Łukasz Burkiewicz

The kingdom of Cyprus as an object of interest to mediterranean countries between 1192–1489. A sketch of the problem

Under the rule of the French Lusignan dynasty, Cyprus quickly became the focus of interest to other countries: Sicily under the reign of the Hohenstaufen, Anjou and Aragon houses, Italian countries of Genoa, Venice and Duchy of Savoy, England and African Mamluk Sultanate. Initially the interest was based on political reasons, however, with the arrival of the Crusaders to the Holy Land and then the development of trade with Muslims there were economic reasons for seizing power over the island. What is more, the above deliberation clearly reveals the declining political position of the Lusignan

dynasty who starting from the end of the 14thcentury could only observe how Mediterranean countries fought for control over Cyprus. After the death of Peter I of Cyprus (1359–1369), the most prominent king and the conqueror of Alexandria, the period of glory, when the island influenced international policy mostly – though not only – in the eastern region of the Mediterranean Sea, came to an end. From then on Cyprus was merely a subject of diplomatic, economic as well as military efforts and conflicts undertaken by Mediterranean countries.

The present paper does not assume to exhaust the subject. However, it is an introduction to a broader research on the matter in question which is immensely relevant for depicting the medieval political and economic situation in the Mediterranean Sea region. 

Kronika naukowa: Międzynarodowa konferencja naukowa Życie i dzieło ojca Antonio Possevino SJ (1533–1611)

The role of Archbishop John of Sultania in the diplomatic relations between the Mongols and Western Europe at the turn of 14th and 15th centuries

John, the eighth archbishop of Soltaniensis, that is Persian Sultania, is one of the most mysterious figures in the Mongol-European relations at the turn of 14th and 15th centuries. He devoted his life not only to God but also to diplomacy, travelling and writing, and the mystery surrounding his life has been increased by numerous errors in academic attempts to identify him. Undoubtedly, he enjoyed an exceptional position in Timur’s court and was called the Mongol ruler’s “special friend.” He was the initiator of the mission to the European rulers, which began in 1402, as he planned to evangelize the Chagatai Khanate with the support of the West. He hoped that on his mission he would manage to recruit volunteers to support his missionary activities in the East. Trade and the colonies established by Western merchants along the trade routes in the East were a pretext and a natural incentive for missionary activities, and that is why they were discussed in correspondence between Timur and European rulers. However, the outcome of John’s mission was not significant – the results were merely superficial and he did not manage to change the negative perception of Timur in Europe.
 

Sprawozdanie z międzynarodowej konferencji naukowej „Itinera Clericorum – kulturotwórcze i religijne aspekty podróży duchownych” (Kraków, 23–25 października 2013 roku)

From the French Toulouse to the Songhai Gao. A Mediaeval Journey to the Center of Africa (1405–1413)
After many years of absence, in the year 1413 one of its former inhabitants comes back to Toulouse together with his black-skinned wife, daughter and servants. Having participated in an expedition whose aim was to conquer the Canary Islands, the hero of the present article, Anselm d’Isalguier, had reached the shores of Africa and subsequently travelled to the center of the African continent, where he spent eight years in Gao, the capital of the state of Songhai. It was there that he had met his future wife who belonged to a ducal family; marriage with her ensured to him a comfortable and carefree life. The effect of his stay in Africa was an extraordinary dictionary of Arabic language, of the Saharan Tuaregs and the Negros of Mali, accompanied by translations into French and Latin. Moreover, Anselm d’Isalguier was the author of a paper describing the local religious and political relations and giving an account of his journey. In spite of the fact that he had described his travels and experiences, the account did not exert an influence on the level of knowledge about the African continent and nearly 300 years later, his manuscripts got lost. Nonetheless, this expedition must have been regarded at the time as an extraordinary event, taking into consideration the mediaeval notions of the outside world, and particularly of Africa, which differed so much from reality.