The Ottoman Turks and the Routes of Oriental Trade

Spanning the crucial centuries from the late thirteenth to the early sixteenth, this study follows the Ottoman Turks as they grew from a regional power into a sprawling empire that straddled the Levant, the Black Sea, and the deserts of Africa. Their expanding dominion placed them directly over the ancient overland and maritime corridors that once linked Europe with Asia, prompting merchants to seek alternatives. The narrative explores the competing theories about whether Ottoman pressure forced the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope route or whether broader motives unrelated to Turkish expansion drove explorers like Columbus and Henry of Portugal to new seas.

The work then turns to the intricate network of medieval trade paths, distinguishing the northern land routes that crossed the Black Sea and Asia Minor from the southern sea lanes that threaded through Syria, Egypt, and the Red Sea. By examining the goods that traveled these ways—luxurious silks and spices versus more modest commodities such as sugar and cotton—the author shows how political, religious, and economic factors shaped merchants’ choices. Early‑fourteenth‑century routes are mapped in detail, setting the stage for the dramatic shifts that would follow.