Adriatic navigation recorded in 14th to 16th century reports

Abstract

Adriatic sailing routes have not been adequately examined in publications so far, for all historical periods. Particularly these routes are scarcely known from the late Middle ages and the first centuries of the New age. As a historical source a French (Ogiera the feud owner from the castle of Anglure, travelling in 1395) and seven English pilgrims, i.e. travelling reports from 14-16 cent. (W. Wey, travelling in 1458. and 1462; R. Guylforde, 1506-1507; R. Torkington, 1517; J. Locke, 1533; H. Austell, 1585.; H. Cavendish, whose travelling was described by his servant Fox in 1589, and F. Moryson, 1596 and 1597) were used in this work for better comprehending of the problem. The portulan of Gioseppe Rosaccio from 1598 was used, too. While analysing these reports it was found out that pilgrims mostly used the boats whose terminals seized Mediterranean, so along the Adriatic they sailed in the regime or long coastal navigation. However they chose the ships which didn't slop in numerous ports because they wanted to reach Jesus tomb as soon as possible. All the pilgrims started in Venice, then along the Western lstrian coast (Novigrad, Poreč, Rovinj or Pula), and further on along the Eastern Adriatic to the island or Corfu. Travellers reports witness the navigation from Venice to Dubrovnik and the rest of the trip was being continued via caravan routes towards Constantinople. The retour routes were traced at the same scheme.
Investigated historical sources do not offer the reasons for such routes. At the beginning of the 19th cent. The results of the hydrographic investigations were able to say more about it (C. F. Beautemps-Beaupré) and the summarising of experiences through centuries of navigation mentioned in the first real Pilot or Adriatic from 1830 (G. Marieni). Probably the navigation was more often along the Eastern Adriatic in both directions (NW-SE and SE-NW) for the better safety, primarily of the wind called bora, and the ports being built to avoid that wind. Marieni suggests the navigation along the Western Adriatic only in summer and at sunny weather. In brief this work points out the valuable historical sources which were not in use in the extent they deserved while examining the history of Adriatic navigation. Moreover the similar methodological bases should be used in investigating the navigation in other historical periods.