Greece, the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence - Hardcover

David Brewer

4.01

254 ratings by Goodreads

9781848850477: Greece, the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848850476 ISBN 13: 9781848850477

Publisher: I.B.Tauris Publishers, 2010

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For almost four hundred years, between the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the Greek War of Independence, the history of Greece is shrouded in mystery: distorted by Greek writers and largely neglected by others. What was life really like for the Greeks under Ottoman rule? Was it a period of unremitting exploitation and enslavement for the Greeks until they were finally able to rise up against their Turkish overlords, as is the traditional, Greek nationalistic view? Or did the Greeks derive some benefit from Turkish rule? How did the Greeks and Turks co-exist for so long? And why are Greek attitudes towards Venice, who also controlled much of Greece for many of these years, so different? In this wide-ranging yet concise history David Brewer explodes many of the myths about Turkish rule of Greece. He places the Greek story in its wider, international context and casts fresh light on the dynamics of power not only between Greeks and Ottomans but also between Muslims and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, throughout Europe. This absorbing and riveting account of a crucial period will ensure that the history of Greece under Turkish rule is no longer hidden. It will delight anyone with an interest in Greek and Turkish history and in how the past has shaped the Greece we know today.

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Review:

'David Brewer's book is by far the best work that I have read on the Turkokrateia, the hidden centuries when what is now Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Turks. His book is thoroughly researched and very well written, and it opens up for the general reader a fascinating and little known era of history. Highly recommended.' --John Freely

'This is the story of seven centuries of Greek life before Greece became a modern, self-governing nation in the early nineteenth century, told for a new generation and from both the secular and religious viewpoints of the emerging nation. David Brewer writes with verve, a sharp eye for detail, and a finely balanced sense of the moral uncertainties involved in looking back into the past from the point of view of the early twenty-first century.' --Roderick Beaton, Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature, King's College London

'Greece, the Hidden Centuries will remain a classic study for many yeras to come. No other author has trawled such depth of detail so profitably over so wide an area for such a long passage of time.' --Alan Palmer, author of 'The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire'

About the Author:

David Brewer is the author of 'The Flame of Freedom: The Greek War of Independence, 1821-1833'. After studying Classics at Oxford University he divided his working life between teaching, journalism and business before dedicating himself to the study of the history of Grece.

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