To Constantinople

Abstract

With reference to a range of recent scholarship, an outline is given of the political and mercantile relationships between West and East, particularly Venice and the Ottoman empire, which allowed freedom of movement between the societies.Lack of detailed records on Strachan’s movements between Paris and Constantinople via Sancta Terra (The Holy Land) has caused a lacuna in his life story which this chapter fills by accounts given by other western travellers of the time. Pietro Della Valle, who makes several references to his friendship with George Strachan, is a rich source, as is George Sandys. Their descriptions of travelling in the region, again together with the findings of modern scholarship, provide meaningful insights into Strachan’s likely experiences.