HOW WERE ORTODOX CHRISTIANS TREATED IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Transcription

1 HOW WERE ORTODOX CHRISTIANS TREATED IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE Name Surname. UNIVERSITY HIST 2018

2 Introduction It is necessary to know how the Ottoman State is being treated to understand the management strategy for non-muslims. In this context, the name of the Ottoman administration's people is important. In this name, it is suggested that the Qur'anic perspective is effective. In this view that the purpose of Creation is to believe in God and that life should be shaped accordingly, there is a distinction between people, believers and non-believers 1. In this classification, people are quoted in various forms in the Qur'an and hadiths. Those who accept the message of the Qur'an have been expressed as "believers" and "Muslims" to be derived from the words "faith" and "Islam". In order to reject this message, the terms "infidels" derived from the word "kufr" meaning "to hide" have been used. This classification, which is expressed as "believers and infidels," can also be expressed as "Muslims and non-muslims." The term "non-muslims" refers to all groups other than Muslims in general: in the Islamic literature non-muslims are classified as here the church is meant to believe to Allah 2. These nominations for the discrimination of Muslims and non-muslims, as it is done in the Salafi Islamic states, show that in the Ottoman Empire one of the means to distinguish religion, persons and groups. In other words, religious identity is evaluated together with other identities in determining the social status of people. The clear identification of identities is crucial in establishing the basic boundaries that define the attitude of individuals, groups and management towards each other. In this respect, religious identity has a borderline function in the Ottoman State 3. 1 Saro Dadyan. Osmanlı'nın Gayrimüslim Tarihinden Notlar, (İstanbul: Yeditepe Yayınevi, 2014) pp Ibid. 3 Donald Quataert. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu: , (İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2013), pp

3 In the Ottoman Empire, a religion-based classification of the subjects was developed, and policies were developed according to their differences. Especially since the 19th century, this management strategy, which is often referred to as the "nation system", can be understood through the historical background and the representation of the situation in the classical period. For this reason, it is first necessary to tackle the situation of non-muslims in the Ottoman territory periodically and explain them in a systematic management strategy. This topic is primarily addressed in the study. The nature of the nation system and how it is applied is explained by referring to the conceptualization attempts of contemporary researchers (Quataert 2013, 212). At this point, the mentality underlying ideas of the nation system has also been assessed. As a result, the Ottoman State's attitude towards the Orthodox and its attitude towards them has been tried to be revealed. When the Turks came to Anatolia in the 11th century and started spreading to the west, they encountered Greek, Armenian and a few Jews with Turkish and non-muslim elements. It is also believed that there were a number of small Christian groups among those who came to Anatolia together with the Turks during this period. However, even though these groups have established their own villages and neighborhoods in their new homelands, they must have melted and become Turkified in time 4. During the first Turkish conquests, there were those who showed resistance to the indigenous people not to change the existing order; but it is known that most of the people are close to new comers. For if the Turks were acting with the ideology of gaza, they would have been strictly Muslim, though they were not religious at the level of fanaticism 5. Although Gordlevski described the Seljuks themselves as Islamic warriors who destroy infidels, they 4 Fuat Köprülü. Osmanlı Devleti nin Kuruluşu, (Ankara: TTK Basımevi, 1959), pp Claude Cahen. Osmanlılar dan Önce Anadolu da Türkler, (İstanbul: e-yayınları, 1979), pp

4 actually say that there is no religious conservatism; economic and political interests of the Muslims, they have been questioned by other contemporary Islamic rulers whether the Seljuks were sincere Muslims 6. Muslims and non-muslims are seen together in a close relationship in the ends of the Ottoman Empire. Even the dimension of these relations has led to the claims that the Turks have mixed up with the indigenous peoples and formed a mixed culture here. According to this view, which shows the influence of the gazettes operating in the extremist regions on the role of new conquests and the effect of Islamization, these gases emerged as a result of interference with the indigenous peoples 7. Another historian who has expressed opinions about the formation of mixed cultures says that there is a relationship beyond good livelihood, that even the peoples' lives are not different from each other, and that they have come to act together because of centuries of familiarity and closeness. In that case, it should not be eclipsed to mention the Greek and Armenian elements that helped Muslim Turks, and even joined them 8. It is possible to talk about an Ottoman principality developing with the involvement of non-muslims with other Turkish groups and cooperation at all, after the Ottomans operating in the western end of the region had teased the region. The premises - as mentioned above - are based on the friendship and cooperation of the Turks, which have taken place since the first conquests of Anatolia, are also seen in the era of the establishment of the Ottoman Principality. In fact, an exaggeration of this point has also been put forward, which has attracted considerable 6 Vladimir Gordlevski. Anadolu Selçuklu Devleti, (Ankara: Onur Yayınları, 1988), pp Paul Witek. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Doğuşu (İstanbul: Pencere Yayınları, 2000), pp Fuat Köprülü. Osmanlı Devleti nin Kuruluşu, (Ankara: TTK Basımevi, 1959), pp

5 interest in Europe. It is suggested that the foundation of your foundation is connected only with non-muslims through friendship and organization 9. If the author of this view is to express it briefly, the Turks who came to Anatolia under the leadership of Ertuğrul, who was the father of Osman who gave his name to the state, accepted the Islam like the Seljuks after entering the Muslim neighbourhood and forced the Greek Greeks in their surroundings to force Islam He alleged that he was idle. This is the product of a ten-fold increase in population over ten years. The founder of the state, the "Ottoman", was not a pure Turkic race, but a result of intermingling with the indigenous people. The development of the state is also due to the non-muslims gained by the "transfer procedure" this time, not by these shepherd Turks who are not capable of organizing, as it was at the beginning 10. Institutionalizing the legal status of non-muslims living in the Ottoman State, II. Mehmed's conquest of Istanbul. With the conquest of Istanbul, "Fatih", who now regards himself as the "Rum Kayzeri", has begun to organize the state, which is regarded as the continuation of the Roman Empire, on the way of world domination 11. II. Mehmed's great religious policy, called "ecumenical politics" after the conquest of Istanbul, includes the desire to make the new capital a very religious city, the center of different religions. Especially breaking the Orthodox Christians from Latin Christianity and stopping the Roman influence on the Greek Church is an important political goal Halil İnalcık. İslâm Arazi ve Vergi Sisteminin Teşekkülü ve Osmanlı Devrindeki Şekillerle Mukayesesi, (İstanbul: Eren Yayıncılık, 1993), pp Herbert Adams Gibbons. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Kuruluşu, (Ankara: 21. Yüzyıl, 1998), pp Halil İnalcık. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Klasik Çağ. (İstanbul: YKY, 2003), pp Ibid. 5

6 II. Mehmed's organization of non-muslim communities in the center of Istanbul to achieve this political goal has also brought innovation to the usual practice of Islamic states. The legal status of the non-muslim population became clearer with this policy, which reinforces centralism and hierarchy within itself and adds non-muslim people to the Ottoman society in communities or nations 13. It is also possible to classify non-muslims in terms of their relation to the Islamic State as "the people of war" and "the people of Ahl al-ahd". The Ahl al-harb refers to non-muslim communities in conflict with Muslims. The Ahl-i ahd includes non-muslims who are not warlords, ie, who are not in a war with Muslims. The main idioms are in this category of Ahl al-ahd, together with the muahad and the müstemen). It is possible to refer to Ottoman imprisonments in a variety of ways with different perspectives, but non-muslim groups are composed of three basic groups as expressed in the sources: Greeks, Armenians and Jews. At the base of the nation system, there is "understanding of conscience". Although the studies of history and language point to the Sami origin of EMAN, it is known that similar practices exist in different societies. However, the application of enmity in the sense of Islamic history implies the assurance required in the case of entering or surrendering to the Islamic country. Over time, the conquest of a place of peace has become widespread in the sense of peace applied to the conquered people. The assertion expressed in the Qur'an by the word "vicar" is also described in the hadiths with the words "ahd" and "embezzlement". This is why, in Ottoman history, the terms ahid or embezzlement have been used for the rules that non- Muslims are subject İlber Ortaylı. "Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nda Millet Sistemi." Türkler, 2002: Herbert Adams Gibbons. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Kuruluşu, (Ankara: 21. Yüzyıl, 1998), pp

7 Examples of non-muslim people being trampled under heavy taxation, taxed according to their financial status, and the number of taxpayers changing and the situation changing, indicate efforts to avoid persecution in economic terms. It is noteworthy that in some of the failures of the Ottoman State the determination of the causes of failure and deterioration is that the negative movements made to non-muslims on taxation are mentioned among the causes of this evil trend.23 Moreover, the non-muslim public is also given the right to complain through the supply-, making provisions for not being unfairly renounced and publishing justices that concern them can be considered as indicators of justice 15. In the Ottoman Empire, it is the same interest because it establishes a system in this subject by continuing the embezzlement policy of the previous Islamic states and by developing a mentality with shar'bi and common grounds about the administration of non-muslim subjects. In the Anatolian geography, the non-muslim groups that we were aware of their presence before the domination of the Ottoman Empire had a very comfortable life since the arrival of Turks in Anatolia. At the outset, it is understood that they are glad to be ruled by them because they know the Turks they see with suspicion and establish close relations with them 16. In the period of Ottoman domination, it is seen that this situation is continuing, and the relations have developed increasingly. In these relations, understanding, tolerance and business unity are striking. Putting clear attitudes towards the management of non-muslims on a legal basis, II. It was possible with the organization called "nation system" that Mehmed realized. After the conquest of Istanbul, the Sultan, who made a big organizational attack, played a decisive role in the case of non-muslims, as he considered himself a Byzantine emperor and 15 Halil İnalcık. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Klasik Çağ. (İstanbul: YKY, 2003), pp Paul Witek. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Doğuşu (İstanbul: Pencere Yayınları, 2000), pp

8 took possession of the payday and other lands. For this reason, it can be argued that the conquest of Istanbul is a turning point as well as the Turks, in terms of non-turkish and non-muslims 17. Contemporary historians argue that there is an organization for the management of the Ottoman non-muslims, and if so, what is the starting point. It turns out that some of them are anti-ottoman and anti-islamic unfounded, some of them are misinterpretations of the Islamic and Ottoman mentality. Especially, the existence of the embezzlement law emerges as the main argument of the negative evaluations, assuming that the non-muslims have a second-class status or been specially created for this purpose. On the other hand, especially in the political atmosphere of the 19th century, the prejudices settled by the influence of separatist ideas are influential in criticizing the Ottoman State's non-muslim policies. It is seen that historians of the Balkan States, which had been settled apart from the Ottoman Empire in this way, had negative evaluations about the rule of non-muslims. The views of the Turkish historians have focused on the idea that the administration of the Ottoman State's non-muslims constitutes an example of tolerance 18. Conclusion As a result, in the Ottoman Empire, there has been a systematic approach to the management of non-muslims from very early on, and it contains shar'i and customary bases. The Ottoman State has taken its approach, which it has shaped with its expropriation policy, institution of trust and understanding of justice, one step forward from the predominantly Turkish Islamic states, and has organized the so-called "nation system". Within this system, non-muslims were able to live together with Muslims as part of the Ottoman society. Their religious identities were able to live according to their legal bases which were regarded as being 17 Fuat Köprülü. Osmanlı Devleti nin Kuruluşu, (Ankara: TTK Basımevi, 1959), pp Saro Dadyan. Osmanlı'nın Gayrimüslim Tarihinden Notlar, (İstanbul: Yeditepe Yayınevi, 2014) pp

9 different as they were, and their religious identities played a role not only in determining their place in society, but also in other identity items. References Cahen, Claude. Osmanlılar dan Önce Anadolu da Türkler. İstanbul : e-yayınları, Dadyan, Saro. Osmanlı'nın Gayrimüslim Tarihinden Notlar. İstanbul: Yeditepe Yayınevi, Gibbons, Herbert Adams. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Kuruluşu. Ankara: 21. Yüzyıl, Gordlevski, Vladimir. Anadolu Selçuklu Devleti. Ankara: Onur Yayınları, İnalcık, Halil. İslâm Arazi ve Vergi Sisteminin Teşekkülü ve Osmanlı Devrindeki Şekillerle Mukayesesi. İstanbul: Eren Yayıncılık, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Klasik Çağ. İstanbul: YKY, Köprülü, Fuat. Osmanlı Devleti nin Kuruluşu. Ankara: TTK Basımevi, Ortaylı, İlber. "Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nda Millet Sistemi"Türkler, 2002: Quataert, Donald. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu: İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, Witek, Paul. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu nun Doğuşu. İstanbul: Pencere Yayınları,