The Golden Throne
The Curse of a King
Christopher de Bellaigue author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Publishing:6th Mar '25
£22.00
This title is due to be published on 6th March, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others, so why not get a head start?
For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.
From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, The Golden Throne is a globe-spanning, ground-breaking reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century.
Intensely gripping yet entirely historical, it places us in the room with many of the key figures of the era – the conceited, wide-jawed Holy Roman Emperor; the untrustworthy, primping King of France; a leering, beer-soaked Martin Luther – showing them consumed with fury and hurt, venomous yet vulnerable. And it is here, behind closed doors, that we witness Suleyman’s beloved wife Hurrem waging pitiless war against his eldest son, born to her predecessor in the Sultan’s bed, culminating in a chilling act that will define Suleyman’s legacy.
The Golden Throne shows us one of the greatest yet least understood figures in history as never before. It is an epic yet intimate drama of personal power wielded with world-shaping consequences, revealing both the price of succession and the terrible cost of success.
Christopher de Bellaigue brings to life the world of Suleyman and leaves the reader reeling with his descriptions of astonishing excess in both wealth and brutality. The pace, the language and the story-telling are simply magnificent -- Victoria Hislop
Christopher de Bellaigue creates thrilling entertainment out of meticulously researched history -- Robert Peston
This is history, but not as we know it. It is non-fiction posing as a novel, rich in incident and cinematic detail. It's tremendous . . . It's a sign of how thoroughly gripping this book is that I found myself wanting a second volume as soon as possible -- Justin Marozzi * The Times on The Lion House *
Wolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire ... History at its most gripping ... And the next two volumes, we know, will have plenty of drama to come * Telegraph on The Lion House *
The most daring history book of the year. Unforgettable -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times on The Lion House *
A formidable book ... incredible -- Rory Stewart on The Lion House
An urgent, immersive, present-tense gallop ... behind the bejewelled descriptive prose a thumping pulse of action tugs us through * Financial Times on The Lion House *
Luminous ... gripping ... truly magnificent * Spectator on The Lion House *
Exquisite . . . So arresting is this book, so enveloping in the tensions of its narrative, that most readers will feel a pang of sorrow that the tale does not run on. The Lion House leaves us with a tease, or taunt: 'Who, apart from God, can say what will come next?' A sequel, surely. Although it was the peak of the Ottoman Empire, Suleyman's reign also offers clear glimpses of a great decline to come. Who better to tell us about it than Mr. de Bellaigue? * Wall Street Journal on The Lion House *
There are books that enlarge the mind, there are books that enrich the soul, but rarely comes a book so beautifully-written and profound that it manages to do both -- Elif Shafak on The Lion House
ISBN: 9781847927422
Dimensions: 240mm x 156mm x 28mm
Weight: 500g
288 pages