Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Author: Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-05-16

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0857735411

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Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. From Cairo, where they controlled the medieval spice trade and the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Mamluk Sultans - conscious of their humble slave origins - augmented their claims to legitimacy through brilliant displays of diplomatic gift-giving, creating a celebrated reputation for the Sultanate from Europe to the Far East. From spices, ceremonial textiles and military objects to elephants and giraffes, and even humans - either living or as severed heads - the offerings varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Through an unparalleled study of primary sources and rigorous fieldwork, this original book - richly illustrated in colour - explores the unpredictable and nuanced art of the regal gift in the Mamluk Sultanate from 1250-1517. Doris Behrens-Abouseif not only provides the first study of this subject, but makes an important contribution to the study of diplomacy, economics, visual arts and material culture in the medieval period.


Book Synopsis Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate by : Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Download or read book Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate written by Doris Behrens-Abouseif and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. From Cairo, where they controlled the medieval spice trade and the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Mamluk Sultans - conscious of their humble slave origins - augmented their claims to legitimacy through brilliant displays of diplomatic gift-giving, creating a celebrated reputation for the Sultanate from Europe to the Far East. From spices, ceremonial textiles and military objects to elephants and giraffes, and even humans - either living or as severed heads - the offerings varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Through an unparalleled study of primary sources and rigorous fieldwork, this original book - richly illustrated in colour - explores the unpredictable and nuanced art of the regal gift in the Mamluk Sultanate from 1250-1517. Doris Behrens-Abouseif not only provides the first study of this subject, but makes an important contribution to the study of diplomacy, economics, visual arts and material culture in the medieval period.


Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Author: Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780755694815

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Book Synopsis Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate by : Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Download or read book Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate written by Doris Behrens-Abouseif and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate

Author: Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-05-16

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 085772424X

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Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. In firm control of the medieval spice trade as well as the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Sultanate's capital at Cairo became a diplomatic crossroads in the medieval world and the seat of a new Islamic caliphate. Already victorious over both the Crusaders and the Mongols, their military success and lavish religious patronage were not enough to ensure the dynasty's prestige: the Mamluk Sultans were often reminded of their slave origins, impugned by rivals as 'pagans' recruited to faith and service by purchase. In response, the sultans staged brilliant performances in Cairo and dispatched carefully designed diplomatic gifts all over the medieval world. These marvellous displays were the crowning ornament of Mamluk legitimacy, celebrated from Europe to the Far East. Drawing on extensive primary sources and fieldwork in museums across the world, Doris Behrens-Abouseif is the first to treat this important subject in depth and here reveals an unexplored aspect of Middle Eastern material culture. Composed of spectacular elements such as spices, exotic animals, Chinese porcelain, ceremonial textiles and military and equestrian objects - not to mention humans, either living or as severed heads - the regal offering varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Acknowledging the established historical precedents of diplomacy and regal gift-giving, the author examines the nuance of cultural and political realities in period diplomacy as well as the transmission of encrypted messages, illuminating the subtle conveyance of self-representation and identity in medieval Cairo and the world beyond. With ground-breaking new research, this book - richly illustrated in colour - provides a comprehensive view of the art and politics of the Mamluk diplomatic gift, by which these sultans of humble origins created a magnificent image of themselves in the courts of their Muslim rivals and allies worldwide. It will prove essential reading for both students and scholars.


Book Synopsis Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate by : Doris Behrens-Abouseif

Download or read book Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate written by Doris Behrens-Abouseif and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. In firm control of the medieval spice trade as well as the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Sultanate's capital at Cairo became a diplomatic crossroads in the medieval world and the seat of a new Islamic caliphate. Already victorious over both the Crusaders and the Mongols, their military success and lavish religious patronage were not enough to ensure the dynasty's prestige: the Mamluk Sultans were often reminded of their slave origins, impugned by rivals as 'pagans' recruited to faith and service by purchase. In response, the sultans staged brilliant performances in Cairo and dispatched carefully designed diplomatic gifts all over the medieval world. These marvellous displays were the crowning ornament of Mamluk legitimacy, celebrated from Europe to the Far East. Drawing on extensive primary sources and fieldwork in museums across the world, Doris Behrens-Abouseif is the first to treat this important subject in depth and here reveals an unexplored aspect of Middle Eastern material culture. Composed of spectacular elements such as spices, exotic animals, Chinese porcelain, ceremonial textiles and military and equestrian objects - not to mention humans, either living or as severed heads - the regal offering varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Acknowledging the established historical precedents of diplomacy and regal gift-giving, the author examines the nuance of cultural and political realities in period diplomacy as well as the transmission of encrypted messages, illuminating the subtle conveyance of self-representation and identity in medieval Cairo and the world beyond. With ground-breaking new research, this book - richly illustrated in colour - provides a comprehensive view of the art and politics of the Mamluk diplomatic gift, by which these sultans of humble origins created a magnificent image of themselves in the courts of their Muslim rivals and allies worldwide. It will prove essential reading for both students and scholars.


Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies

Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies

Author: Frédéric Bauden

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-01-07

Total Pages: 909

ISBN-13: 9004384634

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Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies gathers twenty-eight essays that offer the most up-to-date insight into the diplomacy and diplomatics of the Mamluk sultanate with Muslim and non-Muslim powers.


Book Synopsis Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies by : Frédéric Bauden

Download or read book Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies written by Frédéric Bauden and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-01-07 with total page 909 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mamluk Cairo, a Crossroads for Embassies gathers twenty-eight essays that offer the most up-to-date insight into the diplomacy and diplomatics of the Mamluk sultanate with Muslim and non-Muslim powers.


KEEPING THE PEACE IN PREMODERN ISLA

KEEPING THE PEACE IN PREMODERN ISLA

Author: DEKKICHE MALIKA

Publisher:

Published: 2017-06-30

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781474401081

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Book Synopsis KEEPING THE PEACE IN PREMODERN ISLA by : DEKKICHE MALIKA

Download or read book KEEPING THE PEACE IN PREMODERN ISLA written by DEKKICHE MALIKA and published by . This book was released on 2017-06-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Mamluk Sultanate from the Perspective of Regional and World History

The Mamluk Sultanate from the Perspective of Regional and World History

Author: Reuven Amitai

Publisher: V&R Unipress

Published: 2019-06-17

Total Pages: 537

ISBN-13: 3847004115

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The Mamluk Sultanate represents an extremely interesting case study to examine social, economic and cultural developments in the transition into the rapidly changing modern world. On the one hand, it is the heir of a political and military tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and brought this to a high pitch that enabled astounding victories over serious external threats. On the other hand, as time went on, it was increasingly confronted with "modern" problems that would necessitate fundamental changes in its structure and content. The Mamluk period was one of great religious and social change, and in many ways the modern demographic map was established at this time. This volume shows that the situation of the Mamluk Sultanate was far from that of decadence, and until the end it was a vibrant society (although not without tensions and increasing problems) that did its best to adapt and compete in a rapidly changing world.


Book Synopsis The Mamluk Sultanate from the Perspective of Regional and World History by : Reuven Amitai

Download or read book The Mamluk Sultanate from the Perspective of Regional and World History written by Reuven Amitai and published by V&R Unipress. This book was released on 2019-06-17 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mamluk Sultanate represents an extremely interesting case study to examine social, economic and cultural developments in the transition into the rapidly changing modern world. On the one hand, it is the heir of a political and military tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and brought this to a high pitch that enabled astounding victories over serious external threats. On the other hand, as time went on, it was increasingly confronted with "modern" problems that would necessitate fundamental changes in its structure and content. The Mamluk period was one of great religious and social change, and in many ways the modern demographic map was established at this time. This volume shows that the situation of the Mamluk Sultanate was far from that of decadence, and until the end it was a vibrant society (although not without tensions and increasing problems) that did its best to adapt and compete in a rapidly changing world.


Studies on the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517)

Studies on the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517)

Author: Stephan Conermann

Publisher: V&R Unipress

Published: 2021-03-08

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 384701031X

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The general field of study of this volume is the history and culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). It contains the proceedings of the First German-Japanese Workshop held at the Toyo Bunko in Tokyo, Japan. The authors write about a variety of topics from rural irrigation systems to high diplomacy vis à vis the Safavid empire and the Ottoman threat. The volume includes case studies of important personalities and families living in the centres of Mamluk power such as Cairo and Damascus as well as analyses of contemporary writers and their stance toward the ruling military class. Next to innovation in the field, this volume is an agenda of an increasing globalisation of scholarship that is fertilizing future research.


Book Synopsis Studies on the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) by : Stephan Conermann

Download or read book Studies on the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) written by Stephan Conermann and published by V&R Unipress. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The general field of study of this volume is the history and culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). It contains the proceedings of the First German-Japanese Workshop held at the Toyo Bunko in Tokyo, Japan. The authors write about a variety of topics from rural irrigation systems to high diplomacy vis à vis the Safavid empire and the Ottoman threat. The volume includes case studies of important personalities and families living in the centres of Mamluk power such as Cairo and Damascus as well as analyses of contemporary writers and their stance toward the ruling military class. Next to innovation in the field, this volume is an agenda of an increasing globalisation of scholarship that is fertilizing future research.


Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange

Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange

Author: Eiren L. Shea

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-02-05

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1000027899

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The Mongol period (1206-1368) marked a major turning point of exchange – culturally, politically, and artistically – across Eurasia. The wide-ranging international exchange that occurred during the Mongol period is most apparent visually through the inclusion of Mongol motifs in textile, paintings, ceramics, and metalwork, among other media. Eiren Shea investigates how a group of newly-confederated tribes from the steppe conquered the most sophisticated societies in existence in less than a century, creating a courtly idiom that permanently changed the aesthetics of China and whose echoes were felt across Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe. This book will be of interest to scholars in art history, fashion design, and Asian studies.


Book Synopsis Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange by : Eiren L. Shea

Download or read book Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange written by Eiren L. Shea and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-02-05 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mongol period (1206-1368) marked a major turning point of exchange – culturally, politically, and artistically – across Eurasia. The wide-ranging international exchange that occurred during the Mongol period is most apparent visually through the inclusion of Mongol motifs in textile, paintings, ceramics, and metalwork, among other media. Eiren Shea investigates how a group of newly-confederated tribes from the steppe conquered the most sophisticated societies in existence in less than a century, creating a courtly idiom that permanently changed the aesthetics of China and whose echoes were felt across Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe. This book will be of interest to scholars in art history, fashion design, and Asian studies.


Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500–1630

Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500–1630

Author: Tracey A. Sowerby

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-05-24

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1000391914

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In the sixteenth century, the Ottoman court in Constantinople emerged as the axial centre of early modern diplomacy in Eurasia. Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500-1630 takes a unique approach to diplomatic relations by focusing on how diplomacy was conducted and diplomatic cultures forged at a single court: the Sublime Porte. It unites studies from the perspectives of European and non-European diplomats with analyses from the perspective of Ottoman officials involved in diplomatic practices. It focuses on a formative period for diplomatic procedure and Ottoman imperial culture by examining the introduction of resident embassies on the one hand, and on the other, changes in Ottoman policy and protocol that resulted from the territorial expansion and cultural transformations of the empire in the sixteenth century. The chapters in this volume approach the practices and processes of diplomacy at the Ottoman court with special attention to ceremonial protocol, diplomatic sociability, gift-giving, cultural exchange, information gathering, and the role of para-diplomatic actors.


Book Synopsis Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500–1630 by : Tracey A. Sowerby

Download or read book Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500–1630 written by Tracey A. Sowerby and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-05-24 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the sixteenth century, the Ottoman court in Constantinople emerged as the axial centre of early modern diplomacy in Eurasia. Diplomatic Cultures at the Ottoman Court, c.1500-1630 takes a unique approach to diplomatic relations by focusing on how diplomacy was conducted and diplomatic cultures forged at a single court: the Sublime Porte. It unites studies from the perspectives of European and non-European diplomats with analyses from the perspective of Ottoman officials involved in diplomatic practices. It focuses on a formative period for diplomatic procedure and Ottoman imperial culture by examining the introduction of resident embassies on the one hand, and on the other, changes in Ottoman policy and protocol that resulted from the territorial expansion and cultural transformations of the empire in the sixteenth century. The chapters in this volume approach the practices and processes of diplomacy at the Ottoman court with special attention to ceremonial protocol, diplomatic sociability, gift-giving, cultural exchange, information gathering, and the role of para-diplomatic actors.


Cultures of Diplomacy and Literary Writing in the Early Modern World

Cultures of Diplomacy and Literary Writing in the Early Modern World

Author: Tracey A. Sowerby

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0192572628

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This interdisciplinary volume explores core emerging themes in the study of early modern literary-diplomatic relations, developing essential methods of analysis and theoretical approaches that will shape future research in the field. Contributions focus on three intimately related areas: the impact of diplomatic protocol on literary production; the role of texts in diplomatic practice, particularly those that operated as 'textual ambassadors'; and the impact of changes in the literary sphere on diplomatic culture. The literary sphere held such a central place because it gave diplomats the tools to negotiate the pervasive ambiguities of diplomacy; simultaneously literary depictions of diplomacy and international law provided genre-shaped places for cultural reflection on the rapidly changing and expanding diplomatic sphere. Translations exemplify the potential of literary texts both to provoke competition and to promote cultural convergence between political communities, revealing the existence of diplomatic third spaces in which ritual, symbolic, or written conventions and semantics converged despite particular oppositions and differences. The increasing public consumption of diplomatic material in Europe illuminates diplomatic and literary communities, and exposes the translocal, as well as the transnational, geographies of literary-diplomatic exchanges. Diplomatic texts possessed symbolic capital. They were produced, archived, and even redeployed in creative tension with the social and ceremonial worlds that produced them. Appreciating the generic conventions of specific types of diplomatic texts can radically reshape our interpretation of diplomatic encounters, just as exploring the afterlives of diplomatic records can transform our appreciation of the histories and literatures they inspired.


Book Synopsis Cultures of Diplomacy and Literary Writing in the Early Modern World by : Tracey A. Sowerby

Download or read book Cultures of Diplomacy and Literary Writing in the Early Modern World written by Tracey A. Sowerby and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-20 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This interdisciplinary volume explores core emerging themes in the study of early modern literary-diplomatic relations, developing essential methods of analysis and theoretical approaches that will shape future research in the field. Contributions focus on three intimately related areas: the impact of diplomatic protocol on literary production; the role of texts in diplomatic practice, particularly those that operated as 'textual ambassadors'; and the impact of changes in the literary sphere on diplomatic culture. The literary sphere held such a central place because it gave diplomats the tools to negotiate the pervasive ambiguities of diplomacy; simultaneously literary depictions of diplomacy and international law provided genre-shaped places for cultural reflection on the rapidly changing and expanding diplomatic sphere. Translations exemplify the potential of literary texts both to provoke competition and to promote cultural convergence between political communities, revealing the existence of diplomatic third spaces in which ritual, symbolic, or written conventions and semantics converged despite particular oppositions and differences. The increasing public consumption of diplomatic material in Europe illuminates diplomatic and literary communities, and exposes the translocal, as well as the transnational, geographies of literary-diplomatic exchanges. Diplomatic texts possessed symbolic capital. They were produced, archived, and even redeployed in creative tension with the social and ceremonial worlds that produced them. Appreciating the generic conventions of specific types of diplomatic texts can radically reshape our interpretation of diplomatic encounters, just as exploring the afterlives of diplomatic records can transform our appreciation of the histories and literatures they inspired.