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On this day in 1922, the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished after ruling for 600 years. At its peak, it included what is now Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Macedonia, Romania, Syria, parts of Arabia and the north coast of Africa.
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![On this day in 1922, the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished after ruling for 600 years. At its peak, it included what is now Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Macedonia, Romania, Syria, parts of Arabia and the north coast of Africa.[1]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElzW90UXgAEv4_t.jpg "On this day in 1922, the Ottoman Sultanate was abolished after ruling for 600 years. At its peak, it included what is now Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Macedonia, Romania, Syria, parts of Arabia and the north coast of Africa.[1]")
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European historians portrayed Ottomans as salacious sultans, evil pashas and the sick man of Europe in their prejudice.
Erdoğan deserves credit for encouraging his academia to debunk western obscurantism and redefining Ottoman history with drama series like Ertugrul.
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Erdoğan deserves credit for encouraging his academia to debunk western obscurantism and redefining Ottoman history with drama series like Ertugrul.
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However, there are a number of historians from the west who have given factual and honest perspectives about the Ottomans albeit they are hardly quoted. Following are the few of them:
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"It is an undeniable historical fact that the Turkish armies have never
interfered with the religious and cultural affairs in the areas they
conquered"
~ J. W. Arnold
interfered with the religious and cultural affairs in the areas they
conquered"
~ J. W. Arnold
"Jewish people must always recall the Ottoman Empire with gratitude
who, at one of Judaism's darkest hours flung open its door widely and kept them open"
~ Cecil Roth
Cecil is referring to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in response to the Alhambra Decree in July 1492.
who, at one of Judaism's darkest hours flung open its door widely and kept them open"
~ Cecil Roth
Cecil is referring to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in response to the Alhambra Decree in July 1492.
Sultan Bayezid II sent the Ottoman navy to Spain in order to save the Jewish people. Jews totalling 100,000 were given Ottoman citizenship under the Millet system.
The same Jews later on assisted the Zionists in carrying out the ethnic cleansing of 800K Palestenians in 1948.
The same Jews later on assisted the Zionists in carrying out the ethnic cleansing of 800K Palestenians in 1948.
"An important testimony to the toleration of Moslem rule is the fact that even persecuted Christian and other sects took refuge in Mohammedan land to enjoy there the undisturbed exercise of their severalscults."
~ Felix Valvi, London 925
~ Felix Valvi, London 925
"The Ottoman Empire would not have lasted for six hundred years... You cannot for six hundred
years suppress, subdue or bully a lot of people of different ethnic groups"
~ Prof. Jeffrey Lewis of Oxford
University
years suppress, subdue or bully a lot of people of different ethnic groups"
~ Prof. Jeffrey Lewis of Oxford
University
"The Ottomans had one of the most tolerant policies towards non-Turks of any empire of its day. The three communities of Jews, Greeks and Armenians were virtually autonomouswithin the empire."
~ P.F. Peters, The Australian, June 9th 1994
~ P.F. Peters, The Australian, June 9th 1994
"The Turks, as a nation, are almost ludicrously innocent of the propagandist's art. The Ottoman institution came perhaps as near as anything in real life could to realizing the ideal of Plato's Republic."
~ Arnold Toynbe
~ Arnold Toynbe
"The religious toleration of the Ottoman Government was complete and the state never interfered in anyway with what the Christians did or taught in their schools or the churches. It was impossible to
desire more absolute liberty of worship or teaching."
~ Gratan Geary
desire more absolute liberty of worship or teaching."
~ Gratan Geary
"The tolerance shown to foreign beliefs and hostile faiths by the Ottoman law and Ottoman officials which enabled them to establish their own religious institutions and to shape their own education was such that the thousand year old Liberty reigning in France in the field...
..of sects and beliefs, dating from the times of the ancient Gaul, could not be compared with it."
(Talcot Williams, Turkey, A World.
Problem of Today, New York,
1922, p 194)
(Talcot Williams, Turkey, A World.
Problem of Today, New York,
1922, p 194)
