History 739Topics in Near Eastern and

World HistoryDr. John Curry

john.curry@unlv.eduhttp://faculty.unlv.edu/curryj5

Room B-326 (History Conference Room)

Class meets: 4:30-7:30pmOffice Hours: Tuesday 2:30-4:00pm

Background for Giancarlo Casale’s Ottoman Age of Exploration

Ph.D. at Harvard under the direction of Cemal Kafadar and Shinasi Tekin

Takes position at University of Minnesota in 2005

Named McKnight Land Grant professor in 2009

Work is product of research dating back to 2000; emerges out of dissertation

The Portuguese voyages of discovery in the 15th century

Early Portuguese portolan chart of the Indian Ocean (1519)

Portuguese empire by the end of the sixteenth century

Ottoman expansion up to the seventeenth century

Map of Indian Ocean made in the seventeenth century

Discussion of Casale (not to be limited to points below)

How does Casale seek to draw in the reader, and what elements of the historical narrative does he seek to challenge with this work?

How does Casale’s work relate to some of the other works we have examined to date?

What types of evidence does Casale advance to make his case—and is it convincing?

How does the book attempt to appeal to a non-specialist audience? Pros and cons of approach?

Innovative elements in Casale’s Age of Exploration

Links together histories of Age of Exploration with those of global history movement

In a different manner, Casale up-ends narrative of Ottomans as hapless defenders

Linkage of events to Ottoman internal politics Argues that both the Portuguese and the

Ottomans met defeat in their quest for power The question of “chaos theory”—alternative

outcomes possible in various situations

Chronologies for comparison in Casale’s work

A chronology not based on rulers, but still relies on personalities

1453-1520 (Mehmet II through Selim I) 1520-1536 (Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha) 1536-1546 (Grand Vizier Hadim Suleyman) 1546-1561 (Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha) 1561-1579 (Grand Vizier Sokollu Pasha) 1579-1589 (Grand Vizier Koja Sinan

Pasha) 1589-1636 (“Death of Politics”)

Comparison chronology for Portuguese expansion

A chronology based on turning points? 1139-1415 (Reconquista in Andalusia) 1415-1445 (Initial N. African exploration) 1445-1494 (West Africa to Tordesillas) 1494-1515 (Emporial conquests to Malacca) 1515-1542 (Consolidation, reaches Japan) 1542-1580 (Height of Portuguese power) 1580-1640 (Decline and collapse)

Issues of chronology: why technology matters

Shifts in naval technology: the caravel/carrack vs. traditional Mediterranean galley

Historians have assumed teleology of superseding galley

Naval Battle of Lepanto (1571) Casale’s problematization: why

do Ottomans keep using it? Issues of environment, tactics

Debating views on the question of Ottoman “decline”

Old view: Ottoman state loses vigor with shift away from warrior-rulers like Mehmet II

Challenge: grand viziers are really the key actors from the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent

Old view: Ottomans sink into decline after the Suleymanic “golden age”

Challenge: Ottomans do not so much decline as shift their priorities to deal with new crises

Casale: falls somewhere in between, ambiguous

A critical question: adding color and liveliness to an account

Interesting events: the Zimba invasion in Africa (JWH article)

Interesting people: how to document shadowy figures like Sefer Re’is, Mir Ali Beg, etc.?

Extrapolating a grand Ottoman strategy from disconnected and (often) ill-documented events?

Power of cross-cultural source reading; few read Ottoman!

Controversial conclusion? Ottoman geographical knowledge

Places both Portugal and Ottomans in similar position; connect to Hess?

Shift from state-directed imperial project to private mercantile ones

Indian Ocean as a product of Ottoman “success?”

What has been left out: Katip Chelebi’s Cihannuma (partially) produced in 1655

Issues of immediate concern for the future

Richard Bulliet book will be on the docket for September 30 class (following Thursday)

October classes will focus on the writing process; be prepared to present at least two pages of writing for evaluation to the class (more details forthcoming next Thursday)

November 4: status report going into final phase

November classes on the 11th, 18th, and 25th will be cancelled for holidays

Presentations on Dec. 2, final paper on Dec. 9