Posted: May 09, 2017 9:27 pm
Just coming to the end of Bettany Hughes marvellous book Istanbul, A Tale of three Cities. Its left me staggered at how little of European history I know. I'm glad I haven't read it as an academic there's just so much to digest.
A few tidbits. Constantinople developed by Greek speaking Romans as a second Rome to rule the eastern empire. It never had its own standing army but used mercinaries, including at one time Vikings who in previous years had invaded and sacked part of the city, arriving there by longboat and down the Danube.
It was a city that did a lot to develop the christian religion and church. Christian women couldn't leave their homes but still managed to become very powerful people and were responsible for the design and building of many churches and civic areas.
Eunuchs were also major players in both Constantinople and Istanbul. In both eras the city attracted and depended upon for growth and skills both immigrants and refugees.
The famed Janissaries of the Ottoman city were not just the poor and orphans brought to marshal exellence by the Sultans as I had always been led to believe but were largely christians and even pagans who, after they had been circumcised were allowed to practice whatever religion they chose. They became an arrogant elite and much detested.They were eventually allowed to trade and took part in all sorts of illicit activity throughout the empire including tax scams. They were responsible for the overthrow and execution of a Sultan and were themselves eventually overthrown and executed.
Harems feature a lot and the Sultans harems have been political powerhouses of some very astute women, again designing and building Mosques with there own substantial monies. One chief concubine was in regular communication with Queen Elizebeth1and they exchanged presents. At other times the girls and women there seemed to live a miserable life sitting about wondering which was getting them first, syphylis or smallpox.
During WW1 the Sykes-Picot agreement was made between British, French and Russian diplomats which carved the Ottoman Empire up for the European powers and gave Constantinople to Russia. The Bolshevik revolution scuppered that and brought the agreement to light. Apparentley this agreement features in modern day IS propaganda.
At the end of WW1 the British fleet sailed into Istanbul and was largely welcomed by the population who hoped it was an opportunity to get rid of the minority Turkish population. Suddenly pigs were given the name Mohammed among many other insults.
Still got a few chapters to go. Hope my brief precis wasn't boring !
A few tidbits. Constantinople developed by Greek speaking Romans as a second Rome to rule the eastern empire. It never had its own standing army but used mercinaries, including at one time Vikings who in previous years had invaded and sacked part of the city, arriving there by longboat and down the Danube.
It was a city that did a lot to develop the christian religion and church. Christian women couldn't leave their homes but still managed to become very powerful people and were responsible for the design and building of many churches and civic areas.
Eunuchs were also major players in both Constantinople and Istanbul. In both eras the city attracted and depended upon for growth and skills both immigrants and refugees.
The famed Janissaries of the Ottoman city were not just the poor and orphans brought to marshal exellence by the Sultans as I had always been led to believe but were largely christians and even pagans who, after they had been circumcised were allowed to practice whatever religion they chose. They became an arrogant elite and much detested.They were eventually allowed to trade and took part in all sorts of illicit activity throughout the empire including tax scams. They were responsible for the overthrow and execution of a Sultan and were themselves eventually overthrown and executed.
Harems feature a lot and the Sultans harems have been political powerhouses of some very astute women, again designing and building Mosques with there own substantial monies. One chief concubine was in regular communication with Queen Elizebeth1and they exchanged presents. At other times the girls and women there seemed to live a miserable life sitting about wondering which was getting them first, syphylis or smallpox.
During WW1 the Sykes-Picot agreement was made between British, French and Russian diplomats which carved the Ottoman Empire up for the European powers and gave Constantinople to Russia. The Bolshevik revolution scuppered that and brought the agreement to light. Apparentley this agreement features in modern day IS propaganda.
At the end of WW1 the British fleet sailed into Istanbul and was largely welcomed by the population who hoped it was an opportunity to get rid of the minority Turkish population. Suddenly pigs were given the name Mohammed among many other insults.
Still got a few chapters to go. Hope my brief precis wasn't boring !