{"product_id":"siege-of-venice","title":"Siege Of Venice","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe siege of Venice in 1848 is one of history''s most thrilling and tragic episodes. After half a century of Habsburg imperial rule, the Venetians drove out the occupying army and established their own republic. Led by the Jewish lawyer Daniele Manin, a man of immense courage and personal integrity, they embraced the lofty values of the Risorgimento, Italy''s struggle for national unity, freedom and justice. When the Austrians returned with a massive army, intent on recapturing Venice, Manin rejected their surrender demands. The city braced itself for a siege lasting more than a year, ending only when bombardment, cholera and starvation made further resistance impossible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis epic story, in Jonathan Keates''s gripping and meticulously-researched account, embraces the wider world of the revolutionary Italy of Garibaldi, Mazzini and Pope Pius IX, warrior priests, militant actresses, death-or-glory poets, a Mata Hari-type siren spy and a rebel princess. At the centre of the whole crowded canvas, however, stand the truest heroes of all - the people of Venice. Their grit, humour and endurance, under a hail of bombs and a tide of blood sweeping across their once peaceful lagoon, make \u003ci\u003eThe Siege of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e a profoundly touching and unforgettable book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57481466577269,"sku":"9780712673693","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712673693.jpg?v=1786089729","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/siege-of-venice","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}