Books by Irena Fliter
Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia: delegates to diplomats is the fi rst overarching study of... more Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia: delegates to diplomats is the fi rst overarching study of Ottomans in Prussia. It examines the embassies of Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1763/1764), Ahmed Azmi Efendi (1791/1792) and Ali Aziz Efendi (1797/1798), including their second-rank diplomatic personnel, such as secretaries and dragomans (interpreters), and the experiences of fi ve Ottoman chargés d'a aires who remained in Berlin until 1808. Unpacking the history of o cial diplomacy, daily interactions and the exchange of information and knowledge in late-Enlightenment Berlin, the study sheds light on the role of the individual in the formation and institutionalisation of Ottoman-European relations. It demonstrates how, over the course of administrative, fi scal and diplomatic reform initiatives within the Ottoman and Prussian governments, the role of delegate gradually changed from ad hoc representative to member of the diplomatic corps. The book further argues that the arrival of Ottoman delegates coincided with the transformation of the Prussian capital into an intellectual and cultural centre. Profoundly infl uenced by the spirit of reform and Enlightenment, early modern Ottomans and Prussians negotiated and renegotiated diplomatic conventions and Orientalist ideas.
Articles by Irena Fliter
Ottomans in Eighteenth-Century Prussia: Delegates to Diplomats, 2023
Prussia was peripheral. From the perspective of Istanbul, the centre of the eighteenth-century Ot... more Prussia was peripheral. From the perspective of Istanbul, the centre of the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire, which stretched from the Arabian peninsula to what is now Romania and Hungary and from North Africa to the borders of present-day Iran, Prussia was originally only one of many European countries of minor importance. In the first half of the eighteenth century, Prussia was in any respect distant from the Ottoman world. Other countries such as Britain, France and the Habsburg Empire held significantly more economic, cultural and diplomatic importance for the Ottoman court. However, with the rise of Prussia as a military power in Europe, the interest of the Ottomans also changed: in the second half of the eighteenth century, the periphery had become the military centre and a desired ally. The dance of rapprochement between the two courts lasted until the nineteenth century, with diplomatic envoys, their entourages and other intermediaries being the main actors. These actors turned the former peripheral Prussian court into a central partner of the empire, and, in return, Prussia transformed the Ottoman visitors into members of the European diplomatic corps.
Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia is the story of these processes of transformation. It tells how negotiations, misunderstandings and disputes formed diplomatic relationships between two courts that had previously been strangers to each other. It also shows how individuals who had been Ottoman officials, merchants or dragomans (interpreters) now emerged as diplomatic and political actors in their own right during and after the missions. Yet it was not only official channels that brought the Ottoman Empire and Prussia closer together.
As the story of Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia progresses, it becomes clear that the challenges to diplomatic relations in the early modern period were primarily practical. Up until the present day, states have found it challenging to integrate foreign people who settle in the country for an extended period of time into the administrative, financial and cultural structures. Naturally, the situation today is facilitated by modern state cooperation, international banking and translation services. In the early modern period, however, these institutions existed only in rudimentary forms, if at all. Moreover, a shared knowledge and understanding of social norms regarding medical treatment, living culture and even literature had not yet been fully established. Ottomans travelling to eighteenth-century Berlin often relied on ad hoc solutions and the courtesy of Prussian officials and citizens when dealing with the crucial issues of health, housing and entertainment. These improvised and informal practices laid the groundwork for mutual trust and later cooperation.
The peripheral position of Prussia and the improvised character of Ottoman–Prussian relations are illustrated by an episode about the journey of the first Ottoman ambassador to Prussia. In 1763, Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1694/1695-1783) was an experienced Ottoman official and man of letters when Sultan Mustafa III (1717-1774) appointed him to the court of Berlin to negotiate a defensive alliance. It was not the first time Ahmed Resmi had travelled to Christian Europe, as he had already served as ambassador in Vienna in 1757. But, unlike his journey from the Ottoman to the neighbouring Habsburg Empire, Ahmed Resmi’s expedition to Berlin had to cross a third country, Poland-Lithuania. Yet neither the Ottoman nor the Prussian officials had prepared a diplomatic protocol for a situation where neither of the courts carried responsibility for the funding and security of the travelling ambassador. The mission came close to failure before it had begun. Eventually, the parties resolved the dispute with compromises and the help of a Jewish merchant in the entourage of the Ottoman ambassador. The improvised solution became the official protocol and remained in place until the introduction of permanent Ottoman embassies in Prussia in 1797.
At the end of the eighteenth century, Prussia was at the centre of military and diplomatic events in Europe. In Ottoman eyes, it was no longer just a peripheral region but a sought-after partner among the predominantly hostile European countries – a change sealed in 1790 with a defensive alliance between the two courts. On the informal level, the fascination of Prussian officials and the German-speaking public with Ottoman living culture, music and religious practices had faded, and the foreign had become more familiar. Likewise, Ottoman observation of an unfamiliar Prussian diplomatic, cultural and social life turned into increasing engagement with European diplomacy, the Enlightenment and German language and history. Although still geographically distant, the Ottoman and the Prussian governments could rely upon an increasingly shared intellectual, social and cultural familiarity when continuing to engage in and building upon diplomatic relations in the nineteenth century.
https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802078671
Culture and Diplomacy: Ambassadors as Cultural Actors in Ottoman-European Relations from the 16th to the 19th Century, 2023
Übersetzen in der Frühen Neuzeit – Konzepte und Methoden / Concepts and Practices of Translation in the Early Modern Period, 2021
Zwischen Domestik und Staatsdiener. Botschaftssekretäre in den frühneuzeitlichen Außenbeziehungen, 2021
OSMANLI ARAŞTIRMALARI THE JOURNAL OF OTTOMAN STUDIES, 2016
Encyclopaedia References by Irena Fliter
Christian-Muslim Relations A Bibliographical History, 2018
Conference Presentations by Irena Fliter
Dissertation Draft by Irena Fliter
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Books by Irena Fliter
Articles by Irena Fliter
Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia is the story of these processes of transformation. It tells how negotiations, misunderstandings and disputes formed diplomatic relationships between two courts that had previously been strangers to each other. It also shows how individuals who had been Ottoman officials, merchants or dragomans (interpreters) now emerged as diplomatic and political actors in their own right during and after the missions. Yet it was not only official channels that brought the Ottoman Empire and Prussia closer together.
As the story of Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia progresses, it becomes clear that the challenges to diplomatic relations in the early modern period were primarily practical. Up until the present day, states have found it challenging to integrate foreign people who settle in the country for an extended period of time into the administrative, financial and cultural structures. Naturally, the situation today is facilitated by modern state cooperation, international banking and translation services. In the early modern period, however, these institutions existed only in rudimentary forms, if at all. Moreover, a shared knowledge and understanding of social norms regarding medical treatment, living culture and even literature had not yet been fully established. Ottomans travelling to eighteenth-century Berlin often relied on ad hoc solutions and the courtesy of Prussian officials and citizens when dealing with the crucial issues of health, housing and entertainment. These improvised and informal practices laid the groundwork for mutual trust and later cooperation.
The peripheral position of Prussia and the improvised character of Ottoman–Prussian relations are illustrated by an episode about the journey of the first Ottoman ambassador to Prussia. In 1763, Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1694/1695-1783) was an experienced Ottoman official and man of letters when Sultan Mustafa III (1717-1774) appointed him to the court of Berlin to negotiate a defensive alliance. It was not the first time Ahmed Resmi had travelled to Christian Europe, as he had already served as ambassador in Vienna in 1757. But, unlike his journey from the Ottoman to the neighbouring Habsburg Empire, Ahmed Resmi’s expedition to Berlin had to cross a third country, Poland-Lithuania. Yet neither the Ottoman nor the Prussian officials had prepared a diplomatic protocol for a situation where neither of the courts carried responsibility for the funding and security of the travelling ambassador. The mission came close to failure before it had begun. Eventually, the parties resolved the dispute with compromises and the help of a Jewish merchant in the entourage of the Ottoman ambassador. The improvised solution became the official protocol and remained in place until the introduction of permanent Ottoman embassies in Prussia in 1797.
At the end of the eighteenth century, Prussia was at the centre of military and diplomatic events in Europe. In Ottoman eyes, it was no longer just a peripheral region but a sought-after partner among the predominantly hostile European countries – a change sealed in 1790 with a defensive alliance between the two courts. On the informal level, the fascination of Prussian officials and the German-speaking public with Ottoman living culture, music and religious practices had faded, and the foreign had become more familiar. Likewise, Ottoman observation of an unfamiliar Prussian diplomatic, cultural and social life turned into increasing engagement with European diplomacy, the Enlightenment and German language and history. Although still geographically distant, the Ottoman and the Prussian governments could rely upon an increasingly shared intellectual, social and cultural familiarity when continuing to engage in and building upon diplomatic relations in the nineteenth century.
https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802078671
Encyclopaedia References by Irena Fliter
Conference Presentations by Irena Fliter
Dissertation Draft by Irena Fliter
Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia is the story of these processes of transformation. It tells how negotiations, misunderstandings and disputes formed diplomatic relationships between two courts that had previously been strangers to each other. It also shows how individuals who had been Ottoman officials, merchants or dragomans (interpreters) now emerged as diplomatic and political actors in their own right during and after the missions. Yet it was not only official channels that brought the Ottoman Empire and Prussia closer together.
As the story of Ottomans in eighteenth-century Prussia progresses, it becomes clear that the challenges to diplomatic relations in the early modern period were primarily practical. Up until the present day, states have found it challenging to integrate foreign people who settle in the country for an extended period of time into the administrative, financial and cultural structures. Naturally, the situation today is facilitated by modern state cooperation, international banking and translation services. In the early modern period, however, these institutions existed only in rudimentary forms, if at all. Moreover, a shared knowledge and understanding of social norms regarding medical treatment, living culture and even literature had not yet been fully established. Ottomans travelling to eighteenth-century Berlin often relied on ad hoc solutions and the courtesy of Prussian officials and citizens when dealing with the crucial issues of health, housing and entertainment. These improvised and informal practices laid the groundwork for mutual trust and later cooperation.
The peripheral position of Prussia and the improvised character of Ottoman–Prussian relations are illustrated by an episode about the journey of the first Ottoman ambassador to Prussia. In 1763, Ahmed Resmi Efendi (1694/1695-1783) was an experienced Ottoman official and man of letters when Sultan Mustafa III (1717-1774) appointed him to the court of Berlin to negotiate a defensive alliance. It was not the first time Ahmed Resmi had travelled to Christian Europe, as he had already served as ambassador in Vienna in 1757. But, unlike his journey from the Ottoman to the neighbouring Habsburg Empire, Ahmed Resmi’s expedition to Berlin had to cross a third country, Poland-Lithuania. Yet neither the Ottoman nor the Prussian officials had prepared a diplomatic protocol for a situation where neither of the courts carried responsibility for the funding and security of the travelling ambassador. The mission came close to failure before it had begun. Eventually, the parties resolved the dispute with compromises and the help of a Jewish merchant in the entourage of the Ottoman ambassador. The improvised solution became the official protocol and remained in place until the introduction of permanent Ottoman embassies in Prussia in 1797.
At the end of the eighteenth century, Prussia was at the centre of military and diplomatic events in Europe. In Ottoman eyes, it was no longer just a peripheral region but a sought-after partner among the predominantly hostile European countries – a change sealed in 1790 with a defensive alliance between the two courts. On the informal level, the fascination of Prussian officials and the German-speaking public with Ottoman living culture, music and religious practices had faded, and the foreign had become more familiar. Likewise, Ottoman observation of an unfamiliar Prussian diplomatic, cultural and social life turned into increasing engagement with European diplomacy, the Enlightenment and German language and history. Although still geographically distant, the Ottoman and the Prussian governments could rely upon an increasingly shared intellectual, social and cultural familiarity when continuing to engage in and building upon diplomatic relations in the nineteenth century.
https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802078671