![]() In public spaces like the Atmeydanı, in the remnants of the old hippodrome and what is now the site of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, or in other vast fields like the Okmeydanı, at least two temporary citadels made of wood, plaster, leather and/or cardboard would be erected, one representing the Ottomans, and the other either their European or eastern foes. Image of wrestlers from the 1582 festivities available via Pinterest Apart from the actual mock battles, these entertainments would include wrestling contests, equestrian sports, shows of dangerous acrobatics and tournaments using maces, archery and swordsmanship to delight and teach both native and foreign audiences of the power of the Ottomans. These mock battles were usually part of civic entertainment in celebrations attached to the Ottoman court, like preceding or following the return of a successful war campaign, or to celebrate the weddings or circumcision festivals of Ottoman royals. Image of a mock battle from the 1582 festivities available via TarihtenincilerĪpart from comedies that could be found in the streets on an everyday basis or in special festivities, another important form of early modern Ottoman dramatic entertainment was that of mock battles. In this follow-up blog, I will refer to the presence of foreign performers and Jewish comedians and to other genres, namely mock battles and ballet pantomime, which hopefully will give a full picture of the cosmopolitan exchange and interpretation of various dramatic forms in the early modern Ottoman Empire. In my previous blog, I introduced some of the types of groups of performers and the content matter of early modern Ottoman dramatic entertainments. ![]() It was a clash between two great civilizations fighting for supremacy in the world and for control of Europe: the Ottoman Empire and the Christian states of Europe.This is the second part of a blog post on early modern dramatic entertainments in the Ottoman empire, you can read the first part here. It was the last and largest great battle involving galleys - oared vessels that rammed and boarded enemy vessels - and also the first great naval conflict that effectively used cannons. The Battle of Lepanto is one of the great iconic military clashes of history, ranked with Waterloo, Hastings, Somme and the Battle of Britain. It would take repeated efforts by various European coalitions to prevent a complete Ottoman takeover of the continent, and one of the most important battles among those efforts took place in 1571. In the wake of taking Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would spend the next few centuries expanding its size, power, and influence, bumping up against Eastern Europe and becoming one of the world’s most important geopolitical players. Naturally, the Ottoman Empire would also use Constantinople as the capital of its empire after their conquest effectively ended the Byzantine Empire, and thanks to its strategic location, it has been a trading center for years and remains one today under the Turkish name of Istanbul. Constantinople would continue to serve as the capital of the Byzantine Empire even after the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the 4th century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity’s greatest empire. In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |