Light Galleys (3)

 I have made a plan of the current chapter with a working title, Light Galleys, to ease the development. It includes 16 or 17 topics and each of them needs an extra brief research. I have already covered a few items: 

LBR dimensions [length-to-beam ratio of the hull]

Functions of galleys

Sailing season

Nocturnal voyage

Operational range

Speed and watering of the crews 

   The scope of the narrative becomes enormous. I wrote 6 pages and covered about a third of the thematic list. However, now I work with confidence, realizing that I know the storyline and guess how I can narrate it. This is the key to the creative activity. 

I am ready to correct some misconceptions, even expressed by the leading scholars and primary sources. For example, medieval warships couldn't ram their rivals or galleys could  confront large round ships. I don't pledge to be original for the sake of originality. In many cases I agree with the leading experts after I get to know the facts. 

I recently read E.S. Gurkan's contribution, "Deception, Dissimilation, and Misinterpretation of the Information" in the 16th century Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were the masters of fake news. West European courts had to hold spy nets to reveal the military intentions of the Turks. The destination of naval voyages were sometimes hidden even from admirals of the fleet. 

DECEPTION, DISSIMULATIONAND MANIPULATION OF INFORMATIONIN 16TH-CENTURY OTTOMAN EMPIRE

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DECEPTION, DISSIMULATIONAND MANIPULATION OF INFORMATIONIN 16TH-CENTURY OTTOMAN EMPIRE

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DECEPTION, DISSIMULATIONAND MANIPULATION OF INFORMATIONIN 16TH-CENTURY OTTOMAN EMPIRE

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The Underdog and the Power Strife on the Steppes

The paper completes Prester John's saga. The echo of the power strife on the steppes reaches West European intellectuals, who remake it in the contest between the overwhelming Christian overlord and a budding pagan rival. The underdog wins this geopolitical game to become the ruler of Asia while his adversary demises. I also added the Bottom Line and the Notes to the whole unit. 

The article is available at  https://www.academia.edu/89214577/The_Underdog_and_the_Power_Strife_on_the_Steppes 

and is open for discussion, in which you are welcome to participate. Interestingly, that after uploading this work on the Academia site, I gained a fan, The International Institute for the Study of the Nomadic Civilizations of UNESCO. 

I presented my interpretation of Prester John's saga in Unit V of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," published in 2022 by Authorhouse and in eight papers on my Academia site.  

I intend to continue uploading the rest of the chapters of my second book: Unit VI, with four episodes. Only then can I estimate my current potential as a writer. I plan to get close to 10 K views. Until then, I hope to present the opening parts of my third project about shipping in the medieval and renaissance Mediterranean.