David Abulafia is a British historian with a particular interest in Italy, Spain, and the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. His works delve into the intricate interactions and discoveries of these pivotal eras. Abulafia explores the human history and cultural exchange that shaped the Mediterranean world. His writing offers a compelling look into the past.
This comprehensive reference work explores the entirety of Europe in the thirteenth century, covering both Eastern and Western regions. It delves into the political, social, and cultural dynamics of the time, providing an in-depth analysis of key events, figures, and developments that shaped the continent. Ideal for historians and enthusiasts alike, it serves as an essential resource for understanding the complexities of medieval Europe.
"For most of human history, the seas and oceans have been the main means of long-distance trade and communication between peoples - for the spread of ideas and religion as well as commerce. This book traces the history of human movement and interaction around and across the world's greatest bodies of water, charting our relationship with the oceans from the time of the first voyagers. David Abulafia begins with the earliest of seafaring societies - the Polynesians of the Pacific, the possessors of intuitive navigational skills long before the invention of the compass, who by the first century were trading between their far-flung islands. By the seventh century, trading routes stretched from the coasts of Arabia and Africa to southern China and Japan, bringing together the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific and linking half the world through the international spice trade. In the Atlantic, centuries before the little kingdom of Portugal carved out its powerful, seaborne empire, many peoples sought new lands across the sea - the Bretons, the Frisians and, most notably, the Vikings, now known to be the first Europeans to reach North America. As Portuguese supremacy dwindled in the late sixteenth century, the Spanish, the Dutch and then the British each successively ruled the waves. Following merchants, explorers, pirates, cartographers and travellers in their quests for spices, gold, ivory, slaves, lands for settlement and knowledge of what lay beyond, Abulafia has created an extraordinary narrative of humanity and the oceans. From the earliest forays of peoples in hand-hewn canoes through uncharted waters to the routes now taken daily by supertankers in their thousands, The Boundless Sea shows how maritime networks came to form a continuum of interaction and interconnection across the globe: 90 per cent of global trade is still conducted by sea."--Publisher
Frederick II (1194-1250) - King of Sicily, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Jerusalem, expert ornithologist, Wonder of the World, has long been considered the first Renaissance ruler. A visionary autocrat who embraced the religious divisions within his empire to challenge the armies and oppressive limitations of the medieval church, he has also been denounced as the Antichrist, a heretic and a heathen, who died condemned by the papacy to eternal damnation. "From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the first recorded encounters with the native inhabitants of the Canary
Islands in 1341 to Columbus' explorations in 1492 and Cabral's discovery of
Brazil in 1500, western Europeans struggled to make sense of the existence of
the people they met. This book explores the social lives of the inhabitants.
For over three thousand years, the Mediterranean Sea has been one of the great centres of civilization. David Abulafia's The Great Sea is the first complete history of the Mediterranean, from the erection of temples on Malta around 3500 BC to modern tourism. Ranging across time and the whole extraordinary space of the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Jaffa, Genoa to Tunis, and bringing to life pilgrims, pirates, sultans and naval commanders, this is the story of the sea that has shaped much of world history.
For over four thousand years the Mediterranean was the centre of Western
civilization. Geographically, it is a whole world in miniature, an inland sea
whose shores encompass every type of terrain and climate. Historically, it has
been the meeting-place of the cultures of Europe, Asia and Africa, the
battleground of races and nations and the focus of three great religions,
Christianity, Judaism and Islam. David Abulafia, doyen of Mediterranean
scholars, has brought together a team of leading specialists from many
countries to tell this enthralling and complex story as a connected narrative:
from the physical setting, the prehistoric traders and the struggle between
Phoenicians, Greeks and Etruscans ending in Roman victory, to the post-Roman
nations, the Christian and Islamic powers, domination by England and France,
and finally the twentieth century, divided between war and mass tourism. This
study covers all of recorded history, incorporating recent research and tools
ranging from linguistics to underwater archaeology, accompanied by spectacular
illustrations. Here is the only complete and up-to-date overview of one of the
great themes of world history.
Incorporating the latest developments in the study of the period, a team of leading international scholars provides a fresh and dynamic picture of a period of great transformation in the political, cultural, and economic life of the Italian peninsula, which witnessed the rise of autonomous city states in the north, the creation of a powerful kingdom in the south, and the development of the Italian language as a vehicle for literary expression.
Focusing on trade and commerce, this book provides an in-depth exploration of the medieval Spanish kingdom of Majorca. It delves into the economic activities that shaped the region, highlighting the unique practices and interactions that defined its commercial life. By examining historical records and artifacts, the author paints a vivid picture of Majorca's role in the broader Mediterranean trade networks, revealing the complexities and significance of its economic landscape during the medieval period.
Economic Relations Between the Norman Kingdom of Sicily and the Northern Communes
332 pages
12 hours of reading
The book explores the economic dynamics of twelfth-century Italy, focusing on the interconnected commercial interests of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily and the maritime ports of Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. Utilizing largely untapped archival sources, it details how northern Italian merchants sought to expand their influence in Sicily through agreements with Norman rulers and other powers. The text highlights Sicily's role as a key exporter of wheat and cotton, illustrating a division between an agrarian south and an industrializing north, driven by the exploitation of southern resources.
Die Geschichte des Mittelmeeres ist seit über 3000 Jahren ein zentrales Element unserer Zivilisation. An seiner geografischen Achse fanden bereits zur Zeit Trojas bedeutende politische und kulturelle Entwicklungen statt. Von hier aus wurden Reiche erobert, Grenzen verschoben und Weltanschauungen durchgesetzt, begleitet von Schrecken, Kriegen und Tragödien. Doch es gibt auch die andere, positive Seite: die Geschichte eines Dialogs zwischen verschiedenen Kulturen, Identitäten, Politiken, Wissenschaften, Handel und Religionen entlang der Küsten, die die Römer als Mare Nostrum bezeichneten. Abulafia spannt einen Bogen durch Raum und Zeit und zeigt, wie das Mittelmeer zu einem kraftvollen Ort wurde, an dem die Menschheitsgeschichte auf einzigartige Weise reflektiert wird. Dieses Werk ist nicht nur lehrreich, sondern auch packend und faszinierend, und es beeindruckt durch seine Gelehrtheit und Begeisterung. Kritiker heben hervor, dass es ein Meilenstein in der Geschichtsschreibung ist und für lange Zeit konkurrenzlos bleiben wird. Die Vielfalt von Abulafias Wissen ist bemerkenswert, und sein episches, gut lesbares Werk über die Wiege des Westens wird als herausragend angesehen.
