Description
Book SynopsisIn The Ottoman Threat and Crusading on the Eastern Border of Christendom during the Fifteenth Century Liviu Pilat and Ovidiu Cristea focus on less-known aspects of the later crusades in Eastern Europe, examining the ideals of holy war and political pragmatism. They analyze the Ottoman threat and crusading as political themes through a unifying vision based in the political realities of the fifteenth century and the complex relationship between crusading, Ottoman expansion, and the political interests of the Christian states in the region. Approaching the relationship between the borders of Christendom and crusading as a highly complex phenomenon, Pilat and Cristea introduce new elements to the image of Latin Christendom's frontier from the perspective of Catholic-Orthodox relations, frontier ideology, and crusading rhetoric in political propaganda.
Trade Review"There is no area of medieval history more obscure than Moldavia and Wallachia. Consequently, this book will be heartily welcomed by specialists in Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Turkish history. The authors are thoroughly familiar with the mass of materials in multiple languages, both in original sources and the most recent publications. [...] Summing Up: Highly recommended." W. L. Urban, Monmouth College (IL), Choice, vol. 55 no. 10,(June 2018). ''The freshness of the volume stems from its angle of investigation. [...] The region of the Black Sea has, until recently, been much neglected as a theater of crusading. Pilat and Cristea bring forward new ideas to bring current research on the later Crusades to life. They make one realize that crusading in the fifteenth century was not restricted to the anti-Ottoman struggle undertaken by Hunyadi and Skanderbeg, or the steadfast efforts of Pius II or John of Capistrano, but involved much more. In their pluralist interpretation this area is a genuine theater of crusading and should rightfully be included in the concept of a universal propugnaculum in the minds of contemporaries, even though this area has often been overshadowed in historical scholarship by other, more dominant spheres of crusading research. [...] The volume puts forward new considerations regarding the complexity of the frontiers of Christendom and will be most useful to researchers and as an educational resource in the university, making the history of the medieval Pontic region more accessible to an international readership''. Attila Bárány in Speculum vol. 94, no. 4. (October 2019). ''The Ottoman Threat and Crusading on the Eastern Border of Christendom is a paragon of primary research. Moreover, the authors seem to have read every relevant secondary article and book. Their English prose is proper and the book features color illustrations,footnotes, a bibliography and index. The volume will provide a valuable reference for a broad range of scholars''. Lucien Frary, in Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 8 (2018).
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Maps and Illustrations Introduction The Sources Ottoman Threat and Crusading Frontier Societies and the Eastern Border of Christendom Crusading, Information and Propaganda 1 Crusade and Commercial Hegemony in the Black Sea from the Fourth Crusade to the Ottoman Conquest The Fourth Crusade and its Consequences in the Black Sea Area The Genoese Hegemony in the Black Sea, the Venetian Reaction and the Crusade The Hungarian—Venetian Rivalry and the Ottoman Threat From the “War of Tenedos” to the Crusade of Nicopolis Kilia as an Outpost in Hungary’s Crusading Projects 2 The Eastern Border and the Struggle for Supremacy in the Northern Black Sea Ottoman Threat, Christian Solidarity and Political Rivalry The Eastern Border in Sigismund of Luxembourg’s Plans Ottoman Threat and Crusading in Jagiello’s Policy Witold’s Ambition to Control North-Western Black Sea A Failed Anti-Ottoman Campaign The Eastern Border and the Teutonic Knights Schismatics, Heretics and Crusaders 3 The Union of Florence, Crusade and Ottoman Hegemony in the Black Sea The Fail of the Union in Eastern Europe Crusade Plans and Political Contradictions John Hunyadi, Kilia and the Fall of Constantinople The Eastern Border of Christendom, Mehmed II and the Byzantine Legacy Crusading Versus Economic Interests 4 Crusade and Political Propaganda in the Last Years of Mehmed II The Crusade of Pope Sixtus IV A Schismatic Crusader Diplomatic Actions of Venice A Great Christian Victory Matthias Corvinus Propaganda A Plan of the Annihilation of Mehmed II and the Fall of Caffa Moldavia the “Gateway of Christendom” The Campaign of Mehmed II in Moldavia One Battle, More Victories A New Crusade Plan: Reconquest of Caffa The Crusade of Otranto and its Eastern Implications 5 The Eastern Border of Christendom and the Ottoman Conquest of Black Sea The Ottoman Campaign of 1484 and Venetian Intelligence Ottoman Threat Ascending Ottoman Pressure and Crusading in Poland A Failed Crusade Expedition The Eastern Border and the Congress of Rome Coalition against Jagiellons 6 The Crusade against Ottomans and the Political Backdrop in East-Central Europe at the End of the Fifteenth Century The “Crusade” of Jan Olbracht Crusade Rhetoric and Political Propaganda Crusade Rumours in Venice and Ottoman Propaganda New Plans of Crusade Between Crusade and the Defence of the Greek-Orthodox Faith Discussions on Crusade in Muscovy The Peace Conclusion Bibliography Index
