The War of Otranto and the Mediterranean political balance in the historical writing of Giovanni Albino Lucano

Abstract

The conquest of Otranto by the Turks with the consequent Aragonese counteroffensive between 1480 and 1481 almost became a symbol of the opposition of Christianity to Islamic expansion towards the West. After a critical synthesis of the events and a brief presentation of the historical work of Giovanni Albino Lucano, the last great proof of the “monarchical” humanistic historiography of Aragonese Naples, and, in particular, of his De bello Hydruntino Alfonsi II Aragonei Ducis Calabriae, which represents one of the oldest and most accredited sources available to us on the event, the essay pauses to reflect on how the humanist historian tries to interpret the international political scene of the time. He does not fail to have a propagandistic intent towards the Aragonese crown and in particular his pupil Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, whose virtue of prudence and heroic impetus is exalted against the background of the most sinister interests defended by the other forces at play. The essay therefore highlights how Albino fits rightfully into the uninterrupted tradition of intellectual adherence to the propagandistic lines of a dynasty that marked the history of the Mediterranean.