The Golden Throne (the Curse Of A King)

By (author) de Bellaigue, Christopher
Description:

''Wolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire . . . History at its most gripping'' Daily Telegraph on The Lion House

A ground-breaking, present-tense reconstruction of the life and world of one of the most consequential figures in world history, Suleyman the Magnificent, from the author of The Lion House

Chosen by The Times, Guardian and Financial Times as a ''Book to Look Out For'' in 2025

‘A wonderful book – entrancing, addictive, full of effortless erudition’ Rory Stewart

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 an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success.

‘The pace, the language and the story-telling are simply magnificent’ Victoria Hislop

‘Thrilling entertainment created out of meticulously researched history’ Robert Peston

‘Mesmerizing in their drama, superb in their history, unique in their sweep, Christopher de Bellaigue’s two volumes are impossible to put down'' Simon Sebag Montefiore

Review quote:
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
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Christopher de Bellaigue creates thrilling entertainment out of meticulously researched history
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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
Review quote:
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
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The most daring history book of the year. Unforgettable
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A formidable book ... incredible
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An urgent, immersive, present-tense gallop ... behind the bejewelled descriptive prose a thumping pulse of action tugs us through
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Luminous ... gripping ... truly magnificent
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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?
Review quote:
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
Biographical note:
Christopher de Bellaigue is the award-winning author of The Lion House: Th