A new interpretation of Vasco da Gama's revolutionary voyages, which were seen as a turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam, explores the tragic collision of cultures resulting from his journeys to the Indies.

The first accessible, authoritative, and complete modern account of Vasco da Gama's historic and audacious attempt, in 1497, to seize the spice routes and re-conquer the Holy Land.

In 1498 a young captain named Vasco da Gama sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies and, with it, access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage ever undertaken at that time. With blood-red Crusader crosses emblazoned on their sails, the explorers arrived in the heart of the Muslim East in an era when the old hostilities between Christianity and Islam had risen to a new level of intensity. In two voyages that spanned six years, da Gama would fight a running sea battle that would ultimately change the fate of three continents.

HistorianNigel Cliff delivers a sweeping, radical reinterpretation of Vasco da Gama'spioneering voyages, revealing their significance as a decisive turning point inthe struggle between Christianity and Islam--a series of events which foreveraltered the relationship between East and West. Perfect for readers of Endurance:Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Galileo'sDaughter, and Atlantic, this first-ever completeaccount of da Gama's voyages includes new information from the recentlydiscovered diaries of his sailors and an extraordinary series of lettersbetween da Gama and the Zamorin, a king of modern-dayKerala, India. Cliff, the author of The Shakespeare Riots, draws uponhis own travels in da Gama's footsteps to add detail, authenticity, and acontemporary perspective to this riveting, one-of-a-kind historical epic.

A sweeping historical epic and a radical new interpretation of Vasco da Gama's groundbreaking voyages, seen as a turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam In 1498 a young captain sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies and, with it, access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage known to history. The little ships were pushed beyond their limits, and their crews were racked by storms and devastated by disease. However, their greatest enemy was neither nature nor even the sheer dread of venturing into unknown worlds that existed on maps populated by coiled, toothy sea monsters. With bloodred Crusader crosses emblazoned on their sails, the explorers arrived in the heart of the Muslim East at a time when the old hostilities between Christianity and Islam had risen to a new level of intensity. In two voyages that spanned six years, Vasco da Gama would fight a running sea battle that would ultimately change the fate of three continents. An epic tale of spies, intrigue, and treachery; of bravado, brinkmanship, and confused and often comical collisions between cultures encountering one another for the first time; Holy War also offers a surprising new interpretation of the broad sweep of history. Identifying Vasco da Gama's arrival in the East as a turning point in the centuries-old struggle between Islam and Christianity--one that continues to shape our world--Holy War reveals the unexpected truth that both Vasco da Gama and his archrival, Christopher Columbus, set sail with the clear purpose of launching a Crusade whose objective was to reach the Indies; seize control of its markets in spices, silks, and precious gems from Muslim traders; and claim for Portugal or Spain, respectively, all the territories they discovered. Vasco da Gama triumphed in his mission and drew a dividing line between the Muslim and Christian eras of history--what we in the West call the medieval and the modern ages. Now that the world is once again tipping back East, Holy War offers a key to understanding age-old religious and cultural rivalries resurgent today.

NEW YORK TIMES' NOTABLE BOOK OF 2011 LONGLISTED FOR THE MARITIME MEDIA AWARDS SHORTLISTED FOR THE HESSELL-TILTMAN HISTORY PRIZE In 1498 a young captain sailed from Portugal, circumnavigated Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and discovered the sea route to the Indies, opening up access to the fabled wealth of the East. It was the longest voyage known to history; the ships were pushed to their limits, their crews were racked by storms and devastated by disease. However, the greatest enemy was neither nature nor the fear of venturing into unknown worlds. With blood-red Crusader crosses emblazoned on their sails, the explorers arrived in the heart of the Muslim East at a time when the old hostilities between Christianity and Islam had intensified. In two voyages that spanned six years, Vasco da Gama would fight a running sea battle that would ultimately change the fate of three continents. The Last Crusade is an epic tale of spies, intrigue, and treachery; of bravado, brinkmanship, and confused - often comical collisions - between cultures encountering one another for the first time. With the world once again tipping back East, The Last Crusade offers a key to understanding age-old religious and cultural rivalries resurgent today.

In 1497, the last bastions of Christendom were  crumbling. The Ottomans had sacked the Vatican, Iberia was under Arabian control and the tidemark  of Islam threatened Paris. Against this hostile backdrop, four ships  left the shores of Portugal under the charge of a young  Christian captain, Vasco de Gama. His mission was as quixotic as it was  audacious: cut off Islamic wealth by seizing the spice routes, and re-conquer  the Holy Land. Outmanned and outgunned, with  the crosses of the crusades emblazoned on their sails, De Gama and his crew  journeyed straight into the heart of the enemy.Navi

A new interpretation of Vasco da Gama's revolutionary voyages, which were seen as a turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam, explores the tragic collision of cultures resulting from his journeys to the Indies A new interpretation of Vasco da Gama's revolutionary voyages, which were seen as a turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam, explores the tragic collision of cultures resulting from his journeys to the Indies

An authoritative account of Vasco da Gama's historic and audacious attempt to seize the spice routes and re-conquer the Holy Land. It puts the reader on da Gama's ships in the midst of a terrifying yet exciting new world, and in doing so traces the ancestry of antagonism between Christianity and Islam.

In 1497, the last bastions of Christendom were crumbling. The Ottomans had sacked the Vatican, Iberia was under Arabian control and the tidemark of Islam threatened Paris. Against this hostile backdrop, four ships left the shores of Portugal under the charge of a young Christian captain, Vasco de Gama. His mission was as quixotic as it was audacious: cut off Islamic wealth by seizing the spice routes, and re-conquer the Holy Land. Outmanned and outgunned, with the crosses of the crusades emblazoned on their sails, De Gama and his crew journeyed straight into the heart of the enemy.Navigating Africa and crossing the Indian Ocean, De Gama chartered his men through storms, mutiny and the vicissitudes of Islam, ultimately succeeding in carving out the first accessible route to the riches of the East. But when he retraced his steps six years later, as the admiral of a fleet of war ships, his youthful diplomacy had ripened into violence and righteousness and his second encounter with Islam was stained with the blood of massacre and oppression. Today, as the Arab world reclaims oil fields and the West flocks to the strength of India's tiger economy, the tide of religious imperialism continues to ebb and flow. In The Last Crusade, Nigel Cliff pinpoints De Gama's voyages into Islam as one of the most relevant clashes of theocratic tribalism; the aftershocks of which are as resonant today, as when Vasco de Gama set sail 500 years ago.