Mare Amaro. I corsari barbareschi sull’orizzonte italiano del Cinquecento

Abstract

In the Sixteenth century, the Ottoman expansion causes an enormous tension in the Mediterranean area, where Italian peninsula is a principal link between West and Levant. The book focuses on Barbary corsairs’ activity through the eyes of outsiders: slaves, concubines, fugitives, spies, or eunuchs. Consequently, the first part examines the violence that is the hearth of piracy. The next aim is a specific analysis of Italian territories’ policy against the corsairs. The third considers the other side of the frontier with an especial emphasis on Constantinople, Northern African cities, and Levantine ports. The last section presents the connections amongst the coasts outlined by the corsairs.