{"product_id":"city-of-fortune","title":"City Of Fortune","description":"\u003cp\u003eA magisterial work of gripping history, \u003ci\u003eCity of Fortune\u003c\/i\u003e tells  the story of the Venetian ascent from lagoon dwellers to the greatest  power in the Mediterranean - an epic five hundred year voyage that  encompassed crusade and trade, plague, sea battles and colonial  adventure. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Venice, the path to empire unfolded in a series of  extraordinary contests - the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, the  fight to the finish with Genoa and a desperate defence against the  Turks. Under the lion banner of St Mark, she created an empire of ports  and naval bases which funnelled the goods of the world through its  wharfs. In the process the city became the richest place on earth - a  brilliant mosaic fashioned from what it bought, traded, borrowed and  stole. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on first hand accounts of trade and warfare, seafaring and piracy and the places where Venetians sailed and died,  \u003ci\u003eCity of Fortune\u003c\/i\u003e  is narrative history at its finest. Beginning on Ascension Day in the  year 1000 and ending with an explosion off the coast of Greece - and the  calamitous news that the Portuguese had pioneered a sea route to India -  it will fascinate anyone who loves Venice and the Mediterranean world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57307957952894,"sku":"NW9780571245956","price":11.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780571245956.jpg?v=1778245696","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/city-of-fortune","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}