The Ottoman Empire grew increasingly accepting of European law of nations when it became clear that its survival was at stake. In a bid to appeal to their European counterparts, the Ottomans sought...Show moreThe Ottoman Empire grew increasingly accepting of European law of nations when it became clear that its survival was at stake. In a bid to appeal to their European counterparts, the Ottomans sought to reform their existing administrative practices and governmental institutions into a bureaucratic system based on the Western model. Inspired by the European state system, the Ottoman Empire broke its long and historical streak of militaristic statecraft in favor of changing its approach to foreign affairs.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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In 1573, the Spanish humanist Juan Latino wrote the Latin epic Austrias carmen, commissioned by the inquisitor Pedro de Deza. This is one of many literary celebrations of the Holy League victory...Show moreIn 1573, the Spanish humanist Juan Latino wrote the Latin epic Austrias carmen, commissioned by the inquisitor Pedro de Deza. This is one of many literary celebrations of the Holy League victory over an Ottoman fleet in the 1571 naval battle of Lepanto. This thesis deals with the work's depiction of the Ottomans: both its more generalised depiction of the Ottomans as a people, and its depiction of a specific Ottoman character, the admiral Ali Pasha. While at first glance, the work appears to paint the Ottomans in a hostile light, some scholars have argued that it also contains scenes that are more empathetic, even sympathetic to the Ottoman 'enemy'. By considering the epic's depiction of the Ottomans in light of its classical intertexts and other contemporaneous Western European responses to the Ottoman Empire, this thesis seeks to nuance this claim. I argue that the work uses many of the tropes of contemporary anti-Ottoman rhetoric, while having less in common with more 'positive' contemporaneous Western European evaluations of the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, I aim to demonstrate that the epic's 'sympathetic' passages on the Ottomans tend to have a strong European, and particularly Spanish imperial, bias: any sympathy hinges on Ottoman characters' acceptance of, or submission to, a Spanish imperialist worldview. Finally, I will connect the epic's depiction of the Ottomans to its depiction of the Spanish 'Moriscos' - the part of the Spanish Islamic population that had been forcibly converted to Christianity. The epic links them to the Ottomans, and the recent suppressed revolt of 'Moriscos' in Granada to the battle of Lepanto, thereby presenting these people as an internal enemy of Spain. Here, the epic may show the influence of Latino's patron Deza, who played an important role in the violent repression of the revolt.Show less
While opposite-sex and same-sex sexual intercourse are obviously as old as humanity, the discourse of sexuality as an identity is a quite recent phenomenon, an invented tradition. The terms...Show moreWhile opposite-sex and same-sex sexual intercourse are obviously as old as humanity, the discourse of sexuality as an identity is a quite recent phenomenon, an invented tradition. The terms heterosexual, homosexual, monosexual and heterogenit (bestiality) did not exist until the 1860s when they were coined by journalist Karl-Maria Kertbeny. Not only was this theory present in the West, it was also prevalent in the Ottoman Empire, where dominant religion Sunni Hanefi Islam condemned all sexual intercourse outside marital or concubinage relation between a man and a woman, including sexual intercourse between men. Although marriage/concubinage between a man and a woman has always been regarded as the favourable way of life in the Ottoman Empire, heterosexuality as a concept did not exist. Moreover, sexual contacts outside a marital or concubinage relationship did also happen. These included sexual contacts between men, sexual relations between women and sexual contacts with (female and male) prostitutes. Although female same-sex sexual relations did occur as attested by scarce sources, women’s activities seem to have gone unnoticed and consequently, undocumented. My aim in this thesis is to show that Ottoman men were not the conquering,“heterosexual,” pious Muslims the current Turkish president likes to portray them in order to create an ideal image to which the modern Turkish male citizen should mirror himself. Male same-sex sexual relations were omnipresent in the Ottoman Empire. These relations happened in the form of (love) relationships between adult men, adult men and (pre-) pubescent boys, between similar-aged pubescent boys and between paying men and boy prostitutes. Male prostitutes seem to have been mainly boys/youths and not adult men.Show less
With a comparative analysis of the ideology of Ottomanism, this thesis hopes to paint a different picture from the nation-focused works on the Ottoman Empire and show the importance that...Show moreWith a comparative analysis of the ideology of Ottomanism, this thesis hopes to paint a different picture from the nation-focused works on the Ottoman Empire and show the importance that transnational ideologies had in its late history.Show less
The Mecca of today displays a concrete image of a modern city. Contemporary buildings and planned communal spaces following the rules of 21st century architecture dominate the plains of this...Show moreThe Mecca of today displays a concrete image of a modern city. Contemporary buildings and planned communal spaces following the rules of 21st century architecture dominate the plains of this religious hub. This process of change on the Meccan cityscape can be traced through a number of factors; population growth, the globalization of the world, oil and its ties with the West. However, one factor lies key in triggering these changes - the Saudi-Wahhabi takeover of 1916. During the early beginnings of the First World War the Ottoman Empire was coming to a gradual end, loosing her power and influence on the lands under her rule. Challenged with fighting enemies on the western front, Ottoman focus on the Hijaz region shifted, offering a leeway for the Wahhabi faction to gain in strength and overthrow the Anatolian control, acclaiming the area known today as Saudi Arabia. This thesis aims to focus on what the consequential influences of the Wahhabi takeover in the 1920s were for the cityscape of Mecca through discussing: the differences between Mecca’s administrative styles under the diverging rule of the Ottoman Empire and the current Saudi decree; the religious background and effects the main principles of Wahhabism played on Meccan architecture; the discovery of oil and its repercussions of modernization and globalization; and the possible instigation of a new Islamic paradigm of Mecca, since its image has been altered so drastically. A time frame will be placed2, starting from the early stages of the 20th century, where the Ottoman Empire’s reign came to an end, up until the modern day Wahhabi rule.Show less
This thesis examines the accommodation of European merchant communities ("nations") in the Ottoman and the Mughal Empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Particular attention is...Show moreThis thesis examines the accommodation of European merchant communities ("nations") in the Ottoman and the Mughal Empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Particular attention is paid to the legal aspects of this accommodation, and the differences between the texts and actual realities on the ground.Show less
In 1978 Edward Said published his much discussed book Orientalism. In this book he discussed reocurring themes in Western literature, art, and scientific research into the Orient. He concluded that...Show moreIn 1978 Edward Said published his much discussed book Orientalism. In this book he discussed reocurring themes in Western literature, art, and scientific research into the Orient. He concluded that Western literature about the Orient uses "Orientalistic themes"; in which the Oriental was described as anti-democratic, irrational, superstitious and violent. In this way the describtion of the Oriental contrasted the way Occidentals (e.g. Europeans) were discussed; the "good" Occidental was everything the "bad" Oriental was not. In this thesis I discuss the use and reoccurrence in two travelogues about Persia, one written by a Frenchmen (Jean-Baptiste Tavernier) and one written by an Ottoman (Evliya Chelebi). I conclude that in both the French and the Ottoman travelogue the use of Orientalistic themes can be found.Show less
