Roads to Ruin

Roads to Ruin: The War for Morocco in the Sixteenth Century recounts the long contest for Morocco that ended on August 4, 1578, with Portugal's spectacular defeat at the Battle of Ksar el-Kebir, also called the Battle of the Three Kings for the three monarchs who perished on the field of battle. This singular event heralded the end of Portugal's golden age and the emergence of the modern Moroccan state. This fascinating history is told through figures of disparate backgrounds and nationalities, Christians and Muslims, whose lives traversed some of the great events of this era, including the religious wars of the Reformation, the Battle of Lepanto, and the last siege of Tunis, before converging that fateful day in northern Morocco. Roads to Ruin: The War for Morocco in the Sixteenth Century describes a momentous period of world history, the consequences of which reverberate to this day.