The ‘Unholy’ Alliance: Jews, Turks, and Ottomans During the 15th and 16th Centuries

Year 2021, Issue: 1, 1 - 15, 01.07.2021

Edip Öncü

Abstract

More than half of the world Jewry was living within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 16th century.
Rather than analyzing the factors lying behind this fact, much scholarly effort in Ottoman/Jewish historiography was spent on
whether the Ottoman Jewry were living a “Golden Age” or “Dark Age” under the Ottomans. Instead of this traditional
approach, this study focused on the factors that made the Ottoman/Turkish/Jewish possible; the Turkish/Ottoman perception
of and approach toward the Jews, and the Jewish approach toward the Ottoman state and the Muslims in general. The study
concluded that no other Muslim state, possibly with the exception of Umayyads of Andalusia, welcomed Jews in such large
numbers and with such great living space and opportunities in Islam history. Whereas the contacts between the Muslims and
Jewish millet were limited in nature the pragmatic, rational and flexible Ottoman raison d’etat provided the Jews with
extensive privileges beyond the confines of dhimmi status. Nevertheless, the presence of the Jews in the Empire contributed
significantly in the political and economic success of the Ottoman Empire in becoming a hegemonic power of the pre-modern
times.

Keywords

Ottomans, Turks, Jews, Unholy Alliance

15. ve 16. Yüzyıllarda Osmanlılar, Türkler ve Museviler: ‘Kutsal Olmayan” İttifak

Abstract

16. yüzyılın sonlarında dünyadaki Musevilerin yarısından fazlası Osmanlı İmparatorluğu sınırları altında yaşamaktaydı. Ancak Yahudi ve Osmanlı tarihyazımında çalışmalar bu tarihsel gerçekliğin sebeplerini incelemek yerine genellikle Museviler’in Osmanlı hakimiyeti altında bir “Altın Çağ” mı yoksa “Karanlık Çağ” mı yaşadıklarına yoğunlaşmaktadır. Bu çalışmada bu ortak veya bir arada yaşamayı mümkün kılan etkenler, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun ve Türkler’in Musevi algısı ve onlara karşı yaklaşımı ve Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’ndaki Museviler’in devlete ve Müslümanlara karşı yaklaşımı incelenmiştir. Varılan sonuç, İslam tarihinde Endülüs Emevileri hariç hiçbir Müslüman devletin veya halkın Osmanlılar kadar Museviler’e karşı müsamahayla yaklaşmadığıdır. Osmanlı Devleti siyasi ve ekonomik pragmatizm, rasyonel ve esnek anlayışıyla Museviler’e zımmi statüsünün sınırlarını aşan ayrıcalıklar tanımış; her ne kadar Müslümanlar ve Museviler’in günlük hayatta birbirleriyle iletişimi sınırlı olsa da Museviler’in varlığı Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun hegemon güç haline gelmesine büyük katkıda bulunmuştur.

Keywords

Osmanlılar, Türkler, Museviler, Kutsal Olmayan İttifak

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