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Abstract(s)
O mar Mediterrâneo, dentro de um contexto geográfico, sempre foi considerado como um “espaço vital” para várias civilizações e povos ao longo de centenas de anos. Um mar que uniu e separou povos, foi, sobretudo, um espaço de comunicação que muitos tentaram controlar de alguma forma.
Os Otomanos não foram uma exceção, e o objetivo da minha dissertação é a análise da sua tentativa de hegemonia nos séculos XV e XVI. Após a conquista de Constantinopla, em 1453, os turcos consolidaram a sua posição neste dito espaço geográfico europeu; não somente a nível terrestre, pois a tomada da cidade abriu portas para uma futura expansão a nível marítimo e naval no Mediterrâneo.
Conhecidos pela sua pujante capacidade militar, desde a segunda metade do século XIV, os otomanos tinham uma força extremamente difícil de superar em combate, e a rápida expansão pela Anatólia e pelos Balcãs nos séculos XIV/XV são um exemplo disso. No entanto, adquiriram também uma capacidade naval relevante, que importa discutir neste contexto. A tomada de Constantinopla foi determinante para cimentar a sua influência no Levante, mas isso implicou a construção e desenvolvimento de uma marinha capaz de defender os interesses económicos e militares do sultão.
Veremos que o poder naval deste império só se veio a consolidar nos inícios do século XVI, depois da conquista da Síria e do Egito (1516 e 1517 respetivamente) por Selim I. Estas conquistas deram ao sultão acesso a vários recursos materiais e a mão de obra necessária à construção da sua ambiciosa armada. Isto permitiu-lhe, entre outros aspetos, continuar a fazer frente aos seus rivais no mar, nomeadamente os Habsburgo (na Espanha e na Áustria) bem como as cidades mercantis italianas, entre elas Génova e Veneza (que tinham possessões nas ilhas do Mediterrâneo). Englobo assim toda esta geografia do mar Mediterrâneo e as constantes disputas que assolaram as suas águas no séc. XV e XVI, entre duas esferas de influência distintas; um Oriente muçulmano e um Ocidente cristão.
The Mediterranean Sea, within a geographical context, has always been considered a "vital space" for various civilizations and peoples over hundreds of years. A sea that united and separated peoples, it was, above all, a communication space that many tried to control in some way. The Ottomans were no exception, and the aim of my dissertation is the analysis of their attempt at hegemony in the 15th and 16th centuries. After the conquest of Constantinople, in 1453, the Turks consolidated their position in this so-called European geographic space; not only at a land level, as the capture of the city opened doors for future maritime and naval expansion in the Mediterranean. Known for their powerful military capabilities, since the second half of the 14th century, the Ottomans had a force extremely difficult to overcome in combat, and the rapid expansion through Anatolia and the Balkans in the 14th/15th centuries are an example of this. However, they also acquired a relevant naval capability, which is important to discuss in this context. The capture of Constantinople was crucial to cement their influence in the Levant, but this implied the construction and development of a navy capable of defending the economic and military interests of the sultan. We will see that the naval power of this empire was only consolidated at the beginning of the 16th century, after the conquest of Syria and Egypt (1516 and 1517 respectively) by Selim I. These conquests gave the sultan access to various material resources and the manpower needed to build his ambitious navy. This allowed him, among other things, to continue to face his rivals at sea, namely the Habsburgs (in Spain and Austria) as well as the Italian merchant cities, including Genoa and Venice (which had possessions in the Mediterranean islands). I thus encompass this entire geography of the Mediterranean Sea and the constant disputes that plagued its waters in the 15th and 16th centuries, between two distinct spheres of influence; a Muslim East and a Christian West.
The Mediterranean Sea, within a geographical context, has always been considered a "vital space" for various civilizations and peoples over hundreds of years. A sea that united and separated peoples, it was, above all, a communication space that many tried to control in some way. The Ottomans were no exception, and the aim of my dissertation is the analysis of their attempt at hegemony in the 15th and 16th centuries. After the conquest of Constantinople, in 1453, the Turks consolidated their position in this so-called European geographic space; not only at a land level, as the capture of the city opened doors for future maritime and naval expansion in the Mediterranean. Known for their powerful military capabilities, since the second half of the 14th century, the Ottomans had a force extremely difficult to overcome in combat, and the rapid expansion through Anatolia and the Balkans in the 14th/15th centuries are an example of this. However, they also acquired a relevant naval capability, which is important to discuss in this context. The capture of Constantinople was crucial to cement their influence in the Levant, but this implied the construction and development of a navy capable of defending the economic and military interests of the sultan. We will see that the naval power of this empire was only consolidated at the beginning of the 16th century, after the conquest of Syria and Egypt (1516 and 1517 respectively) by Selim I. These conquests gave the sultan access to various material resources and the manpower needed to build his ambitious navy. This allowed him, among other things, to continue to face his rivals at sea, namely the Habsburgs (in Spain and Austria) as well as the Italian merchant cities, including Genoa and Venice (which had possessions in the Mediterranean islands). I thus encompass this entire geography of the Mediterranean Sea and the constant disputes that plagued its waters in the 15th and 16th centuries, between two distinct spheres of influence; a Muslim East and a Christian West.