The Lion House: Discover the life of Suleyman the Magnificent, the most feared man of the sixteenth century

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Venice, 1522. Sensitive intelligence arrives from the east confirming the European powers' greatest fear- the vastly rich Ottoman Sultan has amassed all he needs to wage total war - and his sights are set on Rome. With Christendom divided, Suleyman the Magnificent has his hand on their entrails. From the palace cloisters of Istanbul to the blood-soaked fields of central Europe to the sun-scorched coast of north Africa, The Lion House pioneers a bold new style of eye-witness history to tell a true story of power at its most glittering, personal and deadly- Suleyman's rise to become the most powerful man of the sixteenth century. Narrated through the eyes and actions of Suleyman's intimates, it animates with stunning immediacy the fears and stratagems of those brought into orbit around him- the Greek slave who becomes his Grand Vizier, the Venetian jewel-dealer who acts as his go-between, the Russian consort who becomes his most beloved wife. Within a decade and half, Suleyman held dominion over 25 million souls, from Baghdad to the walls of Vienna, and with the help of his brilliant pirate commander Barbarossa placed more Christians than ever before or since under Muslim rule. And yet the real drama all takes place in close-up- in small rooms and whispered conversations, behind the curtain of power, where the Sultan sleeps head to toe with his best friend and eats off wooden spoons with his baby boy. The Lion House is not just the story of rival super-powers in an existential duel, nor of one of the most consequential lives in human history, but an examination of what it means to live in a world where a few men get to decide the fate of the world.

Reviews

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 -- ELIF SHAFAK, author of The Island of Missing Trees
The most daring history book of the year ... told in the present tense with all the dash and flair of a novel. The research is faultless: we are immersed ... it brilliantly conveys a sense of colour and momentum, placing the reader in the thick of the action. Unforgettable -- Dominic Sandbrook * The Times & Sunday Times Best Books of 2022 *
Mesmerising...steeped in the sensusous detail of banquet and ceremony, strategem and conspiracy -- Colin Thubron
A brilliantly written account of the Ottoman empire in all its opulence and brutality. Rich in colourful historical anecdotes, de Bellaigue brings 16th-century statecraft vividly alive, and offers a chilling insight into the ruthlessness and loneliness of one of the most powerful men of the age * Guardian *
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 -- Justin Marozzi * Sunday Times *
An urgent, immersive, present-tense gallop ... the book reads as a non-fiction novel ... cinematically vivid tableaux ... Each spangled scene ... rests on a solid foundation in the primary sources ... De Bellaigue enriches his storytelling with the colourful, meticulous dispatches of its traders, envoys and spies ... behind the bejewelled descriptive prose a thumping pulse of action tugs us through ... de Bellaigue's glittering, deft and often witty prose adds pleasure to each page * Financial Times *
Luminous, erudite ... a gripping account that evokes an epic poem, saga or 'book of kings' ... It is as immersive as the blurb claims, conjuring the world of the eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and south-eastern Europe in the early 16th century with the limpid clarity of the many gems that stud its pages ... Even more than the detail, it is the characters that intrigue and often inspire ... The book leaves the reader with Suleiman truly magnificent * Spectator *
A vivid, cinematic account of the rise of Suleyman the Magnificent ... de Bellaigue follows with exhilarating clarity and suspense the era's broader battles across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and the individual trajectories - grand ambitions, rivalries, betrayals - of these outsiders in Suleyman's court, a place rife with intrigue and back-stabbing, rich with colourful characters -- Claire Messud * Harper's *
Those lucky readers who come to Christopher de Bellaigue's book in proximity to reading Mantel can suddenly have a new panel thrown open to them like an unfolding altarpiece ... all written in the present tense. This creates the obvious sense of liveliness and urgency ... Bellaigue sets about the task with such confidence and skill that it works ... a dazzling and dark work. Witty and often wise, it speaks to the frailties and the precarity of power -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *
Vivid and compelling ... He presents his story like a novel, but it is not fiction; every detail has been diligently researched, for example by perusing diaries in difficult Venetian dialect ... Whether he is describing a lavish dinner for Italian merchants on the Bosporus, the stately progress of Suleiman's armies through the Balkans or a mass circumcision, he has an eye for the colourful, absurd and ironic ... As this book shows, living in the penumbra of such supreme power can be seductive and intoxicating. But the end of the story is often tragic * Economist *
Wolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire ... History at its most gripping * Daily Telegraph *
This account really grips... it does so by bringing out the fascinating individuals, the adventure, the lurid details, the barbarities, the opulence and squalor and near misses of the story -- Melanie McDonagh * Evening Standard *
Poised effortlessly between two worlds and two ages, a book as pungent and mysterious as the age it depicts -- RORY STEWART, former British Cabinet Minister and author of The Places In Between
A complex piece of history told with extraordinary clarity * Spectator, *Best Books of 2022* *
Christopher de Bellaigue has a magic talent for writing history It is as if we are there as the era of Suleyman the Magnificent unfolds -- ORHAN PAMUK, Nobel Laureate in Literature
Essential reading for anyone wishing to understand political ambition and the role of narcissistic leaders and scheming courtiers in any age -- ROBERT PESTON, Political Editor ITV News
Gripping, novelistic ... brisk and muscular ... written in a sure-footed historical present, the book creates a simulacrum of the 16th century through the painstaking accumulation of attested details ... [giving] the book its vividness and energy ... [De Bellaigue] writes with supreme confidence about power, diplomacy, clothing, avarice, war, statecraft and the exceptional brutality of the era ... While The Lion House unfolds like a novel, through scenes rich with authenticating detail -- Marcel Theroux * The New York Times Book Review *
De Bellaigue is a riveting and expert guide to the story of Suleyman's quest for power -- PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads
Narrated with a verve and flair that make the characters burst from the pages. Outstanding history and an incredibly good read -- EUGENE ROGAN, author of The Fall of the Ottomans
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 * Wall Street Journal *

Author Bio

Christopher de Bellaigue was born in London in 1971, and was educated at Cambridge University, where he read Iranian and Indian Studies. Between 1995 and 2007, he lived and worked as a journalist in south Asia and the Middle East, writing for The Economist, Guardian and the New York Review of Books. He is the award-winning author of four books and has made several BBC television and radio programmes. He lives in London.