With fascinating detail, and a gift for uncovering the current relevance of past conflicts, acclaimed historian James Reston Jr., weaves a captivating narrative that examines a pivotal period in the centuries-long war between Islam and Christendom.

At a time when Europe was at its most vulnerable and Islam was on the attack, this saga of colliding worlds was propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns - the holy roman emperor Charles V and the Turkish Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, both known in their own lands as 'Defender of the Faith'. Also entagled in the fray were the volatile and eloquent Martin Luther, the lusty and ambitious Francis I, the bluff and insecure Henry VIII, and many more, lending this meticulously researched history a novel's worth of suspense and brio.