Transcultural Exchange: The Habsburgs and the Ottomans

The project aims to analyse the interrelations of the most powerful empires of early modern Europe, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires, with a special focus on communication and cultural exchange processes in a period of change and intensive innovation (1520-1620). The geographical focus will be on the capitals of the two empires, Vienna (since 1583 Prague) and Istanbul/Constantinople, on the one hand, and on the Carpathian basin, an important "frontier zone" of both empires, on the other hand. The project assumes that the two empires did not face each other in an exclusively military confrontation in the Carpathian basin. Their proximity during one and a half centuries led to the construction of physical and mental boundaries as well as to the building of cultural bridges. These empires shared many more cultural values than the common Orient-Occident dichotomy suggests, and such shared values co-existed with intense military conflicts. A further hypothesis of the present project is that the Reformation, the various migration processes, and the frontier position of the Carpathian basin actually stimulated communication as well as cultural interaction between the Habsburg and the Ottoman empires. Therefore, the project assumes that the Ottoman territories already participated in the "communication revolution" and principal networks of cultural exchange in the 16th century. The project provides a new scientific approach to networks of exchange by means of correspondence. The focus will be on private, diplomatic, merchant and learned correspondence and on early modern avvisi-communication. Communication between the Habsburg and the Ottoman territories will be analysed by studying the various functions and different meanings that handwritten correspondence had for persons of different social background, origin, and confession during the early age of printing. In that sense correspondence is considered as a highly complex but essential instrument of cultural exchange. The project concentrates on official Habsburg and Ottoman collections as well as on selected collections of correspondence by persons belonging to different social strata, origins and confessions, primarily in Austria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey. In a present perspective the project results will demonstrate that "Austrians" and "Turks" had much in common in the early modern age and were not merely enemies in a political and military sense. The networks of communication and cultural exchange demonstrate their interconnections and interaction, and can reduce existing prejudices.

The main purpose of the project was to analyse the interrelations between the two most powerful empires of early modern Europe, i.e. the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empire in a period of change and intense innovations (1520-1620). Along the lines of the new trend of scholarship the research focused on transcultural communication and exchange instead of analysing political-military aspects as it has been traditionally been done so far. The geographical focus was on the capitals of the two empires, Vienna (since 1583 Prague) and Istanbul on the one hand, and on the Carpathian basin, an important ?frontier zone' of both empires on the other. By focusing on the early modern web and networks of correspondence it was possible to reveal the complex and multidimensional modes of encounters which is a unique achievement in the historiography of the Habsburg-Ottoman relations so far. Replacing the traditional dichotomy of ?Christian' and ?Muslim' world the project results provided a new approach to transcultural exchange by focusing on shared values and practices with an emphasis on connectivity, conversation and familiarity. This first systematic reconsideration of the history of communication between the two empires definitely challenges the rhetoric of (Austrian and Hungarian) national historiographies on Habsburg-Ottoman interactions, inasmuch as the intense and regular correspondence between the rulers, representatives of Ottoman and Habsburg administration in the two capitals, Ottoman dignitaries in Ottoman Hungary and the commanders of fortresses alongside the Habsburg military border provide a new picture of Ottoman and Habsburg pragmatism and flexibility in the 'frontier zone': that of cooperation rather than that of a relation between two enemies. The project results are also ground-breaking in the sense that they demonstrate for the very first time that not only male but also female protagonists participated in the above mentioned transcultural communication and exchange processes. This fact made it possible to define the relations between the two empires from a particular gender perspective instead of writing a sheer history of men. The results of the comprehensive contextual analysis of relevant primary sources demonstrated that correspondence was an essential means of transcultural exchange and a tool of interpersonal relations between Habsburg and Ottoman protagonists. Besides, the investigation revealed specific forms of exchange via print- and visual media. These research outcomes also challenge the traditional view according to which the Ottoman Empire did resist new European communication practices via print. On contrary, printed books served as an instrument of transcultural exchange as well. They also played an essential role in Protestant-Catholic rivalry, as both sides were devoted active missionary work in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 16th century. In a present perspective the project results showed that ?Austrians' and ?Turks' had much common in the early modern age and were not merely enemies in a political and military sense. The networks of transcultural communication and exchange demonstrated their interconnections and interactions, and can reduce existing prejudices.