Third edition of a treatise on the origins and nature of the power of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman victory at the battle of Mohács in Hungary (1526) spread panic through Christian Europe and the Ottoman siege of Vienna (1529), even though it finally failed, roused many Europeans to action. Giovio (1483-1552), personal physician to Pope Clement VII, wrote the present book with the anti-Ottoman campaign clearly in mind, dedicating it to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V on 22 January 1531. "Of the various treatises written for Charles V on the Turkish menace, Giovio's was probably the most realistic, the least moralizing, and the most informative." (Price Zimmerman, p. 121). In fact, he was so willing to acknowledge and sometimes even admire the positive aspects of the Ottomans (such as their military discipline) that some Christians accused him of sympathizing with the enemy.
Some early owner's marks. With small marginal restorations in the first few leaves, but in very good condition. Pioneering work on the Ottoman Empire, set in one of the most famous italic types of all time. Adams G680; Atabey 499; Göllner, Turcica 520; cf. T.C. Price Zimmerman, Paolo Giovio, 1995, esp. pp. 121-122.