Selim the Grim, his times, and the Ottoman version of Islam

Review of God's Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World by Alan Mikhail

This is a very fun biography on the brief reign (1512-1520) of a political genius whose cultural impact was wide and deep, with resonances even today in Erdogan’s Turkey and Islamophobia. It is a quick read, with both an interesting narrative and an analysis that fleshes out how the people of his time saw the world. Even as a history enthusiast well acq…