Sword against scimitar at sea The expulsion of the Moors from Iberia following the victory of the Catholic monarchs King Ferdinand of Castile and Queen Isabella of Aragon in 1492 heralded a new age. Now there was a clear line between the Christian European world and the Orient of Islam. The void that separated these perpetually warring cultures was the Mediterranean Sea and its blue waters would boil red with the blood of soldiers, sailors and the innocents of both sides for a century of unresolved conflict as the Cross struggled for dominance with the Crescent. This was the time of the Muslim Corsairs, savage, ruthless men who were at once freebooting pirates sailing for plunder and slaves and essential naval vanguards of the forces of the 'Grand Turk' who waged his holy war from his palace on the Bosphorus. Great and terrible men became the scourge of the Christian coast for decades. The Barbarossa brothers, Dragut and others fought their sworn enemies of the seagoing European states of the period, each side pitted against the other in fast lethal war galleys. In the pages of this book readers will find the compelling story of these turbulent times. The exploits of the corsairs are told in detail as are those of their implacable enemies including the equally resolute and ruthless men of 'The Religion, ' otherwise known as the Knights of St. John. This is an account of violent raids, of towns stormed and sacked, of sea battles, of the great siege of Malta and the destruction of Islamic sea power that was the great Battle of Lepanto. Highly recommended. Available in softcover and hardcover with dustjacket.