history

Thomas Dallam 7: A Concert for the Sultan

1 Constantinople Human Circus.jpg

Thomas Dallam's travels conclude, or at least the part of them that I'll be covering here. There will be comedic chaos on the trip up the Hellespont, awkward interactions with the local ambassador, one incredibly stressful musical performance, and the unwelcome rewards of a job well done. Hope you enjoy it!

(MP3)

If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.

Sources for Dallam series:

  • Early Voyages and Travels in the Levant, edited by J. Theodore Bent. Hakluyt Society, 1893.

  • Andrews, Kenneth. Trade, Plunder, and Settlement. Cambridge University Press, 1984.

  • Brotton, Jerry. The Sultan and the Queen. Viking, 2016.

  • Dallam, Thomas. The Sultan's Organ: London to Constantinople in 1599 and Adventures on the Way, translated by John Mole. Fortune, 2012.

  • Finkel, Caroline. Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire. Basic Books, 2007.

  • Jardine, Lisa. “Gloriana Rules the Waves: or, the Advantage of Being Excommunicated (and a Woman).” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society No. 14 (2004): 209–22.

  • Jenkinson, Anthony, et al. Early Voyages and Travels to Russia and Persia. Hakluyt Society, 1886.

  • Maclean, Gerald. The Rise of Oriental Travel: English Visitors to the Ottoman Empire, 1580-1720. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

  • Mayes, Stanley. An Organ for the Sultan. Putnam, 1956.

  • Pedani, Maria Pia. "Safiye's household and Venetian diplomacy." Turcica, no. 32 (2000): pp. 9–32.

  • Sanderson, John. The Travels of John Sanderson in the Levant 1584-1602, edited by Sir William Foster. Hakluyt Society, 1931.

  • Somerset, Anne. Elizabeth I. Anchor, 2010.

  • Vlami, Despina. Trading with the Ottomans: The Levant Company in the Middle East. I.B.Tauris, 2015.

  • Willan, Thomas Stuart. Studies in Elizabethan Foreign Trade. Manchester University Press, 1959.

  • Wood, Alfred C. A History of the Levant Company. Frank Cass & Co. Ltd, 2006.


The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 3: Timur the Conqueror

Timur.jpg

Episode 3 is here, and it follows Johann Schiltberger on his merry way, after the Battle of Angora and into the life of Timur, the limitlessly violent Turko-Mongol conqueror. There will be pyramids of heads, flaming camels, and elephants, poisoned-scimitar wielding elephants. Timur's story is actually fascinating in itself, and we'll also look at his imperial home, Samarkand, by way of a somewhat food obsessed Castilian knight. Enjoy!

(MP3)

If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here.