By ship from Vienna to Constantinople – lecture

2018/09/01

Why did the Habsburgs send ambassadors to Constantinople? How was the most suitable person selected? What kind of preparations were made for the trip, and what was shipping like on the River Danube? Among others, these questions will be answered in a lecture to be delivered by historian Dr. Dóra Kerekes.

After the loss at the Battle of Mohács, two, and later three powers shared the territory of Hungary. Paradoxically, the permanent state of war was also a permanent state of peace, which inevitably resulted in diplomatic contacts between the parties. The Viennese Court had diplomatic ties with the Constantinople seraglio since 1526. In order to make and maintain contacts, first temporary, and later permanent ambassadors travelled from the Imperial City to the Bosphorus Coast. First half of their journey, the Vienna–Belgrade section, was made on board of a ship on the Danube. The uneasy kickoff from Vienna, several – longer and shorter – stops on Imperial territories, then entering the Ottoman-dominated region, audience of the Pasha of Buda, and the further trip up to Belgrade were full of great excitement and danger for the diplomats and the large group of their escorts.

In her lecture, the historian will also discuss how contacts had been made between the parties, what kind of difficulties the embassies had to face, and who were the staff members of the embassy.

Venue: National Széchényi Library

Date: September 1, 2018, 3 p.m.