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550 Mahmut Halef Cevrioğlu

of the latest military technology that had formerly been established
through direct appropriations from lands incorporated into the Otto-
man Empire 100 .
Speaking of technology, the notoriety of the Kassandra incident
must have set an example for the upcoming generations of Ottoman
mariners since the imperial navy adhered to galleys at least until the
end of the seventeenth century. After all, as confirmed by Parker, the
summer calm of the Mediterranean did indeed render the galley a bet-
ter option for naval combats, at least, before the eighteenth century 101 .
And related to the decline debate, this study largely confirms Jonathan
Grant’s conviction regarding the absence of an Ottoman naval decline
after 1571 102 . The Ottoman navy’s preparation for the 1633 campaign
and even the Kassandra debacle underline the efficacy of the Ottoman
maritime establishments after 1571 in two respects. Firstly, in terms
of technology transfer, the Ottomans were keeping themselves on par
with Western European weaponry on their fighting vessels, a point
highlighted by the employment of de Ábalos in the imperial shipyard.
And as for the second, that is, for their adherence to galleys instead of
sailing ships, the failure of the two English merchantman ships to es-
cape the approaching Ottoman galleys mostly because of the weather
justifies the Ottoman tardiness to adopt galleon.
One thing that goes unanswered within the framework of this
study, nonetheless, is why the Ottomans allowed favouritism to be-
come a determinant factor in filling such important a post as the grand
admiralty. But it is the question of a different and much more exacting
endeavour. This one, to say the least, has tried to set itself apart as
one other case study that pronounces the contrasts between the galley
and galleon on the one hand, and those between the actual sailors and
palace appointees on the other.

100 G. Ágoston, Merces Prohibitae: The Anglo-Ottoman Trade in War Materials
and the Dependence Theory, «Oriente Moderno, Nuova serie», Anno 20, 81 (1),
(2001 - The Ottomans and the Sea), pp. 177-192, on pages 187-188.
101 G. Parker, The Military Revolution. Military Innovation and the Rise of the
West, 1500-1800, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996, p. 87.
102 J. Grant, Rethinking the Ottoman “Decline”.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Dicembre 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)