Jews in the Ottoman State until the End of the Nineteenth Century

Muslims have never treated Jews in a racial manner and the Ottoman State was not an exception. When Europe had expelled Jews after the establishment of the Inquisition, they had only two options: either Christianization or emigration. The main emigration was to the Ottoman State after their expulsion from Spain in 1492, and from Portugal in 1496.

Jews spread throughout the Ottoman State, participated in its practical life, played important roles in trade and handicrafts, and were allowed to apply their religious laws, as rabbis were considering the proceedings that arise among them.

However, Jews had a very negative impact on the state’s economy. The inflation that began in the sixteenth century was due to their nipping off bits of coins’ edges, which led to a decrease in soldiers’ purchasing power, causing at times the Janissary and Sipahis mutinies and harming the system of the state and society.

This book discusses the Jewish immigration to the Ottoman State, its causes, consequences, and impacts on the Ottoman Palace and society, as well as the social history of Jews under the Ottoman rule.