Part of the "Connectivity over Space and Time" SOAS Research Student Conference
https://www.soas... more Part of the "Connectivity over Space and Time" SOAS Research Student Conference
"These agreements, guaranteeing privileges to
foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not
only had... more "These agreements, guaranteeing privileges to foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not only had commercial consequences, but also played a part in the construction of Ottoman self-identity both regionally and locally by recognising the role, and, implicitly, the identity of the merchant foreigner."
Privileges, a modus operandi of the Byzantine world, were continued after 1453 by the successive ... more Privileges, a modus operandi of the Byzantine world, were continued after 1453 by the successive Ottomans. The tradition fundamentally shaped Ottoman diplomatic relations with the Latin trading nations and followed well-established patterns set by their Byzantine predecessors.
The early treaties after the fall of Constantinople were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn’t until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms continued.
Written in Greek, the Genoese of Pera were immediately granted concessions after the fall. Commercial arrangements granted by Mehmed were not only limited to the Genoese, but were also extended to the Venetians, both in the treaty of 1454 and that of 1479. Although the Ottoman treaties adapted themselves to the principles of Islamic law, the patterns of the Byzantine privileges were followed.
In illustrating the inherited relations between Ottoman economic acumen and Latin trade, and the implications of pecuniary as opposed to religious considerations, it can be argued that rather than being outsiders, the Ottomans were an integral part of the Mediterranean trading circle.
""The 1838 Anglo-Ottoman Commercial Treaty of Baltalimanı: A harmonisation with the prevailing cu... more ""The 1838 Anglo-Ottoman Commercial Treaty of Baltalimanı: A harmonisation with the prevailing currents of the world economy
The second half of the eighteenth century paved the way for a new economic system through developments in trade, industry and shipping spurred on by British liberalism. As it was in the Byzantine Empire, privileges, and so in the case of the Ottomans, capitulations, needed constant renewal. A full understanding of the capitulations requires consideration of how they facilitated, usually relatively mutually beneficial commercial and financial privileges, within an evolving global marketplace, led mostly by the major European players.
One of the ‘Free-Trade Agreements’ of the early-nineteenth century, Baltalimanı can be seen as part of the harmonisation process with the time’s prevailing currents of the world economy. I would argue that this harmonisation formed part of the Tanzimat era, the time known as the 're-organisation' of the empire.
The Tanzimat fermans should therefore be seen as the result of the same process of restructuring of the empire to suit the needs of the European free-trade model and liberal commercial requirements. This was how the question of 'what is to be of this empire?' was being answered in the early nineteenth century.""
After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Djeneviz bāzirgānları (Genoese merchants) of Pera wer... more After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Djeneviz bāzirgānları (Genoese merchants) of Pera were granted the special status and identity of the muste’min allowing them the freedom to trade in Ottoman territories. There existed a complex pluralist legal framework in early Ottoman Istanbul, in which the invaluable role of merchant foreigners, whether transient, the Frengis (Franks), or the previously settled, the dhimmīs, was recognised and codified. By looking at Ottoman court and Italian notary documents, this privileged status will be examined from the experience of both the merchant foreigner in Pera and their Ottoman rulers on the other side of the Golden Horn. As such, by reviewing their ordinary interactions, the practical value placed upon the merchant foreigner’s pre-existing primacy over the established trade routes of out of Pera will be assessed.
The early capitulations were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign ... more The early capitulations were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures.
It was this established tradition and modus operandi that the successive Ottomans took over after 1453. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn't until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms, at least on paper continued.
Much has been written in Ottoman historiography on the Capitulations. They have been extensively referred to in the context of the history of decline, blamed for the increasing intrusion and control exerted onto the empire by European capital towards the end of the 19th century and ultimately for leading to its collapse. However, blaming the Capitulations for decline based on a correlation is dismissing the causation of the wider integration of the 19th Century Ottoman Economy into European Liberal Trading principles.
Talk delivered at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures Research Training Seminar.
The positi... more Talk delivered at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures Research Training Seminar.
The position of the Ottoman Empire in the region’s trading economy after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was not a break with the past. Trade relations established previously in Byzantium with the West continued under the Ottoman state.
Considering Pera as a unique example of the importance of privileges in the late Byzantine Empire, the question is why after 1453 there is an observed decline in Western trade within the Ottomans Empire despite the tradition of privileges being continued. The position of Pera during the beginning of Empire and the wider question of the reasons behind the decline of Western trade in the Ottoman territories will be investigated.
with Noémi Lévy-Aksu
hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare),... more with Noémi Lévy-Aksu hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare), loosely translated as a “state of emergency or siege,” was a neologism introduced in the first Ottoman constitution in 1876 to allow the suspension of ordinary legal order in Ottoman localities in case of actual or potential uprisings. While the term clearly referred to the Ottoman legal tradition, the idare-i örfiyye was also inspired by contemporary definitions of regimes of exception in France and other countries. This conversation offers an insight into the genesis of this legal notion and seeks to understand the political, geographic and social impact of the widespread implementation of idare-i örfiyye in the Ottoman provinces during Abdülhamid II reign and the early Young Turk period.
A handful of obscure archival fragments from Sultan Abdülhamid II’s imperial library in Yıldız ha... more A handful of obscure archival fragments from Sultan Abdülhamid II’s imperial library in Yıldız have revealed a curious architectural practice that took place in the urban gardens of members and officials of the Ottoman court: they had a penchant for imported chalets. In this episode, Deniz Türker discusses her research on how this relatively niche fad for importation quickly shifted to widespread local prefabrication in the last decades of the nineteenth century. With the entrepreneurial oversight of production facilities in Istanbul, a larger swath of the capital’s population began to find ways to express their domestic tastes in an extremely competitive spirit on Istanbul’s expanding suburbs. In tracing these practices through state archives, newspapers, novel, and photographs, Türker also proposes some preliminary answers to the scarcity of original architectural drawings in the Ottoman archives.
The period from the 1870s to 1914 was the peak of the nineteenth-century globalisation characteri... more The period from the 1870s to 1914 was the peak of the nineteenth-century globalisation characterised by increased movement of capital across the world. In this podcast, Coşkun Tuncer discusses his recent book on ‘Sovereign Debt and the International Financial Control: the Middle East and the Balkans, 1870-1914’, the role of banks as intermediaries between the Ottoman government and international financial markets, the Ottoman Public Debt Administration and the cases of sovereign debt in Egypt, Serbia and Greece.
Ottoman-German relations have usually been studied in the context of great-power politics, imperi... more Ottoman-German relations have usually been studied in the context of great-power politics, imperialism both hard and soft, or the military and economic spheres. In this podcast Philipp Wirtz presents some initial findings of a larger research project focusing on personal networks and experiences of Germans residing in the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic and two German expatriates in particular: the journalist Friedrich Schrader and the academic Martin Hartmann. As theatre-goers, buyers of books and writers of literary reviews, both took an active part in the cultural life of the Ottoman capital in the years following the Young Turk Revolution. Using their local knowledge and fluency in Ottoman Turkish, both were able to gain unique insights at odds with the popular portrayal of Ottoman affairs in the western media. On the other hand, neither of these authors was immune to the biases of their times, constantly questioning the extent to which Ottoman literary expression, and in particular the emerging “Turkish national literature” were “original” or “civilised".
Caliphate: an idea throughout history
with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph?... more Caliphate: an idea throughout history with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? What is the history of the idea? How can we interpret and use it today? In this podcast we discuss with Prof Hugh Kennedy his forthcoming book The Caliphate (Pelican Books) and the long-term historical context to the idea of caliphate. Tracing the history from the choosing of the first caliph Abu Bakr in the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the Orthodox (Rashidun) caliphs (632-661), the Umayyads (661-750), the Abbasids (750-1258) and the use of the idea of caliphate by the Ottomans down to the emergence of another Abu Bakr as “caliph” of the IS in 2014.
The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks a... more The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks and a multi-confessional alliance of political parties usurping the authoritarian rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The learned class of Muslim notables, the ulema, are usually portrayed as apprehensive bystanders threatened with marginalization by the restoration of the Ottoman constitution. But as our guest Yakoob Ahmed explains, ulema engagement with the revolution and the parliamentary elections that followed was robust. In this episode, we explore that engagement through a discussion of the writings and activities of the Ottoman ulema during the transformative period of 1908-1912.
Conference: New Research in Near and Middle Eastern Studies "Connectivity over Space and Time"
R... more Conference: New Research in Near and Middle Eastern Studies "Connectivity over Space and Time"
Register free here: soasnme.eventbrite.co.uk
During the past decades, there has been an increased interest across the humanities in various types of connectivities. The research being conducted by SOAS Research Students is exciting and original, and this conference aims to bring together students working on a wide variety of projects in order to stimulate bigger-picture thinking. Organised by PhD students with the support of SOAS Doctoral School, the Department of the Near and Middle East and the London MIddle East Institute.
Social Media Conference Hashtag: #ConnectivityConf
Part of the "Connectivity over Space and Time" SOAS Research Student Conference
https://www.soas... more Part of the "Connectivity over Space and Time" SOAS Research Student Conference
"These agreements, guaranteeing privileges to
foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not
only had... more "These agreements, guaranteeing privileges to foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not only had commercial consequences, but also played a part in the construction of Ottoman self-identity both regionally and locally by recognising the role, and, implicitly, the identity of the merchant foreigner."
Privileges, a modus operandi of the Byzantine world, were continued after 1453 by the successive ... more Privileges, a modus operandi of the Byzantine world, were continued after 1453 by the successive Ottomans. The tradition fundamentally shaped Ottoman diplomatic relations with the Latin trading nations and followed well-established patterns set by their Byzantine predecessors.
The early treaties after the fall of Constantinople were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn’t until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms continued.
Written in Greek, the Genoese of Pera were immediately granted concessions after the fall. Commercial arrangements granted by Mehmed were not only limited to the Genoese, but were also extended to the Venetians, both in the treaty of 1454 and that of 1479. Although the Ottoman treaties adapted themselves to the principles of Islamic law, the patterns of the Byzantine privileges were followed.
In illustrating the inherited relations between Ottoman economic acumen and Latin trade, and the implications of pecuniary as opposed to religious considerations, it can be argued that rather than being outsiders, the Ottomans were an integral part of the Mediterranean trading circle.
""The 1838 Anglo-Ottoman Commercial Treaty of Baltalimanı: A harmonisation with the prevailing cu... more ""The 1838 Anglo-Ottoman Commercial Treaty of Baltalimanı: A harmonisation with the prevailing currents of the world economy
The second half of the eighteenth century paved the way for a new economic system through developments in trade, industry and shipping spurred on by British liberalism. As it was in the Byzantine Empire, privileges, and so in the case of the Ottomans, capitulations, needed constant renewal. A full understanding of the capitulations requires consideration of how they facilitated, usually relatively mutually beneficial commercial and financial privileges, within an evolving global marketplace, led mostly by the major European players.
One of the ‘Free-Trade Agreements’ of the early-nineteenth century, Baltalimanı can be seen as part of the harmonisation process with the time’s prevailing currents of the world economy. I would argue that this harmonisation formed part of the Tanzimat era, the time known as the 're-organisation' of the empire.
The Tanzimat fermans should therefore be seen as the result of the same process of restructuring of the empire to suit the needs of the European free-trade model and liberal commercial requirements. This was how the question of 'what is to be of this empire?' was being answered in the early nineteenth century.""
After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Djeneviz bāzirgānları (Genoese merchants) of Pera wer... more After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Djeneviz bāzirgānları (Genoese merchants) of Pera were granted the special status and identity of the muste’min allowing them the freedom to trade in Ottoman territories. There existed a complex pluralist legal framework in early Ottoman Istanbul, in which the invaluable role of merchant foreigners, whether transient, the Frengis (Franks), or the previously settled, the dhimmīs, was recognised and codified. By looking at Ottoman court and Italian notary documents, this privileged status will be examined from the experience of both the merchant foreigner in Pera and their Ottoman rulers on the other side of the Golden Horn. As such, by reviewing their ordinary interactions, the practical value placed upon the merchant foreigner’s pre-existing primacy over the established trade routes of out of Pera will be assessed.
The early capitulations were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign ... more The early capitulations were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures.
It was this established tradition and modus operandi that the successive Ottomans took over after 1453. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn't until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms, at least on paper continued.
Much has been written in Ottoman historiography on the Capitulations. They have been extensively referred to in the context of the history of decline, blamed for the increasing intrusion and control exerted onto the empire by European capital towards the end of the 19th century and ultimately for leading to its collapse. However, blaming the Capitulations for decline based on a correlation is dismissing the causation of the wider integration of the 19th Century Ottoman Economy into European Liberal Trading principles.
Talk delivered at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures Research Training Seminar.
The positi... more Talk delivered at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures Research Training Seminar.
The position of the Ottoman Empire in the region’s trading economy after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was not a break with the past. Trade relations established previously in Byzantium with the West continued under the Ottoman state.
Considering Pera as a unique example of the importance of privileges in the late Byzantine Empire, the question is why after 1453 there is an observed decline in Western trade within the Ottomans Empire despite the tradition of privileges being continued. The position of Pera during the beginning of Empire and the wider question of the reasons behind the decline of Western trade in the Ottoman territories will be investigated.
with Noémi Lévy-Aksu
hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare),... more with Noémi Lévy-Aksu hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare), loosely translated as a “state of emergency or siege,” was a neologism introduced in the first Ottoman constitution in 1876 to allow the suspension of ordinary legal order in Ottoman localities in case of actual or potential uprisings. While the term clearly referred to the Ottoman legal tradition, the idare-i örfiyye was also inspired by contemporary definitions of regimes of exception in France and other countries. This conversation offers an insight into the genesis of this legal notion and seeks to understand the political, geographic and social impact of the widespread implementation of idare-i örfiyye in the Ottoman provinces during Abdülhamid II reign and the early Young Turk period.
A handful of obscure archival fragments from Sultan Abdülhamid II’s imperial library in Yıldız ha... more A handful of obscure archival fragments from Sultan Abdülhamid II’s imperial library in Yıldız have revealed a curious architectural practice that took place in the urban gardens of members and officials of the Ottoman court: they had a penchant for imported chalets. In this episode, Deniz Türker discusses her research on how this relatively niche fad for importation quickly shifted to widespread local prefabrication in the last decades of the nineteenth century. With the entrepreneurial oversight of production facilities in Istanbul, a larger swath of the capital’s population began to find ways to express their domestic tastes in an extremely competitive spirit on Istanbul’s expanding suburbs. In tracing these practices through state archives, newspapers, novel, and photographs, Türker also proposes some preliminary answers to the scarcity of original architectural drawings in the Ottoman archives.
The period from the 1870s to 1914 was the peak of the nineteenth-century globalisation characteri... more The period from the 1870s to 1914 was the peak of the nineteenth-century globalisation characterised by increased movement of capital across the world. In this podcast, Coşkun Tuncer discusses his recent book on ‘Sovereign Debt and the International Financial Control: the Middle East and the Balkans, 1870-1914’, the role of banks as intermediaries between the Ottoman government and international financial markets, the Ottoman Public Debt Administration and the cases of sovereign debt in Egypt, Serbia and Greece.
Ottoman-German relations have usually been studied in the context of great-power politics, imperi... more Ottoman-German relations have usually been studied in the context of great-power politics, imperialism both hard and soft, or the military and economic spheres. In this podcast Philipp Wirtz presents some initial findings of a larger research project focusing on personal networks and experiences of Germans residing in the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic and two German expatriates in particular: the journalist Friedrich Schrader and the academic Martin Hartmann. As theatre-goers, buyers of books and writers of literary reviews, both took an active part in the cultural life of the Ottoman capital in the years following the Young Turk Revolution. Using their local knowledge and fluency in Ottoman Turkish, both were able to gain unique insights at odds with the popular portrayal of Ottoman affairs in the western media. On the other hand, neither of these authors was immune to the biases of their times, constantly questioning the extent to which Ottoman literary expression, and in particular the emerging “Turkish national literature” were “original” or “civilised".
Caliphate: an idea throughout history
with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph?... more Caliphate: an idea throughout history with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? What is the history of the idea? How can we interpret and use it today? In this podcast we discuss with Prof Hugh Kennedy his forthcoming book The Caliphate (Pelican Books) and the long-term historical context to the idea of caliphate. Tracing the history from the choosing of the first caliph Abu Bakr in the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the Orthodox (Rashidun) caliphs (632-661), the Umayyads (661-750), the Abbasids (750-1258) and the use of the idea of caliphate by the Ottomans down to the emergence of another Abu Bakr as “caliph” of the IS in 2014.
The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks a... more The conventional story of the 1908 Revolution in the Ottoman Empire is that of the Young Turks and a multi-confessional alliance of political parties usurping the authoritarian rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The learned class of Muslim notables, the ulema, are usually portrayed as apprehensive bystanders threatened with marginalization by the restoration of the Ottoman constitution. But as our guest Yakoob Ahmed explains, ulema engagement with the revolution and the parliamentary elections that followed was robust. In this episode, we explore that engagement through a discussion of the writings and activities of the Ottoman ulema during the transformative period of 1908-1912.
Conference: New Research in Near and Middle Eastern Studies "Connectivity over Space and Time"
R... more Conference: New Research in Near and Middle Eastern Studies "Connectivity over Space and Time"
Register free here: soasnme.eventbrite.co.uk
During the past decades, there has been an increased interest across the humanities in various types of connectivities. The research being conducted by SOAS Research Students is exciting and original, and this conference aims to bring together students working on a wide variety of projects in order to stimulate bigger-picture thinking. Organised by PhD students with the support of SOAS Doctoral School, the Department of the Near and Middle East and the London MIddle East Institute.
Social Media Conference Hashtag: #ConnectivityConf
Uploads
https://www.soas.ac.uk/nme/events/24feb2017-research-in-languages-and-cultures-of-the-near-and-middle-east-at-soas-connectivity-over-s.html
foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not
only had commercial consequences, but also
played a part in the construction of Ottoman
self-identity both regionally and locally by
recognising the role, and, implicitly, the identity
of the merchant foreigner."
The early treaties after the fall of Constantinople were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn’t until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms continued.
Written in Greek, the Genoese of Pera were immediately granted concessions after the fall. Commercial arrangements granted by Mehmed were not only limited to the Genoese, but were also extended to the Venetians, both in the treaty of 1454 and that of 1479. Although the Ottoman treaties adapted themselves to the principles of Islamic law, the patterns of the Byzantine privileges were followed.
In illustrating the inherited relations between Ottoman economic acumen and Latin trade, and the implications of pecuniary as opposed to religious considerations, it can be argued that rather than being outsiders, the Ottomans were an integral part of the Mediterranean trading circle.
The second half of the eighteenth century paved the way for a new economic system through developments in trade, industry and shipping spurred on by British liberalism. As it was in the Byzantine Empire, privileges, and so in the case of the Ottomans, capitulations, needed constant renewal. A full understanding of the capitulations requires consideration of how they facilitated, usually relatively mutually beneficial commercial and financial privileges, within an evolving global marketplace, led mostly by the major European players.
One of the ‘Free-Trade Agreements’ of the early-nineteenth century, Baltalimanı can be seen as part of the harmonisation process with the time’s prevailing currents of the world economy. I would argue that this harmonisation formed part of the Tanzimat era, the time known as the 're-organisation' of the empire.
The Tanzimat fermans should therefore be seen as the result of the same process of restructuring of the empire to suit the needs of the European free-trade model and liberal commercial requirements. This was how the question of 'what is to be of this empire?' was being answered in the early nineteenth century.""
It was this established tradition and modus operandi that the successive Ottomans took over after 1453. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn't until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms, at least on paper continued.
Much has been written in Ottoman historiography on the Capitulations. They have been extensively referred to in the context of the history of decline, blamed for the increasing intrusion and control exerted onto the empire by European capital towards the end of the 19th century and ultimately for leading to its collapse. However, blaming the Capitulations for decline based on a correlation is dismissing the causation of the wider integration of the 19th Century Ottoman Economy into European Liberal Trading principles.
The position of the Ottoman Empire in the region’s trading economy after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was not a break with the past. Trade relations established previously in Byzantium with the West continued under the Ottoman state.
Considering Pera as a unique example of the importance of privileges in the late Byzantine Empire, the question is why after 1453 there is an observed decline in Western trade within the Ottomans Empire despite the tradition of privileges being continued. The position of Pera during the beginning of Empire and the wider question of the reasons behind the decline of Western trade in the Ottoman territories will be investigated.
hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare), loosely translated as a “state of emergency or siege,” was a neologism introduced in the first Ottoman constitution in 1876 to allow the suspension of ordinary legal order in Ottoman localities in case of actual or potential uprisings. While the term clearly referred to the Ottoman legal tradition, the idare-i örfiyye was also inspired by contemporary definitions of regimes of exception in France and other countries. This conversation offers an insight into the genesis of this legal notion and seeks to understand the political, geographic and social impact of the widespread implementation of idare-i örfiyye in the Ottoman provinces during Abdülhamid II reign and the early Young Turk period.
with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? What is the history of the idea? How can we interpret and use it today? In this podcast we discuss with Prof Hugh Kennedy his forthcoming book The Caliphate (Pelican Books) and the long-term historical context to the idea of caliphate. Tracing the history from the choosing of the first caliph Abu Bakr in the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the Orthodox (Rashidun) caliphs (632-661), the Umayyads (661-750), the Abbasids (750-1258) and the use of the idea of caliphate by the Ottomans down to the emergence of another Abu Bakr as “caliph” of the IS in 2014.
Register free here: soasnme.eventbrite.co.uk
During the past decades, there has been an increased interest across the humanities in various types of connectivities. The research being conducted by SOAS Research Students is exciting and original, and this conference aims to bring together students working on a wide variety of projects in order to stimulate bigger-picture thinking. Organised by PhD students with the support of SOAS Doctoral School, the Department of the Near and Middle East and the London MIddle East Institute.
Social Media Conference Hashtag: #ConnectivityConf
https://www.soas.ac.uk/nme/events/24feb2017-research-in-languages-and-cultures-of-the-near-and-middle-east-at-soas-connectivity-over-s.html
foreigners within the Ottoman domains, not
only had commercial consequences, but also
played a part in the construction of Ottoman
self-identity both regionally and locally by
recognising the role, and, implicitly, the identity
of the merchant foreigner."
The early treaties after the fall of Constantinople were aimed essentially at reducing tariff discrimination against foreign traders and allowed them to settle internal disputes through their own legal procedures. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn’t until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms continued.
Written in Greek, the Genoese of Pera were immediately granted concessions after the fall. Commercial arrangements granted by Mehmed were not only limited to the Genoese, but were also extended to the Venetians, both in the treaty of 1454 and that of 1479. Although the Ottoman treaties adapted themselves to the principles of Islamic law, the patterns of the Byzantine privileges were followed.
In illustrating the inherited relations between Ottoman economic acumen and Latin trade, and the implications of pecuniary as opposed to religious considerations, it can be argued that rather than being outsiders, the Ottomans were an integral part of the Mediterranean trading circle.
The second half of the eighteenth century paved the way for a new economic system through developments in trade, industry and shipping spurred on by British liberalism. As it was in the Byzantine Empire, privileges, and so in the case of the Ottomans, capitulations, needed constant renewal. A full understanding of the capitulations requires consideration of how they facilitated, usually relatively mutually beneficial commercial and financial privileges, within an evolving global marketplace, led mostly by the major European players.
One of the ‘Free-Trade Agreements’ of the early-nineteenth century, Baltalimanı can be seen as part of the harmonisation process with the time’s prevailing currents of the world economy. I would argue that this harmonisation formed part of the Tanzimat era, the time known as the 're-organisation' of the empire.
The Tanzimat fermans should therefore be seen as the result of the same process of restructuring of the empire to suit the needs of the European free-trade model and liberal commercial requirements. This was how the question of 'what is to be of this empire?' was being answered in the early nineteenth century.""
It was this established tradition and modus operandi that the successive Ottomans took over after 1453. However, in the case of the Ottomans, it wasn't until a century later that they initiated a new drive for capitulations and until then, previous norms, at least on paper continued.
Much has been written in Ottoman historiography on the Capitulations. They have been extensively referred to in the context of the history of decline, blamed for the increasing intrusion and control exerted onto the empire by European capital towards the end of the 19th century and ultimately for leading to its collapse. However, blaming the Capitulations for decline based on a correlation is dismissing the causation of the wider integration of the 19th Century Ottoman Economy into European Liberal Trading principles.
The position of the Ottoman Empire in the region’s trading economy after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was not a break with the past. Trade relations established previously in Byzantium with the West continued under the Ottoman state.
Considering Pera as a unique example of the importance of privileges in the late Byzantine Empire, the question is why after 1453 there is an observed decline in Western trade within the Ottomans Empire despite the tradition of privileges being continued. The position of Pera during the beginning of Empire and the wider question of the reasons behind the decline of Western trade in the Ottoman territories will be investigated.
hosted by Taylan Güngör and Michael Talbot
Idare-i örfiyye (or örfi idare), loosely translated as a “state of emergency or siege,” was a neologism introduced in the first Ottoman constitution in 1876 to allow the suspension of ordinary legal order in Ottoman localities in case of actual or potential uprisings. While the term clearly referred to the Ottoman legal tradition, the idare-i örfiyye was also inspired by contemporary definitions of regimes of exception in France and other countries. This conversation offers an insight into the genesis of this legal notion and seeks to understand the political, geographic and social impact of the widespread implementation of idare-i örfiyye in the Ottoman provinces during Abdülhamid II reign and the early Young Turk period.
with Hugh Kennedy
What is a caliphate? Who can be caliph? What is the history of the idea? How can we interpret and use it today? In this podcast we discuss with Prof Hugh Kennedy his forthcoming book The Caliphate (Pelican Books) and the long-term historical context to the idea of caliphate. Tracing the history from the choosing of the first caliph Abu Bakr in the immediate aftermath of the Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, the Orthodox (Rashidun) caliphs (632-661), the Umayyads (661-750), the Abbasids (750-1258) and the use of the idea of caliphate by the Ottomans down to the emergence of another Abu Bakr as “caliph” of the IS in 2014.
Register free here: soasnme.eventbrite.co.uk
During the past decades, there has been an increased interest across the humanities in various types of connectivities. The research being conducted by SOAS Research Students is exciting and original, and this conference aims to bring together students working on a wide variety of projects in order to stimulate bigger-picture thinking. Organised by PhD students with the support of SOAS Doctoral School, the Department of the Near and Middle East and the London MIddle East Institute.
Social Media Conference Hashtag: #ConnectivityConf