A Study On The Ottoman Empire View Of British Travelers In The 16th To The 17th Century

The traditional view is that Christians and Muslims is the pagan groups,who were hostile to each other,and the domestic and foreign scholars concern more about the British history research is the British empire,the 16 th and 17 th century British history study is relatively less,and the study of early modern British travel mostly concentrated in the "big trip" to the continent,rarely involved in the Ottoman empire.Therefore,it is of great academic significance to fully excavate the original materials such as travel notes and diaries,and to study the British travelers’ view of the Ottoman Empire and its influence by using the method of global history.The ideas of The Ottoman Empire in British traveler in the 16 th and 17 th centuries is characterized by the transition between the Old and the New.The records of travelers about the Ottoman Empire are both full of contradictions,admiration and slander.Travelers such as William Biddulph and Thomas Dallam have a critical view of the Ottoman Empire.As a protestant clergyman,Biddulph paraphrased that the MehmedⅡransacked to the Constantinople in 1453,accused Muslim’s promiscuity,cruelty,recorded and narrated the tyranny of the Ottoman empire and cruel punishment,considered that Osmanli was contemptible,savage,and backward,and that Islam is evil,expressed his defiance of the Arabs and Jews.Thomas Dallam who is a organist assigned to the Ottoman Empire.Dallam recorded Ottoman food,women,Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and court life with a mixture of curiosity and fear,which still influenced by conventional view but no longer purely critical.Travellers such as Fynes Moryson,William Lithgow and George Sandys take a similar view.Travelers like Henry Blount and Peter Mundy admired the Ottoman Empire.As a highly educated lawyer,Blunt looked rationally at the Ottoman Empire,arguing that there was no conflict between religion and state,that Islam could serve the stability of the regime and should be regarded as a political institution.He records the strict and efficient justice system of the Ottoman Empire,the clear love and hate of the Osmanli,their etiquette,sexual morality,bathing,clothing,magnificent architecture,especially Egyptian society and culture.He praised the Ottoman army for its protection of the caravans and the civility of the navy.Blount also points out the problems of the Ottoman Empire,such as the Osmanli refused to to study,the restriction of reason by religions including Islam,the decline of Egyptian civilization and the oppression of the Ottoman Empire on the Egyptians,as well as the Christians who converted to Islam and the prostitutes of the Ottoman generals.Peter Mundy,a British businessman who settled in Istanbul,describes the city’s thriving commerce,its churches and architecture,the struggle for the Ottoman throne,the ceremony of changing ambassadors,the punishment of criminals,the Islamisation of the British,women’s clothing,its fortifications,baths and commerce.There was no any subjective assessment but in his eyes the Ottoman Empire was rich and tolerant.Issues shared by the four travelers include Islam,the Ottoman army,the judicial system and social life such as diet,women,marriage and sexual morality.British travelers’ view of the Ottoman Empire in the 16 th and 17 th centuries was a result of the interaction between Britain and the Ottoman Empire in this period.First of all,compared with the middle Ages,the British view of the Ottoman Empire in the16 th and 17 th centuries made great progress.British ’s observation of the Ottoman Empire was more rational and tended to be objective.This change is first and foremost the result of crosscultural interaction.As a result of the religious reform,Britain in the16 th century was isolated and resisted by Catholic countries in Western Europe.In addition,the need for foreign trade led to the early establishment of links with the Ottoman Empire,which created conditions for the British to travel to the Ottoman Empire.Travelers’ accounts of the Ottoman Empire come from field trips and independent thinking,making them more authentic and objective.As for the different degree of objectivity of each traveler’s account of the Ottoman Empire,it is related to his identity,travel purpose and personal ability.For example,Blount is knowledgeable and rational,and his travel notes are impartial,so he is highly respected.At the same time,the British travelers’ view of the Ottoman Empire in the 16 th and 17 th centuries exerted an important influence and promoted the in depth crosscultural interaction.The image of the Ottomans portrayed by travellers influenced British attitudes towards the Ottoman Empire,which was both frightening and fascinating to the British.These travel notes also promoted the British national identity,broadened their vision,inspired them to regard the Ottoman Empire as an object to imitate and emulate,promoted the formation of the British idea of world empire,and laid an ideological foundation for the development of Britain as a real world power.