The Swan Song of the Mongol Thrust

This paper finishes Unit III of my unpublished book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". 

The Mongol Empire is on the brink of war with Egypt. Eljigidei, the Mongol military governor in the eastern Mediterranean, is making overtures to Louis IX of France concerning the assistance in the struggle against the mutual enemy. The Muslim warfare on two fronts, against the Mongols and the Latin Christians, leads to the rise of the Mamluks. The Il-khan Hulegu resumes a proposal, suggesting that Louis would stage a naval blockade of Egypt in support of the ground assault of the Mongols. Meanwhile, the Mongol Empire starts to crumble.

You may read this paper https://www.academia.edu/41372103/The_Swan_Song_of_the_Mongol_Thrust

as well as other 16 articles uploaded on a popular research site. 

I'm going to continue publishing other chapters. The next unit is titled "Mapping Marvels and Monsters: In the Shadow of the Iron Gate". It focuses on the popular medieval image of Alexander's Gate which is linked to other myths of the European Middle Ages. 

How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea

I decided to upload my fresh research from the third project: the European quest for the maritime route to India in the XVth century. See my site https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael/Papers

The article is titled "How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea". 

Herodotus recorded several naval accounts: however, are they trustworthy and, if positive, to what extent? The Phoenician ship replica attests to the seaworthiness of their vessels rather than to the details of the epic 2700-year-old voyage across Africa. For most intellectuals of the European Middle Ages, the ocean was a dangerous place. Only toward the close of the fifteenth century, some mapmakers endeavored to visualize the 'latitudinal' route connecting the remote West with the Far East. Columbus was a diehard prisoner of his ambition; he could not help manipulating his figures and engaged in wishful thinking to make his dream come true.

The research includes two parts: the first one reviews the nautical accounts of Herodotus and Hanno the Navigator, while the second one observes the scientific platform supporting Columbus' enterprise to the Indies. 

 

Image: The Phoenician ship replica

 Courtesy:

https://josephsmithfoundation.org/lehis-voyage-demonstrated-phoenicia-expedition/