Papers by Dejanirah Couto
Visualisierung und Kultureller Transfer, 2010
Liée à la reconnaissance et l'exploration géographique des terres découvertes-processus auquel le... more Liée à la reconnaissance et l'exploration géographique des terres découvertes-processus auquel le Portugal et l'Espagne ont apporté une contribution capitale-la science nautique européenne a connu un essor incontestable dès la seconde moitié du XV e siècle. La nouvelle science nautique, qui se distinguait par l'emploi de nouveaux instruments et par la réalisation d'observations astronomiques à bord, traduisait une rupture dans les traditions du monde occidental : le passage de la navigation à l'estime des Méditerranéens, effectuée le long des côtes, à la navigation astronomique en haute mer. Cette révolution technique n'a pas impliqué per se l'apparition d'une nouvelle cartographie, mais elle a fini par induire la mutation de l'ancienne. Les cartes nautiques dites généralement portulans méditerranéens du XIII e au XV e siècles (la désignation étant incorrecte, le portulan désignant le recueil des instructions nautiques qui accompagnait la carte et non la carte elle-même) dessinées selon la méthode de ‹ direction et estime ›, fondées sur le calcul empirique des distances et l'emploi de boussoles, ont fait l'objet d'études approfondies.
The Jews of Goa, 2020
The Portuguese New Christians began fleeing to the Estado da
Índia (founded in 1505) before the c... more The Portuguese New Christians began fleeing to the Estado da
Índia (founded in 1505) before the creation of the Inquisition
Tribunal "Cum ad nihil magis" in Portugal on 23 May 1536. This
exodus was the first in a succession of emigration waves departing
for destinations in Western Europe and the Mediterranean in the
fifteenth century, during the period following the establishment
of the Spanish Inquisition (between 1478 and 1480), and its
ascendancy. It was to progress through the creation of fifteen
tribunals (between 1484 and 1493) towards the landmark Edict of
Expulsion of the Jews, on 31 March 1492.
Osmanlı Imparatorlugunda Cografya ve Kartografya/Geograpphy and Cartography in the Ottoman Empire, 2024
This chapter aims to discuss some Portuguese cartographic representations of the Eastern Medite... more This chapter aims to discuss some Portuguese cartographic representations of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ottoman Empire from the second half of the 15th century until the first decades of the 16th century, a period of cultural, scientific, and technological soaring for Mediterranean and Atlantic societies, generally known as the “era of portolan charts.” To achieve this objective, we must explain how the Portuguese came to map carto- graphically the Ottoman Empire during this transition period.
Therefore, while scrutinizing the possible links between Arabic-Islamic geography of the West of the Iberian Peninsula and the early modern Portuguese cartography, this chapter is divided into three sections: the first one examines the possible links between Arabic-Islamic geography of the Western Iberian peninsula and early modern cartography. It concludes on the importance of the Catalan/Majorcan cartographic school in the production of the first Portuguese nautical charts. Taking into account the Portuguese political presence and economic interests in the East Mediterranean, the second part analyzes the circumstances that enabled the Portuguese to map the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ottoman lands. The third part is dedicated to the early Portuguese nautical charts that sketched the Ottoman Empire, with emphasis on some outstanding cartographic examples: the nautical charts of Jorge de Aguiar (1492), Pedro Reinel (1510), and Francisco Rodrigues (1515); the “Cantino” planisphere (1502); the planisphere of Pedro Reinel (Kunstmann IV, 1519); and the Atlas Miller (1519).
La fabrique de l'océan Indien. Cartes d'Orient et d'Occident (Antiquité - 16e siècle), 2017
Pionnier européen d e la navigation hauturière et des
voyages transocéaniques au xve siècle, le P... more Pionnier européen d e la navigation hauturière et des
voyages transocéaniques au xve siècle, le Portugal a déve-
loppé, notamment aux xvr et xvie siècles, un genre littéraire
bien précis, celui des routiers nautiques (roteiros), souvent
assortis de cartes, d e tables astronomiques e t de croquis
géographiques portant sur la navigation atlantique, celle
d e l'océan Indien ou d e l a mer Rouge.
Vasco da Gama and the linking of Europe and Asia, 2001
The study of contacts between the Portuguese and Asian cultures during the sixteenth century rais... more The study of contacts between the Portuguese and Asian cultures during the sixteenth century raises several issues, including that of their relations with Islam.Taking into account the main lines of the Asian policy of the Portuguese during the sixteenth century,one will no doubt agree with the widely-held opinion that as a consequence of the Reconquest of the Peninsula, the Portuguese crystallized their anti-Islamic prejudices which they constantly brought to bear upon the descendants of the Mouros of old, in the Indian Ocean. However, this view should be qualified. The relationships of the Portuguese with Islam were often peaceful, and sometimes ended in partial or complete integration of Portuguese in a broad range of Muslim societies.
Die Sprachen der Frühen Neuzeit. Europäische und Globale Perspectiven, 2024
It is commonplace to say that languages are at the heart of diplomatic exchanges, and
several st... more It is commonplace to say that languages are at the heart of diplomatic exchanges, and
several studies have analysed the role played by linguistic diversity during diplomatic
negotiations and audiences.Mastering a common language can encourage negotiation
and contribute to its success, while unmediated linguistic plurality during negotia-
tions opens the door to confusion, manipulation and misunderstanding, ultimately
contributing to their failure.
Linguistic interactions between European and other political entities have been
analysed rather extensively. Several studies have researched the linguistic diplomatic
cultures of Byzantium and the medieval Mediterranean in relation with the Islamic
World. Focusing on cultural and political relations between European powers and the
Ottoman Empire, Venice and the Safavids, or the Portuguese and the Mughals, the
literature on early modern diplomacy has also touched on the language issue.
Ports of the Ancient Indian Ocean, 2016
In retracing the history of the port of Bassein under portuguese rule (1534-1739), this essay aim... more In retracing the history of the port of Bassein under portuguese rule (1534-1739), this essay aims to draw attention to the need of launching archaeological work in one of the most important possessions of the Estado da India, which played a key role in the economic life of the western Indian Ocean in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and was a no less significant issue in the political games between the colonial and Maratha powers in the eighteenth century. admittedly, some urban centres and coastal fortifications of the Indian Ocean have already been excavated 1 and the results of archaeological campaigns published. Yet cities and ports which have experienced a long period of portuguese rule in the Indian Ocean have never been excavated, 2 which was not without effect on the historiographical production. In fact, publications, both in portugal and elsewhere, are largely based on textual or sometimes epigraphic data: the archaeology of the portuguese possessions or Luso-asian has not yet emerged. a glance at a map of India-which assesses the geographical location of Bassein-helps to understand why the portuguese had such a strong interest in it. Belonging to the modern state of Maharashtra, the urban centre, currently a 'ghost town' , is located on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, on the Konkan coast, specifically on one of 25 islands of the Mumbai archipelago, between Bassein/Vasai and Khanderi, about 70 km. north of Mumbai. Unlike other ports of Gujarat, Bassein, founded on the north shore of the Ulhoa (or Bahayandar), a river with deep water on a peninsula south of
Sigila. Revue transdisciplinaire sur le secret, nº13, 2004
Parler du secret - élément constitutif de l'autonomie du sujet, droit capital de l'individu - à p... more Parler du secret - élément constitutif de l'autonomie du sujet, droit capital de l'individu - à propos d'une société asiatique qui a vécu cinq siècles sous domination coloniale, revient à envisager sa fonction à la fois comme forme de contre-pouvoir et de domination symbolique, mais aussi comme forme de résistance et instrument de (re)construction identitaire. Le secret, traditionnellement associé à l'intime, touche ici, au-delà de sa dimension d'ordre éthique, une dimension politique.
Üç Denizin Arasında.Osmanlı ve Fransız Bogaz Haritaları/Entre trois mers.Cartographie ottomane et française des Dardanelles et du Bosphore, 2016
Portugal e a Europa nos séculos XV e XVI. Olhares, relações, identidade (s), 2019
This article aims to question the representation of the Mediterranean border: the southern bounda... more This article aims to question the representation of the Mediterranean border: the southern boundary of Europe and the breaking line between Christianity and Islam (especially after the conquest of Constatntinole by Mehmet II Fatih in 1453),or porous zone of influence of this same Europe? In order to try to answer these questions we will look at the mapping of the Levantine island world evoked by the Book of Heralds (De ministerium armorum) (about 1453?), which, in addtion to describing some regions of Europe, devotes extensive information to the ancient Byzantine world, Cyprus, Rgodes nd teh Aegean islands.The information contained in this text will be interpreted in a context of multiple dimensions: that of early Portuguese concern with Mediterranean policy - see King Afonso V's attempt of reaction to the fall of Constantinople - that of the weight of Italian trading communities in the Portuguese economy with the consequent increase in economic activities in the Mediterranean, and the presence of the Portuguese in the Order of St.John of Jerusalm (Rhodes) with their participation in the Levantine Corsican and the struggle against the maritime power of the Mamluk and the Ottomans.
Journal Asiatique nº299.2, 2011
Le triomphe de Châh Ismâ‘îl, le chef du mouvement kızılbas, sur la principauté timouride et les d... more Le triomphe de Châh Ismâ‘îl, le chef du mouvement kızılbas, sur la principauté timouride et les dynasties turkmènes d’Iran, puis l’instauration progressive du piétisme duodécimain1, ont beaucoup frappé les imaginations en Europe. À l’image de l’historiographie safavide, celle des États occidentaux a produit un grand nombre de légendes, qui ont plus ou moins déformé les événements et le souvenir de son règne. Il n’était pas facile en effet de saisir le statut très particulier du Châh. Selon ses adeptes, Ismâ‘îl était envoyé par Dieu pour les avertir que « seule la secte souffique » les conduirait au Paradis, au prix de la destruction de toutes les autres. Vénéré comme l’hypostase d’Ali divinisé, le souverain était investi de la puissance divine, tenu pour Saint et communi-quant avec l’autre monde par la dévotion kızılbas.
Piri Reis University: Interntional Symposium on the Eastern Mediterranean Maritime History (Proceedings), 2021
Thinking - in historiographical terms - in the early modern maritime history of the Mediterranean... more Thinking - in historiographical terms - in the early modern maritime history of the Mediterranean and in that of the Ottoman Mediterranean (or in its sphere of influence) several studies come to mind, penned by Fernand Braudel, Colin Imber, Colin Heyhood or Daniel Panzac to name only benchmark pioneering works. Subsequently, other relevant contributions appeared, namely the ones of Nicolas Vatin and Gilles Veinstein, Emrah Safah Gürkan, Tobias Graf, Anne Brogini, Daniel Herzenshon, Wolfgang Kaiser,Tuncay Zorlu,Rhoads Murphy, Férenc Toth, Guillaume Calafat, Emilio Sola, Hayri Gökşin Özkoray, İdris Bostan, Bruno Cianci, Nöel Malcom, Joshua White, etc. Edited by Dejanirah Couto, Feza Günergun and Maria Pia Pedani, the proceedings (57 articles) of the 1st IAMS Congress held in Istanbul in 2013 were published by Pîrî Reis University in 2014 (Seapower, Technology and Trade. Studies in Ottoman Maritime History). It allowed to sweep a number of case-studies in the fields of political, socioeconomic and technological history related to maritime history, as well as to nautical archeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Annales de l'histoire de l'Indianocéanie, nº2, 2020
Au début du XVIe siècle, les premières expéditions portugaises dans le sud-
ouest de l’océan Indi... more Au début du XVIe siècle, les premières expéditions portugaises dans le sud-
ouest de l’océan Indien, notamment autour de Madagascar, furent liées à la mise en route progressive de la Carreira da India, la ligne de navigation qui relia le Portugal aux Indes, et à la construction politique de l’Estado da India. Celles-ci ont permis une reconnaissance progressive de ce quadrant maritime et des côtes de Madagascar,connues des auteurs arabes, et par le truchement de Marco Polo, de l’Europe chrétienne. Elle n’était pas non plus inconnue des Portugais, car elle figure déjà dans la mappemonde de Fra Mauro commandée en 1459 par D. Afonso V. Quant au voyage de Marco Polo, même si la première édition portugaise de son texte date de 1502, nous savons que la bibliothèque du roi D. Duarte (1433-1438) en possédait un exemplaire. Madagascar et les Mascareignes figurent déjà sur la carte dite « Cantino » (1502).
Diogo do Couto.História e intervenção política de um escritor polémico., 2019
Entre 1530 e 1570 os Otomanos acolheram no Cairo e em Istambul
várias embaixadas provenientes do ... more Entre 1530 e 1570 os Otomanos acolheram no Cairo e em Istambul
várias embaixadas provenientes do subcontinente indiano, devidamente
assinaladas nas fontes portuguesas e árabes. Em 1532 verificou-se o
envio de uma delegação do sultão muzafárida Bahādur Shāh do Gujarate ao Cairo; em 1536/1537, o mesmo Gujarate enviou nova embaixada,
possivelmente partilhada com Bījāpūr e Calicute. Em 1538, depois da
morte de Bahadur Shāh em 1537, provavelmente às mãos dos portugue-
ses, Maḥmud III do Gujarate enviou por sua vez uma representação,
conduzida por um sobrinho do rūmī Ḫwāǧa Ṣafar Salmān. Como quer
que seja, o Gujarate tornou a enviar delegações em 15404 e em 1546
(esta última conduzida pessoalmente por Ḫwāǧa Ṣafar). Calicute teria
enviado uma outra representação no mesmo ano. Chegada ao Cairo em 2
de Julho de 1555, uma nova delegação do Gujarate encabeçada por um
rūmī, kötwāl de Surate, foi imediatamente assinalada por um agente de
D.João III nesta cidade.
Migrations de langues et d'idées en Asie. Actes de colloque, 2015
Les transferts culturels en Asie à l’âge moderne, notamment dans les
premières décennies du XVIe ... more Les transferts culturels en Asie à l’âge moderne, notamment dans les
premières décennies du XVIe siècle, ne s’inscrivent pas nécessairement dans des processus de longue durée. Liés à l’action d’individus qui ont évolué en marge d’un cadre institutionnel religieux, social ou politique établi, et dont les carrières tranchèrent par rapport à celles des « passeurs » cultu-
rels installés dans une continuité rassurante, ils ont assumé un caractère
éphémère. Plus précisément, ces transferts-là ont été l’œuvre de go-between,
passeurs de frontières géographiques et culturelles, aventuriers cosmopoli-
tes et renégats, dont beaucoup furent simultanément interprètes, négocia-
teurs, informateurs et secrétaires privés.
Contrabandista entre mundos fronterizos.Hommage au Professeur Hugues Didier, 2010
Ainda que indispensável à elaboração de uma história social dos
Portugueses n a Ásia, privilegian... more Ainda que indispensável à elaboração de uma história social dos
Portugueses n a Ásia, privilegiando o estudo dos contactos e das interacções com as sociedades asiáticas, longe de perspectivas etnocêntricas, a questão da colaboração com os Portugueses continua muito pouco estudada e pouco interesse tem suscitado por parte da moderna pesquisa, quer em Portugal, quer noutros países.' Neste contexto, as notas que se seguem têm apenas como objectivo explorar pistas de investigação, e chamar a atenção sobre aspectos relevantes que merecem um aprofundamento ulterior. Uma parte dos colaboradores dos Portugueses, que contribuíram largamente, através do seu apoio, para a consolidação do Império Português asiático, recrutava-se entre os membros das sociedades « espontâneas » autóctones ; eram portanto « marginais » no sentido clássico do termo.
Anotações e Estudos sobre Don García de Silva y Figueroa e os "Comentarios" da embaixada à Pérsia (1614-1624), 2011
Of all ports along the coast of Oman, described by Duarte Barbosa as the "Kingdom of Hormuz in Ar... more Of all ports along the coast of Oman, described by Duarte Barbosa as the "Kingdom of Hormuz in Arabia" (Reino de Ormuz na Arábia), Muscat, situated 23º 40', was certainly in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries one of the most important. Although it was surrounded by desert territory and separated from it by sharp peaks descending almost to the harbour itself, the town was situated in a sheltered area, in a deep bay protected by a very narrow entrance. Not only was it exceptionally well protected from the winds, but the depth of the harbour allowed the anchoring of ships of large tonnage as well. On the other hand, the existence of an islet located at the entrance of the bay concealed it from ships sailing by along the coast; for this reason the Greek-Roman sources considered it a "hidden port".
1516. The Year that changed the Middle East, 2021
This article examines the Mamluk–Ottoman conflict from the
perspective of the rivalry between the... more This article examines the Mamluk–Ottoman conflict from the
perspective of the rivalry between the Mamluks and the Portuguese
for control of the Eastern Mediterranean prior to the Ottoman
conquest of Egypt. In the course of an intricate and multifaceted process,
Portuguese military pressure on the Mamluks eventually completed the
isolation of the sultanate and its dependence on the Porte, thus paving the
way for the Ottoman military advance, and, as an ultimate consequence,
for their victory over Egypt in 1517. This process of progressive Mamluk
subordination of the Ottomans was carefully recorded by the chancelleries
and economic circles of Western Europe with greater attention given
to the situation according to the geographic distance and political and
economic interests that linked the commentators to the conflict zones.
Although geographically distant from the eastern Mediterranean theater
of operations, Portugal, which was heavily invested in its disputes with
the Mamluks, released a number of testimonies on the Mamluk–Ottoman
conflict.
Proceedings of the Third International Eurasian Maritime History Congress. On History of Shipbuilding, 2022
Among the 16th century Iberian treatises of naval architecture, the “Book of How to Build Oceango... more Among the 16th century Iberian treatises of naval architecture, the “Book of How to Build Oceangoing Ships” (Livro da Fabrica das Naos) written by Fernando Oliveira between 1570 and 1580, offers exceptional insights into aspects of Portuguese shipbuilding in the 16th century. This theoretical work made up of a prologue and nine chapters, “sets the moment when naval construction left the empiric universe of the shipbuilders (….) and began to suffer a process of scientific accreditation that passed through the theorization of ship forms and the mathematization of ship structure”; likewise, it is also very significant because of the multifaceted abilities of its author. Fernando Oliveira was truly a Renaissance man, an experienced cartographer and pilot, who wrote extensively on warfare (see the manuscript of his Arte da Guerra no Mar) and naval construction. But he was also an Humanist, a grammarian and an historian, who served occasionally in England as an ambassador of the Portuguese King John III.
After briefly sketching his biography, we will examine some of the most relevant chapters of the Livro da Fabrica das Naos (which appears to be the continuation of Oliveira’s Ars Nautica, 1570), related to wooden shipbuilding. New regulations and methods, based on geometry and mathematics, had to be developed in order to improve and facilitate the construction of new ships. Therefore, of special interest are chapters two and three, devoted to timber suitable for the building of ships and how they shall be used in different parts of the ship, and chapter nine, where materials required for shipbuilding (especially nailing) are scrutinized. However, the most significant portion of the Livro is in chapter 8, “On the Construction and Measurement of Carrier Ships”. The author presents the theoretical model for ship design, a nau de 18 rumos, conceived from a set of measurements proportionally related, determined by the keel length. Among other aspects, the method of laying the keel of a ship will be examined in the present article.
Revue Historique de l'Océan Indien, Routes, flux et réseaux en Indianocéanie du VIIIe siècle à nos jours, nº15. , 2018
Exécuté clandestinement au Portugal en 1502 à la demande d’Alberto Cantino, l’agent du duc Ércole... more Exécuté clandestinement au Portugal en 1502 à la demande d’Alberto Cantino, l’agent du duc Ércole Ier d’Este (1431-1505), fils de Nicola III d’Este, marquis de Ferrare, de Modène et de Reggio, le célèbre « Cantino », le premier planisphère européen qui abandonne les conceptions ptolémaïques dans la représentation générale de l’océan Indien occidental, accorde une large place à la vie économique de celui-ci, signalant, par des légendes déictiques, les ressources naturelles de chaque région mais aussi se empo-ria et ses marchés les plus important. Une telle logique de représentation sous-entend une sensibilité européenne précoce à l’existence de la globalité des échanges et à l’existence des grands réseaux marchands inscrits dans la longue durée, qui structurèrent la vie économique, politique et culturelle de l’océan Indien depuis l’Antiquité.
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Papers by Dejanirah Couto
Índia (founded in 1505) before the creation of the Inquisition
Tribunal "Cum ad nihil magis" in Portugal on 23 May 1536. This
exodus was the first in a succession of emigration waves departing
for destinations in Western Europe and the Mediterranean in the
fifteenth century, during the period following the establishment
of the Spanish Inquisition (between 1478 and 1480), and its
ascendancy. It was to progress through the creation of fifteen
tribunals (between 1484 and 1493) towards the landmark Edict of
Expulsion of the Jews, on 31 March 1492.
Therefore, while scrutinizing the possible links between Arabic-Islamic geography of the West of the Iberian Peninsula and the early modern Portuguese cartography, this chapter is divided into three sections: the first one examines the possible links between Arabic-Islamic geography of the Western Iberian peninsula and early modern cartography. It concludes on the importance of the Catalan/Majorcan cartographic school in the production of the first Portuguese nautical charts. Taking into account the Portuguese political presence and economic interests in the East Mediterranean, the second part analyzes the circumstances that enabled the Portuguese to map the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ottoman lands. The third part is dedicated to the early Portuguese nautical charts that sketched the Ottoman Empire, with emphasis on some outstanding cartographic examples: the nautical charts of Jorge de Aguiar (1492), Pedro Reinel (1510), and Francisco Rodrigues (1515); the “Cantino” planisphere (1502); the planisphere of Pedro Reinel (Kunstmann IV, 1519); and the Atlas Miller (1519).
voyages transocéaniques au xve siècle, le Portugal a déve-
loppé, notamment aux xvr et xvie siècles, un genre littéraire
bien précis, celui des routiers nautiques (roteiros), souvent
assortis de cartes, d e tables astronomiques e t de croquis
géographiques portant sur la navigation atlantique, celle
d e l'océan Indien ou d e l a mer Rouge.
several studies have analysed the role played by linguistic diversity during diplomatic
negotiations and audiences.Mastering a common language can encourage negotiation
and contribute to its success, while unmediated linguistic plurality during negotia-
tions opens the door to confusion, manipulation and misunderstanding, ultimately
contributing to their failure.
Linguistic interactions between European and other political entities have been
analysed rather extensively. Several studies have researched the linguistic diplomatic
cultures of Byzantium and the medieval Mediterranean in relation with the Islamic
World. Focusing on cultural and political relations between European powers and the
Ottoman Empire, Venice and the Safavids, or the Portuguese and the Mughals, the
literature on early modern diplomacy has also touched on the language issue.
ouest de l’océan Indien, notamment autour de Madagascar, furent liées à la mise en route progressive de la Carreira da India, la ligne de navigation qui relia le Portugal aux Indes, et à la construction politique de l’Estado da India. Celles-ci ont permis une reconnaissance progressive de ce quadrant maritime et des côtes de Madagascar,connues des auteurs arabes, et par le truchement de Marco Polo, de l’Europe chrétienne. Elle n’était pas non plus inconnue des Portugais, car elle figure déjà dans la mappemonde de Fra Mauro commandée en 1459 par D. Afonso V. Quant au voyage de Marco Polo, même si la première édition portugaise de son texte date de 1502, nous savons que la bibliothèque du roi D. Duarte (1433-1438) en possédait un exemplaire. Madagascar et les Mascareignes figurent déjà sur la carte dite « Cantino » (1502).
várias embaixadas provenientes do subcontinente indiano, devidamente
assinaladas nas fontes portuguesas e árabes. Em 1532 verificou-se o
envio de uma delegação do sultão muzafárida Bahādur Shāh do Gujarate ao Cairo; em 1536/1537, o mesmo Gujarate enviou nova embaixada,
possivelmente partilhada com Bījāpūr e Calicute. Em 1538, depois da
morte de Bahadur Shāh em 1537, provavelmente às mãos dos portugue-
ses, Maḥmud III do Gujarate enviou por sua vez uma representação,
conduzida por um sobrinho do rūmī Ḫwāǧa Ṣafar Salmān. Como quer
que seja, o Gujarate tornou a enviar delegações em 15404 e em 1546
(esta última conduzida pessoalmente por Ḫwāǧa Ṣafar). Calicute teria
enviado uma outra representação no mesmo ano. Chegada ao Cairo em 2
de Julho de 1555, uma nova delegação do Gujarate encabeçada por um
rūmī, kötwāl de Surate, foi imediatamente assinalada por um agente de
D.João III nesta cidade.
premières décennies du XVIe siècle, ne s’inscrivent pas nécessairement dans des processus de longue durée. Liés à l’action d’individus qui ont évolué en marge d’un cadre institutionnel religieux, social ou politique établi, et dont les carrières tranchèrent par rapport à celles des « passeurs » cultu-
rels installés dans une continuité rassurante, ils ont assumé un caractère
éphémère. Plus précisément, ces transferts-là ont été l’œuvre de go-between,
passeurs de frontières géographiques et culturelles, aventuriers cosmopoli-
tes et renégats, dont beaucoup furent simultanément interprètes, négocia-
teurs, informateurs et secrétaires privés.
Portugueses n a Ásia, privilegiando o estudo dos contactos e das interacções com as sociedades asiáticas, longe de perspectivas etnocêntricas, a questão da colaboração com os Portugueses continua muito pouco estudada e pouco interesse tem suscitado por parte da moderna pesquisa, quer em Portugal, quer noutros países.' Neste contexto, as notas que se seguem têm apenas como objectivo explorar pistas de investigação, e chamar a atenção sobre aspectos relevantes que merecem um aprofundamento ulterior. Uma parte dos colaboradores dos Portugueses, que contribuíram largamente, através do seu apoio, para a consolidação do Império Português asiático, recrutava-se entre os membros das sociedades « espontâneas » autóctones ; eram portanto « marginais » no sentido clássico do termo.
perspective of the rivalry between the Mamluks and the Portuguese
for control of the Eastern Mediterranean prior to the Ottoman
conquest of Egypt. In the course of an intricate and multifaceted process,
Portuguese military pressure on the Mamluks eventually completed the
isolation of the sultanate and its dependence on the Porte, thus paving the
way for the Ottoman military advance, and, as an ultimate consequence,
for their victory over Egypt in 1517. This process of progressive Mamluk
subordination of the Ottomans was carefully recorded by the chancelleries
and economic circles of Western Europe with greater attention given
to the situation according to the geographic distance and political and
economic interests that linked the commentators to the conflict zones.
Although geographically distant from the eastern Mediterranean theater
of operations, Portugal, which was heavily invested in its disputes with
the Mamluks, released a number of testimonies on the Mamluk–Ottoman
conflict.
After briefly sketching his biography, we will examine some of the most relevant chapters of the Livro da Fabrica das Naos (which appears to be the continuation of Oliveira’s Ars Nautica, 1570), related to wooden shipbuilding. New regulations and methods, based on geometry and mathematics, had to be developed in order to improve and facilitate the construction of new ships. Therefore, of special interest are chapters two and three, devoted to timber suitable for the building of ships and how they shall be used in different parts of the ship, and chapter nine, where materials required for shipbuilding (especially nailing) are scrutinized. However, the most significant portion of the Livro is in chapter 8, “On the Construction and Measurement of Carrier Ships”. The author presents the theoretical model for ship design, a nau de 18 rumos, conceived from a set of measurements proportionally related, determined by the keel length. Among other aspects, the method of laying the keel of a ship will be examined in the present article.