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

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A myth-blasting history shedding light on the tenuous relationship between Greece and Turkey todayFor almost 400 years, between the fall of Constantinople and the Greek War of Independence, the history of Greece is shrouded in mystery, distorted by Greek writers and begging the question: What was life really like for the Greeks under Ottoman rule? 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 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 account of a crucial period will ensure that the history of Greece under Turkish rule is no longer hidden.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 Greece."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"Brewer's concise, sane, and independent assessment is a fine achievement...Greece: the Hidden Centuries scores high marks for its scope, its international frame of reference, and its objectivity. Brewer is the best sort of Philhellene, seeing the Greeks for what they are and as the product of their circumstances" -- John Psaropoulos, TLS