Ottoman Constructions of the Morea Rebellion, 1770s: A Comprehensive Study of Ottoman Attitudes to the Greek Uprising

The topic of our dissertation concerns the Greek uprisings against the Ottoman Empire, which took place in the context of the Ottoman-Russian struggle of 1768-1774. That is, our research focuses on the Morea Rebellion which is often claimed as not only the first crucial step on the way towards creating an independent Greek state, which came into being in 1829 with the treaty of London, but also occasionally as one of the most significant turning points both for the history of the Ottoman Empire and for the struggle of Greek independence. The meaning of the Morea Rebellion has long been under discussion among Greek historians. While we will deal with Ottoman side of the issue, this study will shed light on matters of Greek historiography which has been generally been created without taking account of the Ottoman side of the story. In the light of Ottoman archival documents as well as writings of earlier, more contemporary sources, we will argue for the complexity and intricacy of the Morea Rebellion, as reflected in the Ottoman documents, many of which have not been used before. We have tested the veracity of narratives in contemporary chronicles, many of which have been subsumed into the narratives that are current still, by comparing them in Ottoman archival documents. Accordingly, we have revisited many widely accepted assumptions, such as those describing Ottoman society of the time as being divided into homogenous groups clearly defined religion, nation or other identity. In opposition to the earlier explanations of this uprising, our primary sources lead us to see the Morea Rebellion as predominately an international issue. Our conclusions invalidate the long held assumption that the Ottomans were ignorant of Russian initiatives in the Morea. Last but not least, the Ottoman attitudes towards the rebels as well as Ottoman preoccupation with Russia long after the collapse of the rebellion are considered in greater detail. On balance, we believe that, with the help of a better analysis of the secondary literature and the major new primary sources, we have provided an original and comprehensive story of the Morea Rebellion.Ph