93614 - History of the Byzantine and Ottoman Mediterranean

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide basic knowledge on the settlement, demography, economy, society, and phenomena of religious interaction and multiculturalism characteristic of the Aegean space between the 13th and 19th centuries. In particular, the course delves into the dynamics that the processes of ethnic and religious coexistence had in the Greek, Latin, Turkish, and Armenian communities living in the Byzantine and Ottoman empires from the Fourth Crusade until the era of the tanzimat (modernisation reforms of the Ottoman Empire). At the end of the course the student is able to know the peculiar model of social organisation provided by the Byzantine and Ottoman world in comparison to the experiences of contemporary Western societies, as well as understand the relevance of the Byzantine and Ottoman legacy to the cultural heritage of Balkan and Mediterranean Europe.

Course contents

The course is divided into two modules: 1) general (Salvatore Cosentino); 2) monographic (Paolo Ognibene).

Module I (30 hours, 1st semester, 1st): This module aims to provide students with basic knowledge regarding the Mediterranean projection of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, two monarchies marked by profound differences — the former politically Christian and the latter Muslim — as well as significant similarities and continuities. In both cases, the Mediterranean and its islands played a crucial role as cultural, social, and economic spaces. Special attention will be given to the following themes: 1) the Byzantine Empire in the Palaeologan era (13th-15th centuries); 2) the birth and expansion of the Ottoman Empire (14th-16th centuries); 3) the Mediterranean among Byzantines, Venetians, Franks, and Ottomans (13th-17th centuries); 4) political thought and the organization of the Ottoman state; 5) religion, ethnicity, and multiculturalism in the Ottoman world (16th-18th centuries); 6) the Tanzimat era and the rise of nationalism (19th century); 7) the end of the sultanate and the creation of a new Balkan Europe (20th century).

Module II (30 hours, 1st semester, second period). Monographic section dedicated to Ottoman-Russian relations in the Balkans, the Black Sea region, and the Caucasus. The Eastern Question: diplomacy and wars.

Readings/Bibliography

Required reading, I module:

― Georg Ostrogorsky, Storia dell’impero bizantino, it. transl. Torino 1968 (o edizioni successive), pp. 386-503.

― Suraiya Faroqui, L’impero ottomano, it. transl. Bologna 2008.

― Giorgio Del Zanna, La fine dell’impero ottomano, Bologna 2012.

 

Required reading, II module

― M. Şükrü Hanioğlu, Breve storia del tardo Impero ottomano, Palermo 2024.

― Sean McMeekin, Il crollo dell’Impero ottomano. Torino 2017.

― David Nicolle, L’esercito ottomano nella prima guerra mondiale, Gorizia 2023.

Teaching methods

The course will be conducted in Italian.

The first module is structured as a series of lectures, during which the instructor will present the key developments of the Byzantine and Ottoman Eastern Mediterranean from the 13th to the 20th century, using PowerPoint presentations to support the discussion with visual materials. The second module will follow a seminar format. In this part of the course, the instructor will encourage students to actively engage in the analysis of the subject matter, with particular attention to historical vocabulary, key concepts, and the types of sources used in historical analysis.

P.S. Foreign students wishing to follow the course are required to have a knowledge of Italian of at least level B 2.

Assessment methods

The passing of the exam requires an oral test. It consists of an assessment of the notions relating to both parts of the course and a discussion of their contents. The final grade for passing the exam is determined by the following scores: 15/30 for the introductory part; 15/30 for the monographic part.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities

In case of disabilities or temporary/permanent impairments, students are advised to contact the responsible University Office in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). It will be the Office's responsibility to propose any necessary accommodations to interested students, which must be submitted for approval by the instructor at least 15 days prior. The instructor will assess the appropriateness of these accommodations in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

―Translations of sources

― Power-point presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Salvatore Cosentino

See the website of Paolo Ognibene