The Long Ship vs. the Round Ship

Image 1: The Byzantine galleys crash into the Rus’ ships, repelling the latter’s charge on Constantinople http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Byzantine_navy

Image 2: Lady Washington, a modern replica of the historic 90-ton brig

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Washington

My new update will be a chapter from the third manuscript which is going to focus on the opening of the sea route from Portugal to India. 

I discuss the benefits of the two main types of medieval European vessels: the galley and the sailing ships. The watercraft are compared in view of their water courses, destinations, the frequency of harbor visits, the sailing season, and the number of the crew. 

This is the extract from the article published at my author's page on Scriggler https://scriggler.com/MyStuff

You can also read the other pieces from my collection, sharing your interest with a growing community of 22 K readers. 

Dozens of marine graffiti scratched on the walls of a fourteenth-century church of the Prophet Elias in Thessaloniki, Greece depict the buoyant watercraft plying the navy blue waters of the medieval Mediterranean. (1) These samples arrange into two broad categories: the oared boat and the sailing ship.

                The lateen-rigged galleys with their slender hulls and curved sternposts carry up to three masts and possess a pair of steer rudders below the stern. They may hold a castle (2) as well as a protective rail over the oars. Armed with a single gun at the bow, the vessels are adorned with an array of flags rising over prominent parts of the vessel.

                The big sailing ships sustain three or four masts with a mixed lateen and square rig. Their external features-a straight keel, a slightly inclined sternpost, and a curved stem post-mark a compromise between the southern and the northern European shipbuilding traditions. Some of these juggernaut vessels have multiple decks and are supported by one or two castles-at the stem and at the stern-as well as the crow's nest (3) for their protection. 

                Unlike galleys, whose principal routes ran along the seaboard, sailing ships often plied deep-water courses. Roger of Hoveden, a twelfth-century English chronicler and Crusader, comments on the possibility of taking a pelagic voyage from Marseilles to Acre: after leaving the French port, the craft can keep a straight course “until they see the land of Syria". (4)

Though the watercraft powered by wind could endure a direct, open-sea crossing, they often preferred trunk routes in a detour of major Mediterranean islands. Powered only by sails, these cargo carriers were earmarked for hauling bulky, inexpensive wares, such as alum, grain, oil, salt, timber, wine, or wool.

                The long ship propelled by sails and oars carried out naval operations.  When engaged on commercial lines, they delivered lucrative commodities, such as silk and spices. The imported goods were redistributed among selected emporiums of foreign trade and sold at astounding prices. Only lavish wares could meet outstanding transportation costs.

                Galleys, whose bodies resembled the sausage cut lengthwise, were fast but capricious runners. They could make a good headway on short stretches of sea travel and under favorable conditions. Sailing down the wind, they would cut coastal waves with envious speed, leaving clumsy round ships far behind. However, on a long run, the average speed of the oared vessel would not exceed 3 knots downwind and would not surpass 1.5 knots upwind. (5) Voyages made into contrary winds usually took twice as long. 

The Squall from the East

Image: The Mongol Mounted Archer 

Courtesy: http://www.aeroartinc.com/mongol-warrior-firing-bow-from-saddle.html

After many weeks of hard labor, I'm happy to announce that I have finished writing the first chapter of Unit III.

As you already know, the chapter is titled "The Squall from the East" and it focuses on the Mongol advance of Central Europe in 1241-42 as part of the extensive western campaign. As a result, Prince Batu managed to extend his appanage and in due time cut out his own empire, the Golden Horde, from the Mongol unified state.

I paid special attention to such unsolved issues as the withdrawal of the Tartar army and the outcome of the power struggle between the descendants of Chinggis Khan.

This is the first page of the long chapter:

If Latin Europe hadn't been filled to the brim with its own woes, it wouldn’t have disregarded the latest developments in the Far East.

There, on the far side of the inhabited world, the emerging superpower, which had managed to unite diverse groups of pastoral nomads, launched a sequence of military campaigns, swallowing neighbor states one by one.

All of a sudden, the “devil’s horsemen” broke into Eastern Europe. The Russian chronicler found it difficult to identify unfamiliar assailants who had scared the Rus’ traditional rivals, the Cumans, out of their wits, coercing them into a strained alliance with their adversaries in a futile effort to halt the incomprehensible fit of the wrath of the third party. The learned cleric was not aware of the intruders’ origin, religion, or vernacular: “unknown tribe came, which no one exactly knows, who they are, nor whence they came out, nor what their language is, nor of what race they are, nor what their faith is.” (1)

However, their name would run ahead of their galloping steeds. The well-versed people dubbed them Tartars-in tune with the legendary denizens of hell.

Fifteen years later, while the same invaders were making their second incursion and the mortal threat was already hanging upon the entire population of the Rus' principalities, the same writer added two macabre features to their group portrait: their overwhelming quantities: “came in countless numbers like locusts” (2) and their ruthlessness: “cutting down everybody like grass.” (3)  

The monastic author reviewed the outcome of a thoroughly-planned Mongol campaign carried out by a well-greased military machine. The winners exercised the mass slaughter of the civilian population without distinction of age, rank, or sex. Those who stayed alive were subjected to heinous humiliation, like raping girls in the presence of their mothers.  Being unable to comprehend this outburst of rage against innocent people, the monk explains the event in terms of an ecological disaster (the invasion of insects) or as an apocalyptic incident (the retribution for sins).

The same year the bell tolled for the Latin Christendom. The head of the terrible Assassins and the Crusaders’ bitter enemy, nicknamed “the old man of the mountain”, sent ambassadors to the French and English kings, urging them to weld an alliance to suppress “the fury of the Tartars.” The Saracen envoys elaborated that the leader of these rascals claimed to have received the divine mandate to conquer any race that opposed his will. He was the self-proclaimed God’s messenger “sent to subdue the nations who rebelled against him.”

To lay it on thick, the Muslim representatives described the Mongol s as the "monstrous and inhuman race of men" that built up a reputation of “incomparable archers” but stained it by eating raw meat, sucking blood, and practicing cannibalism. They broke through the Caspian Mountains and spread like a pandemic: “sent as a plague on mankind.” (4) 

The Storm from the East (2)

This is where I have started my research. Now it has become Unit 3 of my book. The unit is titled "Unveiling the Alien: The Diplomatic Overtures on the Brink of the All-Out War". Chapter 1 which deals with the Mongol invasion of Central Europe in 1241-1242 is called "The Squall from the East". 

I have started to check the previous version. As usual, there are many corrections though it is only the initial stage of my work. On the next step, I will evaluate my findings of the new research that I have done on the subject. Then, I will endeavor to match the new extracts with the older ones.  

I will appreciate any comments on my work. Even experts in the field do not cover all the possible angles and sometimes I am in doubt to decide which version to follow. A fresh look from the outside, both from a layman and a specialist, might be most welcome. 

Just to give you a taste of what I am thinking about. Many European commentaries, such as the author of the Novgorod Chronicle and Matthew Paris, keep their eyes on the Mongols' brutality. The Pope calls the eastern invaders to halt their extermination of people without discrimination. How about the following outlook: the khans were adamant believers in their mission to subjugate all the nations of the world. Those who opposed their proposal would become an enemy and had to perish since they betrayed the divine order. Those who proposed peace were viewed as applicants for submission and were given instructions how their submission should be exercised. The Mongols were the prisoners of their chimerical dream and their persistence in fulfilling it turned into the nightmare for their neighbors. 

I'd like to thank all the readers of this blog for their support. My followers come from ten countries, with Russia, the USA, France, and Israel supplying the largest audiences.   

You may also visit my author's page 

https://scriggler.com/Profile/michael_baizerman 

and read some of my articles.

The Storm from the East

I am doing an additional research about the Mongol assault on Central Europe in 1241-42. I would like to show what intrigue was hiding behind the decision to launch the western campaign and understand the interplay between the main participants. I also want to give intelligible reasons for the "Tartar" withdrawal from the arena.

It is time to reveal the background of the "barbarians", i.e. pastoral nomads of the Eurasian steppes, whose life style differed so much from that of the sedentary civilizations both in the East and the West.

There's still much work to do as I have to read a lot of monographs and articles about the medieval military history to explain the clash between the Latin Christendom and the Mongols.

No part of this article has been published yet. It will be followed by three other passages which tell the story of the contacts between the European powers and the Mongols in the aftermath of this assault.

I recommend reading a book penned by R.A. Gabriel and D.W. Boose, Jr, The Great Battles of Antiquity. They also speak about the Middle Ages.

My special thanks to the readers of my diary from Russia, the USA, and Ukraine. I remind you that the updated list of my twenty-two articles can be found at my profile page  https://scriggler.com/Profile/michael_baizerman

Image: The archery bombardment of the light cavalry with the lancers waiting concealed by the smoke screen 

https://www.realmofhistory.com/2016/02/10/10-facts-you-should-know-about-the-mongol-soldier/

A Call for a Beta Reader

I am looking for a better reader for my emerging history book, The Enchanting Encounter with the East. The extract that I would like to be reviewed embraces the first two units and makes up about 70 pages.

The candidate should have a passable knowledge of history: my book covers the Late Middle Ages and focuses on the attitude of European intellectuals to the East, especially the Far East. My work is intended for general readers so I don't expect to run into an expert. I would appreciate any advice including the quality and provocative questions.

I am still examining materials for Unit 3 which concerns the Mongols' invasion of Europe as part of their western campaign during1241-42.

My special thanks to my Russian audience who made up the majority of my readers last month.

I would like to recommend Robert Marshal's book, The Storm from the East, which is available on google books. I am enjoying reading it now and not only the chapter which deals with my topic.

The Quest for the River of Gold: The European Glimpse of West Africa

I have just published another chapter from my third book. This extract is devoted to the sailing uncharted waters of the Atlantic along the Moroccan water front. The merchants dropped in new ports where they heard the tall tales about the Rio del Oro (The River of Gold). This led to a tragic treasure hunt. Also, European gamblers believed that the realm of Prester John, the black Christian Emperor, lay in the headwaters of that waterway. 

Read my article https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/113133
I would appreciate any comments. Meanwhile, I will return to the Mongol invasion of Hungary, the theme of my second (ongoing) book.

Image 1: The Catalan Atlas pays tribute to Jaume Ferrer, a Majorcan captain, who is crossing the uncharted waters of the Atlantic in an attempt to discover the River of Gold https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaume_Ferrer#/media/File:Jacme_ferrer.jpg

On the Road (1)

My Scriggler audience is growing; it will hopefully hit the 20 K mark within two weeks. My readers mostly come from the USA, India, the UK, and Hungary.

You can view my articles that refer the interest to entangled issues of ancient, medieval, and early modern histories. https://scriggler.com/Profile/michael_baizerman

These articles belong to four projects: Book 1, Dawn and Sunset: A Tale of the Oldest Cities in the Near East (already published); Book 2, The Enchanting Encounter with the East (in progress); Book 3 (about the quest for the sea passage to India); and an attempt to construct the genuine history of ancient Israel.

My most popular extracts from Book 1 are about the Sumerian astronomy https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Story/21077
and the Akkadian standing army https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/25017

From Book 2 about the measurement of the earth's circumference https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/31762
about the spherical image of earth https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/29106
about the size of the inhabited world https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/33098
and about the location of Jerusalem on medieval "world maps" https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/35570

From the project on ancient Israel about Mesha the Dibonite's bid to independence https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/27980
and about the origin of Israel https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Opinion/26251

Each of these articles attracted more than one thousand readers.