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The Ottoman Age of Discovery (Cape of Good Hope Series)

(u. S.) Giancarlo Casale

181K0

This ambitious work that rewrites world history subverts the narrative of global history as you know it, and "The Age of Discovery" completes the other half of the lost territory. In 1517, the Ottoman Sultan Selim "The Cruel" led his army to conquer Egypt, extending the empire's territory to the Indian Ocean trade circle for the first time. In the following decades, the Ottomans continued to penetrate into this unfamiliar and vast sea, and finally launched a comprehensive challenge to their main rival, the Portuguese Empire. This competition to control the lifeline of Asia's maritime trade covered multiple dimensions of ideology, military and commerce. This book provides the first panoramic representation of this century-old battle for global hegemony. The war spread from the Mediterranean coast to the Strait of Malacca, and from the heart of Africa to the grasslands of Central Asia. Based on first-hand documents from Turkish and Portuguese archives, the author brings together historical materials from six continents written in six major languages. Through the legendary experiences of vivid groups such as sultans and prime ministers, spies and pirates, mercenaries and harem women, the author vividly demonstrates the global influence of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. This book subverts the traditional narrative dominated by the West and demonstrates that the Ottomans not only actively participated in the competition in the Age of Discovery, but also used maritime hegemony, imperial prestige and business wisdom to eventually establish an imperial order in the Indian Ocean that surpassed Portugal and became the ultimate winner of the global political game.