NAVAL STRATEGY AND POWER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

All historians who have been involved in the researches of the Mediterranean has paid particular attention to the historical period between 1450 and 1700, and there was a good reason for that. In the early modern centuries, navigators adopted the small vessels and sailing techniques in use at those times to change the whole character of maritime trade together with the naval warfare.

The changes occurred in the competitions marking the Mediterranean seafaring have been considered equally important. After centuries of dominating of the Orthodox Christian and Latin powers in the region, the subsequent rise of the Empire of Ottomans did lead to the great clash between two most powerful human civilizations, namely Christian and Muslim. Subject struggle involved a whole set of religious, cultural, political and commercial aspects, with the diverse people of the Mediterranean region being the major players at first...

The historical overview presented in this publication will trace all the associated developments, mainly relying on the historical scholarship focusing on the early modern period of Mediterranean region. The list of topics covered by the author includes the navies and the Mediterranean in different historical periods including the early modern period mentioned above, era of the world wars, and others; note that the contemporary issues of the maritime strategy and policy in the region have also been addressed in detail.