History of Ottoman Diplomacy

This course provides our students with a focused survey and analyses of Ottoman diplomatic history from the beginning to the end of the Empire. The course shall look at the ways in which Ottomans conducted diplomacy, granted concessions and enacted agreements during different time periods, as well as the historical development of institutions that practiced diplomacy. Our focus will be on the diplomatic interactions and the social, economic, political, and cultural contexts in which they take place. When powerful, the Ottomans dictated their will on their rivals but starting from the early 18th century the Ottomans had to negotiate with other powers and employed non-Muslims who spoke foreign languages in the service of the government ,eventually creating a new office, Hariciye Nezareti. The course will evaluate several important turning points in the history of the Ottoman Empire by specifically looking at the diplomatic relations which defined these important moments i.e. among several others, the Ottoman-Russian and Ottoman-Iranian wars, the Berlin Congress, Refugee Problems, the Balkan Wars and World War I. The intensified practice of diplomacy, public diplomacy and the influence of Ottoman reforms on its relations with foreign powers during the nineteenth century will also be scrutinized. The diplomatic efforts of the founding cadres of the Turkish Republic after the World War I and during the National Struggle for Independence will also be dealt with. Objectives of the Course: (1) to analyze the process through which the Ottoman Empire enacted its diplomatic relations, (2) to gain a historical insight about the legacy of Ottoman and European diplomatic relations from the 14th to the 20th centuries, (3) to develop a better understanding of the internal and external dynamics of the ways Ottoman diplomatic strategies, (4) to gain insight about the important events in the history of Ottoman relations with Europe, Asia, Russia and other parts of the world.