Michael Baizerman Author

  Happy Christmas and New Year for you and your families, As the second year of the coronavirus draws to an end, I am reviewing my work on a new project.  I have made some corrections in Chapter 1, The Galley vs. the Round Ship, to make the comparison between the two breeds of watercraft less straightforward. I also continue collecting material for a second chapter about war galleys. I think it was a good idea to split the narrative into two developments: that of the galley and that of the sailing ship. The description becomes more accurate and the trends more palatable.  I restrict the narrative of galleys to the Mediterranean, excluding the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.  I try to avoid overloading readers with too many details and focus on the main tendencies. I write for the general public, not for a handful of experts.  I am planning to branch the story of Mediterranean galleys into two channels: about warships and merchantmen. These are two separate developm...

 The present paper completes Unit I of my third project, " Seeking Christians and Spices: The Quest for the Maritime Route to India". You may view the previous chapters on my author's page on the Academia site:  https://www.academia.edu/41214506/How_Wide_Spans_the_Ocean_Sea https://www.academia.edu/42166248/Beyond_the_Pillars_of_Hercules https://www.academia.edu/43517659/The_Rediscovered_Islands_European_Claims_to_the_Canaries The popular trope associates the Late Middle Ages with the incessant strife of antagonistic faiths which took shape of a crusade and a jihad. My research calls this pervasive approach into question due to the presence of the restricted contingents of Latin Europeans on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Giving an account for this phenomenon requires a new set of arguments. Religious fanaticism was not the only platform to drum up support for achieving one’s goals. The first part of the chapter focuses on the involvement of European mercenarie...

After a short correspondence with the Academia site, I succeeded in uploading a renewed version of my article to Discussions. I consider this paper as a milestone on the road of my writing career.  In August 2020, I learned that Academia launched a new option for its contributors, allowing them to upgrade each paper for Discussions. They send invitations to about 1K participants and all your fans to take part in the evaluation. It exposes your work to both experts and the general public. It attracts criticism and support.  I decided to take all my previous articles through this process to realize my potential on this site. Now, after 16 months, I can report that the number of my readers has increased fivefold. I also had the chance to explain my position to other researchers. This paper is my latest contribution. From now on, I will upload unknown articles, mostly from my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East".   The present article looks into the medie...

 First of all, my lecture. Titled "The Place of Geography in the Medieval European Science", it met with moderate success. The audience was familiar, so I did not need to introduce myself. Based on three chapters from Unit I of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East", the lecture was accompanied by numerous illustrations and charts. The meat of the matter was to show that medieval conceptions were scientifically sound, prone to arguments, and in many cases inconclusive, i.e., requiring additional research.  I am so happy to read accounts of maritime journeys for my current project. I have already got acquainted with the diaries of Felix Fabri and Pietro Casola and now I am studying the report submitted by Roberto da Sanseverino. The last one is the most productive since its author has a deep understanding of navigation problems. Besides, the editor, Vidoni, presents and explains entangled issues to my satisfaction. Pietro Casola,  I have other names ...

  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 ...

 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...

  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/3999307...

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 W...

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 r...

  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 impenetrabl...

  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. Bra...

  I am still undecided about the plan to write a new book. Meanwhile, things are getting into a groove.  Whether a book in its virtue or a unit in a volume, it will be titled "The Anguish and Thrill of Navigation". I may add a subtitle emphasizing that the topic concerns plying the medieval Mediterranean. I have chosen an epigraph from Eustache Deschamps, a 14th- century French poem. His extract claims that landlubbers, no matter how they are proficient in globetrotting have no idea about the hardships of sea travel.  The prototype of the project is based on a string of articles written in 2014-2015 for my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". However, these papers were excluded from the final draft since the book deals with land travels rather than seafaring. A new, extended version of these essays makes them awkward to use in my third project, which focuses on the Age of Discovery. On the other hand, my current project is too significant to ...

  This is the resume of my paper, The Swanson of the Mongol Thrust. https://www.academia.edu/41372103/The_Swansong_of_the_Mongol_Thrust 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 King Louis would stage a naval blockade of Egypt in support of the ground assault of the Mongols. Meanwhile, the Mongol Empire starts to crumble. The paper ends with an overview of the relations between the Mongols and the Franks. The idea of the combined crusade was buried in the sands of history. This is the final chapter of Unit III of my manuscript, The Enchanting Encounter with the East". The two previous chapters have been recently reviewed and re...

 This is my latest contribution to the Discussions section on the Academia site. The Mongol invasion of Central Europe in 1241-1242 took the western leaders aback. Gruesome and spine-chilling, the victorious campaign of the steppe army sent shock waves across the continent. That was a powerful lesson that the Latin decision-makers would never forget. The campaign is assessed in terms of its strategic goals and viewed through the eyes of survivors. The author supplies several factors explaining the momentous withdrawal of the winners from the occupied territories. You may read the article  https://www.academia.edu/40613981/The_Squall_from_the_East I also uploaded another extract where I attempt to cover the diplomatic correspondence between Great Khan Guyuk and Pope Innocent IV.   The paper explores the attempt of the Apostolic See to keep an eye on the Mongols after their disastrous campaign against Central Europe. The Holy Father forwarded epistles to talk some sens...

  About three weeks ago, I uploaded a new version of my article "The Enigma of the Antipodes" for Discussions on academia.edu. This is the concluding chapter of Unit II of my manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". You may view this extract  https://www.academia.edu/40346434/The_Enigma_of_the_Antipodes as well as enjoy reading the rest of my 20 something papers that represent the three projects.  T he paper explores a strand of medieval geography concerning the Antipodes, the legendary fourth continent of the European Middle Ages. It plunges the readers into a scholastic debate, presenting opposite sides. The arguments become intense and controversial on the eve of the Age of Exploration. This is a famous mappamundi featuring the Sciapod, a fantastic one-legged creature living and breathing in the Antipodes.    Burgo de Osma Mappamundi Courtesy:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mappa_mundi_of_Burgo_de_Osma_Beatus#/media/File:B...

  I uploaded a new version of this article on my Academia page. You can view it https://www.academia.edu/40219335/In_Black_and_White_Racial_Prejudices_in_the_European_Middle_Ages You can also read the previous chapters, The Trefoil of the World and Jerusalem on European Mind Maps. See  https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael "In Black and White" is open for discussions for 2 weeks from now. If you would like to comment later, you can do it either here, on my blog or my site. Here is the abstract: Intolerance to nonwhites harks back to the Early Middle Ages; it takes root in a new faith, the alive and kicking Christianity which spreads across the known world. The advocates of the novel ideology strive to defend it against ubiquitous paganism. They make up a pseudo-biological race theory that adopted the principles of Eurocentrism and the superiority of the west. This teaching, which we call here the “racial fiction”, associates blackness with sin. Black peop...

  Courtesy: https://www.wikihow.com/Set-Writing-Goals  It's high time to set up my writing goals to show my strategy. I would like to continue developing my site at the Academia: see https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael I intend to expose the articles from my second and third books on Discussions. By the way, you can view the paper on the current discussion, which will end in a week   https://www.academia.edu/45063380/Jerusalem_on_European_Mind_Maps I have started collecting materials for the next chapter from my third book; it is devoted to light and great galleys. I will try to explain why the long-lived  Age of the Galleys on the Mediterranean was coming to the end and what efforts were undertaken to prolong it.  I am going to extend my blog and keep in contact with my readers. Building a platform is a multi-year enterprise and I hope you will assist me in these efforts.  I will look for additional opportunities, like giving l...

  Venetian War Galley, late sixteenth century https://www.pinterest.com/pin/511721576383894517/ Genoese Merchant Vessel https://www.pinterest.com/pin/313915036504583191/ The first chapter of a new unit compares and contrasts galleys and sailing ships negotiating maritime routes in the medieval Mediterranean. It discusses shipbuilding approaches and the diet of seafarers. The paper is based on my previous version penned about seven years ago but sustained major corrections. Due to personal reasons, I will keep the draft intact but I cannot help uploading the first page for you.  A curious landlubber gazing at the sea could discern with ease two broad types of watercraft hugging the coast: oared vessels (galleys) and sailing ships. These breeds epitomized the unabated contest between seaworthiness and speed. Oared vessels were born for speed and doomed to fight; not for nothing tags like "dromon" (Greek: "racer") in Byzantium and "sagitta" (Latin: "ar...

  This is a new version of my article that is taken from my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". The paper studies the role of Jerusalem in the European Middle Ages. I draw on medieval travelogues, "world maps", and modern research. You are invited to read the draft and leave comments in the Discussions section. https://www.academia.edu/45063380/Jerusalem_on_European_Mind_Maps It might take a few hours until my contribution is converted so don't be in a hurry. Discussions are open for 3 weeks. I have started writing the first chapter of Unit II of my third manuscript. It is called  Galleys versus Sailing Shi ps: Plying the Waters of the Medieval Mediterranean. Here, I would like to compare and contrast the two types of medieval craft. I have nearly completed three sections out of five or six: galleys, sailing ships, pros & cons. I will add a few words about shipbuilding technology in the medieval Mediterranean as well as about sailors...

I continue to make facelifts to my uploaded papers. This time, it is a chapter from Unit II of my second manuscript, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East".  You can view it https://www.academia.edu/40051105/The_Trefoil_of_the_World The article is presented to the discussion on the Academia site in the nearest three weeks. You are invited to take part in. I would appreciate any comment and would do my best to reply.  The paper describes the evolution of the mappae mundi, the "world maps" of the medieval imagination. Across the centuries, this medium had upgraded from simple schemes depicting the tripartite inhabited earth to more elaborate designs, which incorporated the Ptolemy vision or reflected current geographic discoveries and married with sea charts. The medieval world of the sacred and profane hangs in front of our eyes. Meanwhile, I finished estimating materials concerning my paper about medieval shipping. The article will compare a galley and a sailing s...

  Happy New Year to you all! May it be the year of recovery from the coronavirus.  Following the advice from the Writer's Digest, I will start this entry with the self-presentation. Name Michael Baizerman. This is my real name retained for the literary market. Skills : nonfiction writer, amateur historian, Internet researcher, and blogger.  Social Media Platform : Facebook, Twitter URL : https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael This is the website where I download my research papers. I have currently stopped adding new articles since I would like to use a new Discussions section on the site to present my previous works for discussions, boost my readership and converse with colleagues. Meanwhile, I keep this avenue open for chapters of my second manuscript.  http://mikebis.blogspot.com/ This is my blog, a writer's diary, where I share what is happening behind the scenes.  Accomplishments: I have self-published my first book, "Dawn and Sunset: A Tal...