Where is Venice and what was it like in the 16th century?
Venice is a city in northeast Italy, it is separated by canals and linked by bridges. Venice was a staging area for the Crusades and the battle of Lepanto. In the 16th century most of the goods form the Orient passed through the eastern Mediterranean on their way to Europe. The eastern Mediterranean was dominated by the city of Venice. The slaves of Venice were mostly from North Africa.
What was its economic status at that time?
Venice was ruled by merchants and life centred on trade and on pleasing customers. Muslims, Jews and Christians traded with one another. Venice entered a long period of decline after the early 16th century. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world. Through trade the Venetians prospered and Venice rapidly accumulated wealth. The manufacture of silk and woollen textiles developed rapidly in the republic.
What was the Venetians relationship with the Turks?
A series of battles took place between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire between 1499 and 1503. The battles were fought over land surrounding the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. In 1539 the Turkish fleet attacked and destroyed Limassol. Fearing the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire, the Venetians had fortified Famagusta, Nicosia, and Kyrenia, but most other cities were easy prey. By 1563, the population of Venice had dropped to about 168,000 people. They were at war. Crete and Cyprus were important Venetian possessions that Venice needed for trade and commerce. The Turks were able to rebuild the fleet in record speed, and soon took the island of Cyprus off Venice; an event that serves as the backdrop to Shakespeare's play, Othello. The loss of Cyprus proved, in the long run, far more important than the naval defeat.
Where is Cyprus?
Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece and South of Turkey. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean, it is located south of the Anatolian peninsula
What was its importance in the 16th century?
The Eyalet of Cyprus was the name given to the conquered island of Cyprus which fell into Ottoman hands in 1571
How far is it from Venice?
The island's strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean, between the Ottoman heartland of Anatolia and the newly won provinces of the Levant and Egypt, made it a tempting target for future Ottoman expansion
What were the politics of the countries nearest it?
At the time of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire would have been at its height. Cyprus was eventually part of this Empire in the 16th century. So the politics of this area was a Muslim Sultanate.
Who are Moors?
Moor was a generic European term during the middle Ages and Renaissance for black Muslims from North Africa. The term "Moors" has also been used in Europe in a broader sense to refer to anyone of Arab or African descent. Moors are not a distinct or self-defined people. Medieval and early modern Europeans applied the name to the Berbers, Arabs, Muslim Iberians and West Africans from Mali and Niger.
Where did they come from?
The Moors were an Arab and Berber people that came from North Africa, more specifically the area that is now Morocco, which is where the country gets its name from.
What were they doing in Europe in the 16th century?
"Moors" from North Africa conquered and ruled the Iberian peninsula from 711 AD until their final expulsion and the extinguishment of their presence in the 15th c.
They lost their land and weren't in rule of any country. They migrated to Europe, and were forced to hide their religious identities. In Spain, they forced Moores to either turn to Christianity or leave the country.
Are there religious or cultural practices associated with them?
They were Muslims, so they would have followed Islamic practices
What was the Elizabethan attitude to foreigners in general and non-Christians such as Turks in particular?
Many people of different races lived in England during that time. Elizabethan social ideologies created a gap among races, alienating foreigners from other members of English society and contributing to their destruction. The Elizabethans were very patriotic and inclined to distrust foreigners. This caused much anti-Catholic feeling, and the Catholic religion increasingly became identified with foreign interference.
What are the symptoms of epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a common and diverse set of chronic neurological disorders characterized by seizures. Some of the more common symptoms include blackouts, unexplained periods of unresponsiveness, and involuntary arm and leg movements. Perhaps the most well-known symptom is a convulsive seizure, in which the person may cry out, fall to the floor unconscious, twitch or move uncontrollably, or lose bladder control. People with epilepsy can experience any of the varieties of seizures, although most people follow a consistent pattern of symptoms. This pattern is known as an epilepsy syndrome. Doctors who treat epilepsy classify seizures by how much of the brain is affected. There are:
• partial seizures, where only a small part of the brain is affected
• generalised seizures, where most or all of the brain is affected
How was it treated and regarded in the Renaissance?
In Europe in the Middle Ages, epilepsy was called the falling sickness, and people looked to saints and relics for cures. The three wise men and St. Valentine were particularly important patrons of people with epilepsy. If you had epilepsy you could a special blessed ring that would help control your seizures. During the Renaissance, people started to read ancient writings again, and the ideas of long ago came back into fashion. Some people thought that people with epilepsy were prophets, because they could see the past, present, and future when they were unconscious during a seizure.
Now?
It is now known that epilepsy is a neurological disorder and it is treated as such. Anticonvulsants are usually prescribed which can help prevent seizures and secondary symptoms are treated with appropriate medications. Surgery to remove affected parts of the brain are now only considered under extreme situations- such as in individuals having seizures several times an hour every day.
Are there conditions which render an epileptic vulnerable to a seizure?
Flashing lights, loud noises, alcohol or other toxic chemicals, lack of sleep, sugar imbalances.