The introduction of Coffee to the West and the French Enlightenment

The mission of the ambassador's visit is obviously not to give French aristocrats the aesthetic concept of popular minimalist clothing. At this time, Ottoman was planning to invade Austria, the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, and Ambassador Aga's task was to consolidate the Franco-Ottoman Alliance, which had existed for more than 100 years, to ensure that in the future Austrian war, France, which is also a Catholic country with Austria, remains neutral. Frustrated by the palace, Ambassador Aga began his circuitous coffee diplomacy the day after he returned to Paris.

Aga's circuitous coffee diplomacy

In November 1669, in the resplendent Palace of Versailles, the Sun King Louis XIV sat upright, the priceless 67-carat blue diamond of hope dazzled in the crown, and the aristocratic ministers present at the court were also dressed in gold and silver. they are waiting for an ambassador from the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman Aga.

The beautiful man Aga, dressed in a snow-white robe with a wool coat, floated by, making the aristocrats of the Manchu feel ashamed; when presenting their credentials, they did not bow down to the French king and made the nouveau riche Louis XIV angry. The French nobles took this opportunity to expel Ambassador Aga from Versailles and send him back to Paris in a horse-drawn carriage.

The mission of the ambassador's visit is obviously not to give French aristocrats the aesthetic concept of popular minimalist clothing. At this time, Ottoman was planning to invade Austria, the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, and Ambassador Aga's task was to consolidate the Franco-Ottoman Alliance, which had existed for more than 100 years, to ensure that in the future Austrian war, France, which is also a Catholic country with Austria, remains neutral. Frustrated by the palace, Ambassador Aga began his circuitous coffee diplomacy the day after he returned to Paris.

The social gathering held by Ambassador Aga immediately became a popular place in Paris. The furniture and decoration of the official residence are admired by the luxurious and elegant Istanbul way of life. What is even more wonderful is a "fantasy drink" introduced by the ambassador. Small silk cloth with golden ears, produced in Damascus; small porcelain cups on silver trays from as far away as Japan; Nubian slaves in bright Turkish clothes, handsome, obedient and considerate, kneeling to pour steaming, fragrant and elegant black soup into the guests' porcelain cups. This scene is a wonderful experience that the ladies have never experienced before.

The coffee party completely conquered the Paris aristocracy. Ambassador Aga soon received news from Versailles that the Kingdom of France and the Ottoman Empire were friendly allies and that France would not do anything to harm the Franco-Austrian alliance if the Turkish army attacked Vienna. The magical coffee paved the way for the Ottoman Empire to attack Vienna.

The trophies of Vienna

In 1683, Sultan Mohammed IV of the Ottoman Empire declared jihad against the Holy Roman Empire. The 150000 Turkish army, with more than 300 heavy cannons, embarked on the journey to Vienna. This was the second attempt of the Ottoman Empire, which tried to capture Vienna after the conquest of Hungary in 1529, but failed because of the depletion of supplies. This time, Kara Mustafa Pasha, the determined prime minister and commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, brought sufficient baggage support. There are even huge quantities of coffee beans in the supply convoy.

On July 14, the crescent flag fell under the city, and the Ottoman army began to besiege the city. Trapped in Vienna are more than 11000 Austrian troops and more than 5000 Viennese civilians who volunteered to fight.

Pope Englison XI issued a decree calling for loyal Catholic knights from all over Europe to take up shields and swords to defend the Christian faith and reinforce Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Louis XIV, the Sun King, was the first to respond, but instead of reinforcing Austria, the French took the opportunity to attack South Germany of the Holy Roman Empire.

The knights of the German vassal states rushed to Vienna, rendezvous 30 kilometers north of the city of Vienna and counted their forces. the reinforcements were made up of more than 25000 knights and 7500 infantry, which alone was unable to repel the huge and fierce Turkish army. They were looking anxiously at the forests of the north, where there was hope that King John III of Poland, whom the Turks would later call the European lion.

On September 6th, the expected Polish army appeared, and John III brought more than 16000 infantry and 20, 000 knights, including 3000 of the king's elite guards, the "winged knights" of which the Poles are still proud. The German knights left behind the generational feud between the Teutonic Cross and the Polish knights and recommended John III as commander-in-chief of the Bode coalition to direct the battle.

At this time, the city of Vienna was already in jeopardy, the outer city had been breached, the inner city was about to run out of ammunition and food, and eager reinforcements had not yet appeared. At this time, the brave Viennese trader Kurjisky volunteered to cross the Turkish encirclement to find rescue.

Born into a Ukrainian Orthodox aristocratic family, Kurkisky converted to Catholicism, and his rich business experience developed his multilingualism. Dressed as a Turk, Kurjisky hummed a Turkish tune and got out of the encirclement, looking for reinforcements outside the city. The intelligence brought by Kurkisky prompted John III to change his plan and attack ahead of time.

At about 4: 00 a.m. on the 12th, the infantry of the Polish-German coalition launched the first round of attacks. After a long day of tussle, the decisive battle really began in the evening. More than 40,000 Bode knights, divided into four routes, burst into the battlefield at the same time. It is said to be the largest European knight assault in history.

In September 1683, John III and his Boulder knights, with their cross swords, once again won dignity and honor for the dying chivalry. The Battle of Vienna marked the end of the jihad efforts of the Ottoman Empire, which had been on the offensive for centuries, to conquer Europe. Since then, the balance began to tilt in favor of Europe.

A mountain of baggage was left behind the defeated Turkish army. When it comes to merit, there are a lot of coffee beans that no one cares about, and no one knows what they are. Then Kurkisky suggested that since no one wanted it, he was willing to accept the black beans as a reward. Years of trade with the Turks made him know the value of the coffee. This is the origin of the house under the green bottle, the first coffee shop in Vienna.

Kurkisky decorated his coffee shop with Turkish flavor, and even the waiters were dressed in Turkish clothes to serve guests, and his coffee shop was a success. Many Austrians still insist that it was Kurjski who invented the way to drink cappuccino. The so-called cappuccino is actually made of espresso with honey and foamed milk, named for its color and shape resembling the cappuccino of the cappuccino sect of St. Franciscan Catholics at that time. In this way, coffee gradually spread to Austria and Germany through the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Gave birth to the French Enlightenment

The story goes back to Paris, France.

Although Ambassador Aga's coffee diplomacy has let the high society in Paris experience coffee, a magical drink full of oriental flavor, it still has a long way to go for coffee to be accepted by French society.

First of all, the problem is that this is the drink of pagan Muslims, and devout Catholics with scientific minds have reason to suspect that this is the devil's trick, black soup, that will corrupt the souls of fallen and faithful Christians.

This was definitely a serious issue of right and wrong in Europe at that time. The question was soon appealed to the then Pope Clemon VIII, asking the pope to order a ban on the spread of this "pagan drink" in the Christian world.

In line with the courage of Shennong to taste grass, the pope personally tried this oriental drink suspected of Satan's trick. After a try, Clemen VIII immediately fell in love with coffee. In order to allay the concerns of believers, Clemon VIII immediately announced the "baptism" of coffee in the name of "Father, son and Holy Spirit", including it in Jesus Christ. As the supreme authority of European faith and science at that time, the approval of the pope removed the greatest obstacle to the spread of coffee in Europe.

On the other hand, there is a sensational argument among Parisian ladies that coffee will reduce the male ability of men. For the so-called aristocratic women, compared with the low taste of stealing men and breaking shoes, it is an elegant activity with a sense of social responsibility to study and spread such gossip. It is said that coffee will reduce the fertility of European men, for a time a group of female porridge, it is clear that the spread of the public. The British women's community, and even a joint petition to the King, called for legislation to ban this evil drink, which will greatly harm the sexual happiness and happiness of British sisters, known as the "Women's Anti-Coffee petition Movement".

Against this background, the coffee shop, which first appeared in Paris, has been struggling to survive on the brink of bankruptcy. The dilemma of coffee can not be really reversed until Procopio Cotto appears.

The introduction of Coffee to the West and the French Enlightenment author: Cao Liren Source: Southern Wind Window date: 0904 browsing: 211shows the full text

Born and raised in Sicily in the Mediterranean, a region with frequent contacts with the Muslim world, Cotto knows the true taste of coffee. Cotto not only has a good brain, but also has a good health. Three marriages have brought him 13 children. Cotto used his own bravery evidence to shatter the nonsense that coffee reduces male fertility.

In 1686, Cotto started his coffee shop under the French name Proceope, which will become the iconic place of the French Enlightenment. In order to further dispel the misgivings of foolish men and women about the toxicity of coffee, the French added a high-tech "antidote" to coffee-milk. This is the beginning of today's coffee co-milk system. In French, it is called "Ole coffee", while in Italian, it is called "latte". "Ole" and "latte" are the transliteration of "milk" in French and Italian respectively.

God helps those who help themselves. More than two years after the Procco store opened, the magnificent French Grand Theatre was officially completed in 1689, and it was only a short distance away. Writers and scholars who follow incense after another, like Arab and Turkish scholars before them, immediately indulge in coffee, an exhilarating and inspirational drink. More and more literary friends came, the Paris ladies who used to linger here gradually faded out, and the Procco shop gradually evolved into a salon for writers and thinkers in Paris and a study for thinking and writing.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was Procco's coffee that directly led to the arrival of the French Enlightenment. Those French cultural celebrities who will influence the world in the future, such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Balzac, GeorgeSand, Hugo, are familiar to earthlings with a little bit of culture today. They are all regulars here. It is said that it was here that Diderot compiled the first great encyclopedia in human history, and it was in this coffee shop that Robespierre, Marla and Danton conspired to plot the bloody French Revolution. Among them, in terms of spending power, the number one fierce guy is Voltaire, who is said to drink more than 40 cups of coffee while writing with his literary friends every day.