Ottoman Imperial Diplomacy

Book excerpt: The Ottoman Empire maintained a complex and powerful bureaucratic system which enforced the Sultan's authority across the Empire's Middle-Eastern territories. This bureaucracy continued to gain in power and prestige, even as the empire itself began to crumble at the end of the nineteenth century. Through extensive new research in the Ottoman archives, Dogan Gurpinar assesses the intellectual, cultural and ideological foundations of the diplomatic service under Sultan Abdulhamid II. In doing so, Ottoman Imperial Diplomacy presents a new model for understanding the formation of the modern Turkish nation, arguing that these Hamidian reforms- undertaken with the support of the 'Young Ottomans' led by Namik Kemal- constituted the beginnings of modern Turkish nationalism. This book will be essential reading for historians of the Ottoman Empire and for those seeking to understand the history of Modern Turkey.