The Man Who Stopped the Sultan

Name: The Man Who Stopped the Sultan
Price: 49.99 AUD
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ISBN: 9781472869999

Gabriele Tadino and the Defence of Europe

Edoardo Albert

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Hardback

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English

Osprey
02 June 2026

History; European history; Medieval history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Military history

An extraordinary account of how one man defied the most powerful ruler of his age and in doing so changed the course of European history.

Throughout the 16th century, wars raged across Europe as kings and republics jostled for wealth and power. Yet one man exceeded all these medieval princes of Christendom: Suleiman the Magnificent. As ruler of the Ottoman Empire, he governed 25 million people from Constantinople, his realm stretching from Persia to the Atlantic Ocean. Turning his gaze to Europe, Suleiman attacked Rhodes, the island fortress of the Knights Hospitaller but was opposed by Gabriele Tadino – an Italian who had risen through the ranks thanks to his genius as a military engineer.

This is a fascinating history of crusading knights and gunpowder, of spies and tunnels, and of a crossroads in history when the medieval age gave way to the Renaissance. Delving deep into Italian source material, Edoardo Albert weaves together the story of an ordinary man alive in an extraordinary time and performing extraordinary feats of military genius. Through the lens of his life we discover how military tactics and fortifications rapidly changed thanks to the discovery of gunpowder, and how Europe, divided by power-hungry rulers and religion, almost fell to one of the greatest rulers the world has ever seen, but was prevented by a humble engineer.

By: Edoardo Albert
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 158mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 521g
ISBN: 9781472869999
ISBN 10: 1472869990
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 02 June 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Of Italian and Sri Lankan heritage but now based in the UK, Edoardo Albert is the author, with Paul Gething, of Warrior: A Life of War in Anglo Saxon Britain (Granta 2019), which published to rave reviews. He has for a number of years worked with the archaeologists who are redefining our knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon era, bringing these findings to a wider public. Edoardo has written features for the Sunday Times, History Today and Country Walking, among many others.

Reviews for The Man Who Stopped the Sultan: Gabriele Tadino and the Defence of Europe

There is so much here to enjoy: geopolitics at the dawn of the modern age; the advances in science and military engineering with tunnels, forts and gunpowder; the splendour of Constantinople in the years after its conquest by Mehmed II; the strategic island of Rhodes. This is a book full of glorious fighting spirit. * Unseen Histories *