Vasele otomane Karamürsel în secolele XVI-XVII. O istorie mediteraneană

Beyond Ottoman History: The Caramoussals and the Early Modern Mediterranean

Abstract

This paper is a plea to study Ottoman vessels called karamürsel. Its aim is to emphasize the topic as being relevant not only to Ottoman maritime history, but also to the history of the early modern Mediterranean. In support of his thesis, the author provides various sources revealing the acquisition and capture of these ships by Western Christians in order to reuse them. This explains the presence of karamürsel vessels both on the sea routes linking Western Europe to the Ottoman Empire, and on the domestic routes of some of the Mediterranean maritime powers, such as Venice.