Eastern affairs in Italian politics in the early 1490s: rumours, (dis)information and interests
Eastern affairs in Italian politics in the early 1490s: rumours, (dis)information and interests

Summary/Abstract: In October and November 1492, a series of reports reached Milan. Sent by Francesco Tranchedini from the "Bolognese station" of the Lombard state, these dispatches often provided detailed accounts of both Italian and European politics. That autumn, Venice was on the brink of a new war with the Ottoman Empire. Special attention was given to its former favorite, Stephen III the Great, Voivode of Moldavia. Stephen had re-entered the well-paid service of the Serenissima as its captain and had also assumed the title of "Re de Mundavia" (King of Moldavia). The events and titles of 1492 were the result of Stephen’s previous actions—victories, losses, and recoveries. They also served as a prelude to the conflicts that followed in Central and Eastern Europe, primarily between the House of Jagiełło and Stephen of Moldavia. Maximilian I of Habsburg, King of the Romans, and the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II were to act as "imperial arbiters" of the feud.

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