This entry offers an overview of Europe’s image of the Turks during the Renaissance. Various interactions, from military conflict to peaceful contact, engendered numerous writings about the Turks. After the Fall of Constantinople (1453), Europeans predominantly called for a crusade until a balance of power was established. Interest in Oriental characters and motifs grew from the seventeenth century onwards. Europeans held diverse views with regard to the Turks, the most influential of which were developed by Erasmus (pacifism), Luther (call for a crusade), and Machiavelli (political analysis of the Ottoman Empire). The entry indicates some geographical trends regarding these currents and touches on some ongoing debates between scholars.
Turks, Renaissance Image of
Verbaere, Lies
2019-01-01
Abstract
This entry offers an overview of Europe’s image of the Turks during the Renaissance. Various interactions, from military conflict to peaceful contact, engendered numerous writings about the Turks. After the Fall of Constantinople (1453), Europeans predominantly called for a crusade until a balance of power was established. Interest in Oriental characters and motifs grew from the seventeenth century onwards. Europeans held diverse views with regard to the Turks, the most influential of which were developed by Erasmus (pacifism), Luther (call for a crusade), and Machiavelli (political analysis of the Ottoman Empire). The entry indicates some geographical trends regarding these currents and touches on some ongoing debates between scholars.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
