Ottoman official discourse and its reflections during the Crimean War

Abstract

From a number of aspects the Crimean War was a turning point for the Ottoman Empire. During this war the greatest powers in Europe went into action with the Ottomans and with the Paris Peace Treaty at the end of the war the Ottoman Empire was included in the Concert Of Europe. This situation had effects on the creation of the Ottoman official statements as well as on the propaganda that was carried out during the war. Relying on European support, the Ottoman Empire tried to bring Russia’s aggressive attitude to the fore while demonstrating its own peaceful attitude to the Europeans. This situation is closely connected to the concept of international law in the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire, which was trying to justify itself according to international law, used every opportunity to bring to the fore Russia’s unjustified attacks on her soil. The Crimean War can be seen as a battle in which, for the Russians, the peak of Orthodoxy was reached. The Russians used Orthodoxy both in official statements and in popular culture, and this war was perceived as a victory of Orthodoxy over Islam. The Ottomans, although an Islamic empire, were very careful in the way they used the Islamic components, due to the fact that their allies and an important section of their own citizens were non-Muslim. While this situation had an effect on Ottoman official statements, it also opened the way to a variety of relationships between the state and the people. Thus, slowly the first structures of a popular culture in the Ottomans had begun to form.