Discusses the history of the political control of the straits--the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Includes the texts of some relevant treaties signed from 1920 to 1939. The first half of the history was originally part of a memorandum commissioned in 1918 by the Americans for use in negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference; this was then printed in 1921 as a pamphlet. The second half of the history, which was written by Francis Deák, covers the history of the straits from the Congress of Berlin (1878) until 1939 or 1940.

In ancient times, the series of waterways now known as the Turkish Straits, comprising the Dardanelles (or Hellespont), Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus, formed both a divide and a bridge between Europe and Asia. Its western and eastern entrances were guarded, at different times, by two of the most fabled cities of all time: respectively Troy (in Asia) and Byzantion (or Byzantium, on the European coast). The narrow crossing points at the Hellespont and Bosporus were strategically important invasion routes while the waters themselves were vital routes of travel and commerce, particularly the supply of grain from the hinterland of the Black Sea to the Greek cities. This made them sought after prizes and sources of friction between successive empires, Persians, Macedonians and Romans among them, and ensured they were associated with some of the great names of history, from Odysseus to Xerxes, Alexander to Constantine the Great. John D Grainger relates the fascinating history of this pivotal region from the Trojan War to Byzantion’s refounding as the new capital of the Roman Empire. Renamed Constantinople it dominated the straits for a thousand years.

Excerpt from A Tour Up the Straits, From Gibraltar to Constantinople: With the Leading Events in the Present War Between the Austrians, Russians, and Turks, to the Commencement of the Year 1789 The Commander in Chief of the garrison of Gibraltar having indulged the Author of the following pages with leave of absence, he accepted an invitation from an amiable Friend, to accompany him on a Voyage to the Levant. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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