adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council, including Sir William Cecil, Sir Francis Walsingham, and Sir Nicholas Bacon.
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Too lilttle about Elizabeth!
- By Eunice on 12-20-07
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The Sea Wolves
- A History of the Vikings
- By: Lars Brownworth
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse "sea wolves" followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev, and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
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A little dry but very interesting
- By Angela on 08-30-15
By: Lars Brownworth
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Lost to the West
- The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization
- By: Lars Brownworth
- Narrated by: Lars Brownworth
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
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Filled with unforgettable stories of emperors, generals, and religious patriarchs, as well as fascinating glimpses into the life of the ordinary citizen, Lost to the West reveals how much we owe to the Byzantine Empire that was the equal of any in its achievements, appetites, and enduring legacy. For more than a millennium, Byzantium reigned as the glittering seat of Christian civilization.
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Just a delight for anyone interested in history !
- By Cinders on 05-28-13
By: Lars Brownworth
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Istanbul
- City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World
- By: Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
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For more than two millennia, Istanbul has stood at the crossroads of the world, perched at the very tip of Europe, gazing across the shores of Asia. The history of this city - known as Byzantium, then Constantinople, now Istanbul - is at once glorious, outsized, and astounding. Founded by the Greeks, its location blessed it as a center for trade but also made it a target of every empire in history, from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Empire, to the Romans and later the Ottomans.
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A History Without People
- By SeanO on 04-02-19
By: Thomas F. Madden
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The Fall of Constantinople
- A Captivating Guide to the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks That Marked the End of the Byzantine Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 1 hr and 43 mins
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Explore a major turning point in the history of Europe and the Middle East. The fall of Constantinople was an event that had great repercussions across both East and West. Why did it happen? How did it happen? And what was the aftermath?
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Awesome history!
- By Ranger Rick MN on 11-16-23
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Conquistador Voices
- The Spanish Conquest of the Americas as Recounted Largely by the Participants, Volume I
- By: Kevin H. Siepel
- Narrated by: Kevin H Siepel
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
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The Spanish Conquest: What really happened? If you like to use your drive time for education by audiobook, consider this audiobook for widening and deepening your view of an event you studied briefly in school - the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Conquistador Voices, neither glamorizes nor condemns the conquistadors. Somewhat in the manner of a modern film documentary, it treats the so-called conquest as an historical event that’s worth learning about for its own sake, with most of the moralizing left to the listener.
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The Misleading Title is the Most Forgivable Part..
- By Tyler Sanders on 12-19-22
By: Kevin H. Siepel
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What is commonly called the kingdom of Pontos flourished for over 200 years in the coastal regions of the Black Sea. At its peak in the early first century BC, it included much of the southern, eastern, and northern littoral, becoming one of the most important Hellenistic dynasties not founded by a successor of Alexander the Great. Previous histories of Pontos have focused almost exclusively on the career of its last ruler. Setting that famous reign in its wide historical context, Empire of the Black Sea is an engaging account of a powerful yet little-known ancient dynasty.
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How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance
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In How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance, you’ll study the remarkable trajectory of the Medici from the late 14th century to 1737, when the Medici dynasty ended. Across that span of time, you’ll witness the birth of the Italian Renaissance, and the rise of the Medici as an economic powerhouse under founder Giovanni de’ Medici. You’ll learn how the Medici came to dominate Florence and how they played diverse roles in politics, religion, and culture.
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Not for non history buffs
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What listeners say about City of Fortune
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Susan Stone
- 01-04-19
Very informative and enjoyable
Very interesting and extremely entertaining, I learned a great deal about Venice, exactly what I wanted
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- Scot
- 06-12-14
A Wonderful Listen
I love history, but I have never read (or listened) to a book about the history of Venice. This book is really not about the city of Venice, but about the influence that Venice had on the period of history from approximately 1000 to 1600. It was like listening to a well thought out story. Honestly I could hardly stop listening, and when it was finished I felt like I had lost a friend. It was that good. Mr. Crowley also wrote a book 'Empires of the Sea' which is equally as good. I would recommend both books to those who love history and those who love a riveting story. I hope that Mr. Crowley rights many many more books as he has a unique knack for interwinding facts with insight of those who were alive at that time. Again, simply a wonderfully good book.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Nick
- 01-21-17
engaging and fascinating read.
this book got me back into reading history books and excited to find out about aspects of history I didn't know as well. So well written and engaging right from the start.
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- James Pritchett
- 07-01-13
An Excellent Presentation
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The story is beautifully crafted and the narrator did a splendid job of presenting the story of how Venice became such an important city-state.
What other book might you compare City of Fortune to and why?
I would compare it to stories about other great city-states, such as the ancient Greek cities of Athens and Sparta. Each of these cities had developed a personality and skill set that, while not exclusively their own, was the pinnacle of each city's success.
What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He can speak Italian beautifully and presents the story in a brilliant fashion. Bravo!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It really was. I found it informative, fascinating, and extremely well presented.
Any additional comments?
If the reader has any interest in European History during the five hundred years between 1000 and 1500, this is a wonderful main avenue to take a gondola ride upon.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Nikki Bennett
- 09-27-22
Good, Solid History
I enjoyed this, I liked the narrator. I would have liked a little more about the city itself, but I guess this isn't about Venice the city, it is about the warfare and shipping,.
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- Mona Chipman
- 08-31-24
Compelling well researched historical account of Venetian power won & lost
This is a very lengthy realistic account of the great sea power Venice and how it came to be and how it kept its power for centuries. Very very well detailed and compelling accounts of sea battles won and lost.
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- John K. Sanders
- 03-22-17
Very Good
Done very well. Matches up with other historical books I have listened to. I am sure you will enjoy it.
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- Medieval Maven
- 04-04-22
So detailed sometimes, hard to hear story
Author knows and includes names and details and dates and ships etc. but especially listening, it was hard to keep the story straight. Battles with play by play don’t make sense when heard. So, a bit too much for me. It covers a short period and is best in the first half and very end.
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- Gerardo A Dada
- 04-26-17
A military history of Venice
I was a little disappointed in that this book covers mostly military history. but it is good. There is a lot of detail of battles and military actions, but it was always entertaining and insightful. The details add context and color to the stories. feels like a well researched book.
It left me wanting more. more stories, especially as it focuses on a somewhat narrow time frame. I was left wanting a book that would cover Venice's art, culture, architecture, and society - most of which are not talked about in this book.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Charles Of New York
- 02-26-16
A Staggering Epic
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
History before this audible on Venice was all US and Western Europe with never a mention of the Venetian Empire epic years of 10th to 15th century, covered in this narrative. Even Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" a historic mystery until now.
The narrator is superb, keeps the pace absorbing, every interesting. .
What was one of the most memorable moments of City of Fortune?
The revelation of the that impelled Western Europe to bypass Venice's monopoly and find new routes to India and China. The forces that what impelled Columbus, a Genoan, to seek passage around the Ottomans and Venice, and thus discover the new world.
How Venice Ruled European riches, 10th to 15th Century Europe, a Europe then in the Dark Ages, until the Ottoman Empire paralyzed Venice and further impelled Europe to find new routs to the riches of Asia, India and China.
It covers parts of Europe and Asia little known to any European and American, due to the life-long myth making and pride and self-absorption in Western European and American Histories, and how they ignore the glory of historic forces impelling these Histories.
What does Edoardo Ballerini bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
A mountain of information and impressive research and vivid word pictures with sensuous nothing held back excitement. Conveyed the human characters in near cinematic exactness. The writer is not timid in wording the way is was, a standout in writing that keeps the listener absorbed.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Oh yes. But alas, the depth and length of the book made me, at times, have to return to earth and get on with daily life. But left a deep longing for my to return to the narration.
Any additional comments?
I have been listening to books, lectures and internet downloads for years now and this book is an stunning stand-our experience.
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3 people found this helpful