The Renaissance was a revolution of ideas, arts and sciences alike. With Italy at the center of this revolution, Venice was among the first states to embrace new concepts in fortification which would dominate military architecture for centuries. In the age of large galley fleets and an expanding Ottoman Empire, the mighty defences of the Republic of Venice protected faraway territories in the Mediterranean, and some of the largest and best preserved Renaissance fortifications are found on the former Venetian islands.

This book illustrates in detail the impressive defences of Cyprus, Crete and Corfu, their design and their war record. Walled towns and fortresses were constructed to the latest standards of military technology, with walls capable of withstanding the largest armies and the longest sieges, including the longest in history--22 years.