The Greek War Of Independence -- by David Brewer

 

Despite too many passages in French, and one in Latin, I fought my way through David Brewer's book to get an otherwise clearer picture of this important conflict. His version runs between 1821-1829, and that written in English helped me enormously to comprehend this unusual struggle. 

I am strongly against using content which excludes readers, and the whole world doesn't speak French. I don't speak French or Latin, and oddly I had to remind myself of that while working on a work-in-progress. Something in me wanted to write part of it in Spanish, but I realized that would be a mistake. Besides, IF it's successful enough, translators would be hired for the international editions.

Infighting took place on both sides, and clearly played key factors in the outcome. The Greeks, trying to cast out the Turkey-based Ottoman Empire after some 400 years, fell into two civil wars in 1823 and 24. A split brand-new federal government was largely to blame. Successful Ottoman attacks led by Ibrahim Pasha started gobbling up territory during that time, and that woke the Greeks up to the real fight they were already involved in. 

With international help from England, France, and Russia, the weakened Greek forces finally overcame Ibrahim and his combined Turkish and Egyptian navy were overcome in a big way in Navarino Bay, basically ending the war in 1827. However, there still were several Ottoman-held positions which took another two years to clear out. Oddly, the British Admiral who commanded the key victory was canned by the Tory government under the Duke of Wellington a few months later for political reasons. Wellington said that it's because it wasn't a declared war.

Infighting on the Ottoman side found the ruling sultan dissolving the previously elite Janissary troops in 1826. There was some careful reassigning of army leaders to weaken the Janissaries, who had showed their own thirst for power and unruliness, prompting the sultan to act. In the end, it didn't appear that much of anyone missed the Janissaries. They spilled a lot of blood, and some was unnecessary.

Things remain tense between Greece and Turkey. It's news when fighter jets from one country fly toward the other.

Brewer got a four stars from me, and certainly would've snagged a five if this book was published all in English. One thing he must be handed, he's 91 and still with us. That's pretty good in most any book.  

Cochrane: The Real Master And Commander -- by David Cordingly

 

For me, there was too much punctuation at the end: almost as soon as I finished reading David Cordingly's Cochrane: The Real Master And Commander, I had to enter the throes of a colonoscopy. That ended the reading, and the week, in a weird way.

Cordingly is a fantastic writer, and teacher. He ably ventured beyond the normal expectations of a mostly successful Napoleonic-era British naval commander, leading the reader into the UK politics, and the social settings. I was fascinated that Cochrane, and other still-serving military officers, sometimes held political office. Cochrane served in Parliament in England, despite being a native Scot It was a very different world.

Cordingly's historical writing bordered on news reporting, with some feature writing artistically added in. Cordingly, 84, is better recognized in the UK than he is here, and that's a shame.

Cochrane's faults, initiative, solid instincts, and tenacity were all on display here. He was not a perfect hero, but he was that in part because of the courage he had when confronted by obvious wrongs. Some of his anti-establishment stands hindered his naval career, but he generally stuck to his guns.

Besides having plenty to do with eventually defeating Napoleon, who had labeled Cochrane "The Sea Wolf" for capturing many ships, and conducting numerous successful coastal raids, he helped set the world free. Cochrane, out of the Royal Navy, helped liberate Chile and Peru from Spain, and Brazil from Portugal, before lending his experience in The Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Cordingly nicely followed Cochrane's personal life, his money dealings, and smaller items often ignored by other writers. Several fictional characters have come out of the eventful life of Thomas Cochrane, such as C.F. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, and Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. Obviously, there's much to say about these people in this time, and a historian who can write -- like Cordingly -- brilliantly illuminates what's worth reading.

An easy five stars.