A crumbling empire, a mighty city facing destruction, and a small army of mercenaries trying to keep the enemy hordes at bay.

Leon Muller and his soldiers have been fighting for the Roman emperor for two years, battling the mighty Ottoman Empire to protect Constantinople. The ‘Queen of Cities’ has stood for a thousand years and its walls have never been breached. The emperor is confident he will be able to defeat the army of the Ottoman sultan in front of his city. But Leon, now an experienced military leader, battles in vain to inject reason into the fantasy land that is the imperial court as one hundred thousand Ottoman soldiers bear down on Constantinople.

After nine years of unbroken success on the battlefield, Leon and his comrades are now trapped in a besieged city with no hope of relief and hundreds of miles from Swiss lands. Will he and they survive the titanic battle that will decide not only the fate of the ancient Roman Empire, but also the course of European history?

‘Count of Thrace’ is the fourth volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, religious, dynastic and imperial conflicts. Maps of the Ottoman Empire and the city of Constantinople are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.