Kilis 7 Aralık Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi

Öz

Öz

Öz

Öz

Since ancient times of history, the basic food of people has been wheat and its by-products. For this reason, the great states did not stay away from imposing a wheat embargo on their rivals as they fought wars to obtain the wheat. The Roman Empire fought Carthage for the wheat of North Africa, and Prophet Muhammad with the embargo imposed on the wheat of Yamame, the Meccan polytheists were able to take a step back. The problems experienced in the supply of wheat left the big states with some crises. When the Byzantine Empire had to leave Egypt to the Muslim conquerors between the years 640-642, it experienced a serious crisis as it obtained its wheat from there. Due to the scarcity of wheat, the fact that the Nubians in East Africa gave 360 slaves to the Cairo administration every year and got corn and wheat in return made this issue very interesting. Great states and powers were able to be obeyed by the wheat embargo when appropriate. The Ottomans' subordination of the Venetians, the greatest naval power of the Mediterranean, with Anatolian wheat is one of the most striking examples to be given to this subject. The Crusades, which continued in Syria, Palestine and Egypt between 1095-1291, also came to the fore with hunger and famine. This situation brought the enemy sides together for the continuation of wheat cultivation and trade, and wheat wars took place between them from time to time. There were extraordinary relations between the King of Jerusalem, Baudouin I and Damascus Atabeg Tughtegin. The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem needed Syria's wheat because of the barren lands of Palestine. Therefore, he took care to establish warm relations with Damascus Atabegs. In the moments when the war escalated, it was determined as a result of the wheat embargoes applied by the parties to each other, such that hunger even caused the fall of castles and cities. The wheat of Cyprus was an important factor for the Crusaders to hold on in Syria and Palestine, and the grain aid of Byzantium in the early days saved them from hunger. When this important island fell into the hands of the Crusaders with the Third Crusade, it was also gain in terms of wheat. On the other hand, the warehouses full of wheat obtained from the captured places pleased those who seized this place as much as the cities that were captured. This process brought some wealthy people to the fore, and those who filled their pockets from the wheat trade could also become the owner of power. The grain of the fertile Chukurova, controlled by the Cilician Armenians, was exported by the Italians and local merchants in Adana and Tarsus and enriched them. It was the Muslim rulers rather than the Crusaders who made efforts to prevent wheat cultivation in the region from being damaged. Although Artukid Balak punished the rebellious Gerger Armenians, he deported them to Hanzit, allocated lands to them, and even distributed seeds to them and prevented the interruption of agriculture. The Crusades also created a privileged group that was rich from the wheat trade. Among them, we see Italian merchants and knightly orders. The Genoese carrying wheat to Istanbul made Byzantium do whatever they wanted, the Venetians reached the peak of their power with the wheat they exported from Crete and Foça. When they started to compete with each other, they found a middle way by monopolizing the wheat of Chios to the Genoese and the wheat of Crete to the Venetians. The knight sects, on the other hand, came to the forefront with their wheat trade as well as their support of the holy war. After the tension with the German Hostenhaufen dynasty in Sicily, they increased their wealth with the privileges specific to the wheat trade they obtained from the French Anjou dynasty, which later dominated here. While the Templars increased their wealth with the wheat trade, the Hospitaller knights in Rhodes and the third sect, the Teutons, made their name known with the wheat trade in the Baltic region. On the other hand, Sicilian wheat brought forth new grain traders as it fed Barcelona later, and Catalan traders earned a lot of money from this business. As Napoleon said, armies marched on their stomachs, and this fact was once again seen in all its nakedness during the Crusades. This article has also brought to our attention the prominent and effective role that effective and successful agricultural policies will play in interstate relations.