The dissertation examines an early migration control system, which existed on the Habsburg-Ottoman border in the eighteenth century. Between the 1720s and the 1850s, migrants entering the Habsburg... Show moreThe dissertation examines an early migration control system, which existed on the Habsburg-Ottoman border in the eighteenth century. Between the 1720s and the 1850s, migrants entering the Habsburg Monarchy from the Ottoman Empire had to go through official border crossings, where they were controlled and registered. Similar migration control system did not exist at that time anywhere else in Europe. Through research of archives in Austria, Serbia and Croatia, as well as many narrative sources, the dissertation explores an array of questions: what was the origin of that, at the time, unusual border arrangement, where after 1699 a clearly demarcated boundary separated Habsburg and Ottoman territories? How did it affect border life and the Habsburg-Ottoman relationship? How could the Habsburg Monarchy, with its limited administrative apparatus, effectively enforce migration controls? What was the role of the permanent cordon sanitaire? How did the Military Border soldiers and other stakeholders, such as border inhabitants, the Ottoman border authorities and the migrants themselves contribute to migration control? Finally, the dissertation explores whether the goal of the system was to restrict or to facilitate migrations. Quantitatively analysing migrant lists, it researches the impact of border controls on migration numbers and structure. Show less
This dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their... Show moreThis dissertation traces the rise to power of the Köprülü dynasty of grand viziers, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha by examining their relationship with the dynasty and their household connections. This study of the political life of the Köprülü grand viziers is intended to provide insight into two main lines of inquiry. Firstly, it offers an important opportunity to analyze the relationship between the sultan and the vizier, two powerful figures of the political system, from the late sixteenth century up until the late seventeenth century. Secondly, it opens up the possibility of providing a detailed analysis of the structure of the vizierial households that appeared on the political scene from the sixteenth century onwards. This dissertation argues that the most decisive factor in the establishment and consolidation of the Köprülü power was the high level of support provided by Hadice Turhan Sultan and Mehmed IV. It also argues that Köprülü Mehmed Pasha and Fazıl Ahmed Pasha established the most efficient political network stretching from the provinces to the central bureaucracy of the seventeenth century by the end of their twenty-year tenure. Show less
This study aims to examine the political, economic, cultural and social events that occurred in Trabzon, an important provincial city that had a uniquely multicultural population consisting of... Show moreThis study aims to examine the political, economic, cultural and social events that occurred in Trabzon, an important provincial city that had a uniquely multicultural population consisting of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and a smaller number of Iranians. The timeframe of the study is the first six years (1908-1914) of the Second Constitutional Period, a time when changes and transformations were occurring at an unprecedented rate in Ottoman lands. This study takes as its subject the developments that occurred in Trabzon. Within the scope of this study, a wide range of issues are discussed in light of the changes that were occurring under the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress, including the activities of the Unionists, the relationship between the center and the periphery, how local nobles perceived the Committee of Union and Progress and its politics as well as vice versa, and the extent to which the Committee’s political, cultural, economic and social policies had an impact on local life. In short, the main aim of this study is to bring to light the political, economic, cultural and social changes and transformations that occurred in Trabzon under the Committee’s leadership between 1908 and 1914. Show less
