Merchant Galleys (3)

 I am still reviewing my notes about merchant galleys. I began to understand how things worked in  medieval society and what happened in the Renaissance when a marvelous system of merchant convoys faded. Apart from freight galleys, I check my observations about war fleets, pick up examples to be studied in detail and develop new ways of presenting the facts for further comparison. 

I found a serious shortfall in my work: my unfamiliarity with genuine maritime travel accounts about seafaring across the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. I began to trace these materials and their English translations. Meanwhile, I have found Pietro Casola's Traveling to Jerusalem and am going to make good use of it. As far as I understand, Pietro sailed on a pilgrim galley in 1494. 

The academia.edu site offered me to be their reviewer. That means that I have to recommend scientific articles and books to be presented on the site. Each researcher receives a list of recommended reading in his field and my recommendations will be part of it. 

 I am going to continue re-editing my article "Rediscovered Islands". I have not decided yet whether to upload parts as draft copies (as I did with "The Priority of Discovery", which is part 1 of the whole or to alter the entire paper and offer it for Discussion. 

I have achieved my goal concerning the exposure on the Academia site. I have over 5 K readers now. I still think that my potential is larger but now I have to prove it through meticulous labor by re-editing my uploaded articles and writing new ones. You can help me reach my next goal. 

I remind that my papers appear on my personal page 

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael 

where I can offer 26 articles. The number remains because I wanted to promote discussion on my already uploaded accounts. I hope that I can contribute more papers soon. 

The Priority of the Discovery: European Claims to the Canary Islands

 As I have promised, I returned to my publishing activity in September. This time, I uploaded a new version of my article and offered it to Discussion on the Academia. 

It is the first part of my longer paper, The Rediscovered Islands. The subtitle makes clear that the author covers the history of the Canary Islands in the 14th century. 

The Little Age of Discovery (14th century) starts with the controversial uncovering of the Canary Islands. Without delay, the curia laid claims to dominion over the new enclave. However, the kings of Portugal and Castile had second thoughts about the sovereignty. The author refers to the portolan charts and travelogues of the trecento to prove the cautious expansion and dissemination of the geographic lore.

Yes, the Canaries presented the first stepping stone ushering the Little Age of Discovery. I call the discovery controversial since it is still unclear who discovered each of the seven populated islands. I guess, in 1341 the Portuguese had mapped the entire archipelago; however, the first islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, were visited during the 1330s, probably by another expedition dispatched by the same king, Afonso IV dubbed The Brave. 

One can trace the further history of the Little Age of Discovery comparing  contemporary portolans and travelogues, such as the Libro de Conocimiento. The last source mentions about 25 Atlantic Islands, most of them bearing modern names, suggesting that during the latter part of the 14th century Madeira and the Azores had been sighted and mapped. A Castilian friar, the purported author of the travel account, was an armchair globetrotter, with an eye for maps and coats of arms. 

This extract belongs to my third project describing the quest for the maritime route from Europe to the Indies. You can view the paper https://www.academia.edu/51337940/The_Priority_of_the_Discovery_European_Claims_to_the_Canary_Islands 

I intend to upload other extracts in the coming months. Meanwhile, I continue reviewing the data about transport galleys. 

Merchant Galleys (2)

 I have passed to a new stage of developing the collected data concerning medieval galleys. It will also take a great amount of time since I need to reread many pages and meanwhile I receive new articles and books. I feel that I am better prepared to address the subject and I think that besides ships and seafaring it will be good to show the life of people in the European Middle Ages and Renaissance. 

Last Monday, I delivered a lecture on zoom for the participants of the History Club. I built the speech titled "The Place of Geography in the European Middle Ages: Mathematical Geography on the Eve of the Age of Discoveries" on the first three chapters of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East: Breaking the Ice between the Latin West and the Far East". You can read those extracts 

https://www.academia.edu/39779482/What_If_the_Earth_is_the_Sphere

https://www.academia.edu/39924577/How_to_Measure_the_Earths_Circumference

https://www.academia.edu/39993075/How_Long_Spans_the_Inhabited_World

Some listeners wanted to read the entire book. I explained that unfortunately, it is unpublished though I downloaded 14 chapters out of 29 on my page on the Academia site

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael?from_navbar=true

The rest will appear throughout the next year. The chairman of the meeting suggested that I should publish my articles on their institute's site. I am checking this opportunity.  

I am preparing an extract from a new book for Academia Letters, a new journal for researchers. The passage concerns the comparison between galleys and sailing ships. The topic was presented many times but I hope to have found a new approach. My last attempt was rejected because I attached an illustration from Wikipedia. Somehow the editors did not like it. I learned my lesson: no photos! I am hopeful that they will send me reviews from other contributors and I will see if I can count on publication. 

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

My old paper is about the significance of free shipping through the Strait of Gibraltar and its impact on the rise of the West during the "Little Age of Discovery" (late 13th century - 14 century). The article has been modified,  re-edited, and offered for Discussion. You can view it https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules

as well as read my other 25 articles on the author's page https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael?from_navbar=true

The Strait of Gibraltar received a bad name because of precarious conditions for navigation and the Muslim blockade of the Christian vessels. The convenient ports of the Strait--Algeciras, Gibraltar, and Tarifa--were unavailable for rival ships. Castile's persistent struggle for the takeover of these havens went on and off for over two hundred years. Meanwhile, the Genoese mariners had signed special agreements with the Berber authorities and ventured into the Atlantic, making way to North Europe and West Africa.

I have also modified my profile on the Academia page concerning my status, achievements, and plans.

I have nearly completed my plan to offer my previous articles for Discussions. Most of them are taken from my manuscript "The Enchanting Encounter with the East" and from another project about the search for the maritime route to India. There is only one paper left. From September 2021, I am going to upload new articles.

 I received an invitation to read a lecture based on my articles about medieval geography. The lecture will be delivered in Russian by zoom for the Historical club in Israel on August 16th. It is based on the first three chapters of my second book:

1) What if the Earth is the Sphere?

2) How to Measure the Earth's Circumference?

3) How Long Spans the Inhabited World?

All these papers with illustrations are available on my author's page on the Academia.

Have a nice time. Stay tuned. I wish you good health in those troubled times.

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

The maiden paper of my third project is available in a slightly modified version 

https://www.academia.edu/41214506/How_Wide_Spans_the_Ocean_Sea

It is open for discussion for approximately two weeks, and everybody is invited. The piece includes two parts: The Heated Argument with Herodotus and The Vigorous Controversy with Columbus. The first section discusses Herodotus' accounts of ocean-going voyages; the second one analyses the cartographic knowledge of the 15th century in Europe and traces the reason for Columbus' blunder concerning the extent of the western route to India.

It is worth reminding that this chapter is part of Unit I titled "The Little Age of Discovery", which comprises three additional chapters: Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, The Rediscovered Islands, and The Quest for the River of Gold. I have not downloaded the last section. I plan to offer the previous pieces for discussion during the summer. My articles manage to draw much attention among the readers, and I hope to hit my next goal, 5K views, very soon.

Meanwhile, I am collecting data for a new chapter of my fourth project, "The Anguish and Thrill of Navigation." The extract deals with the development of commercial galleys. I'd like to trace the approach of the Venetians, the Genoese, the Catalans, and the Turks. 

Alexander at the Caspian Gates

 This is a slightly modified version of my paper. It belongs to Unit IV of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

Unit IV follows the footsteps of Alexander the Macedon, to be more exact, it traces the birth and development of medieval Alexander legend. The invincible warrior was inscribed with the erection of the impassable barrier, sometimes called the wall or the gate, blocking the mountain passage. This long-term roadblock will be breached by unlawful tribes ushering in the Last Days. 

The current paper focuses on the early development of the legend. It has just been offered for Discussions and you are welcome to participate.

The myth of the Caspian Gates was modeled on Alexander the Macedon's pursuit of his rival, the Persian emperor. Due to the nodding acquaintance with Asian geography, the storytellers switched the venue from the Iranian Gates to the Caucasus. The Macedonian military genius was considered the right person to erect an impenetrable barrier on the way of barbarian hordes braced for smashing the Hellenistic ideal of the civilized world. 

Tags: Alexander the Great, Pliny the Elder, Josephus Flavius, Plutarch, Ai Khanoum

I also began to review my findings for the Mediterranean Seafaring project. Meanwhile, I check details on shipborne artillery on board medieval galleys and try to identify new data on commercial galleys and seafaring routes both across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. I am also going to compare the great galleys of Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Catalonia as well as to trace the brief age of the galleass.

My dream is one day to research the history of ancient Israel. As a preparation for this goal, I took the online course "The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future" offered by Dr. Jacob L. Wright from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. 

I wish you good help and stamina to traverse this turbulent period of the pandemic.

 

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

The Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future

Merchant Galleys (1)

 

By Konrad Grünenberg - http://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/id/7061, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19285559

A Venetian three-masted galley delivers pilgrims to the Holy Land, 1486/7

This week I have been collecting data about merchant galleys in the Mediterranean for chapter 3 of my new project. 

I found an old article by W.B. Watson, The Structure of the Florentine galley trade with Flanders and England in the 15th century. Revue belge de Philologue et d'Histoire, 1961, 39-4. It speaks about the trips of Florentine galleys to north-western Europe during the 16th century. The author claims that there was a trade disbalance between incoming merchandise and local products. 

I reread F.C. Lane's book, "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance". (Borodino Books, 2018), especially the chapter devoted to merchant galleys with an extensive citation from Fabri's account about the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. 

I looked through E. Bradford's book, "The Great Siege: Malta, 1565". It does add anything about commercial galleys and even speaks little about the galley war but the topic has interested me since I visited Malta. I realized that the Knights of St. John were aided by the local population even if there were previous tensions between them. 

Next week, I will check some more books and then compare new data with the draft chapter written about 7 years ago. Now and then, I pick up novel info or fresh expressions that can help improve my previous chapters. That's why I decided to compose notes toward the end of the project when most of the corrections will be well underway.