Piracy, Slavery, and Law in the Early Modern Ottoman Mediterranean
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Catch and Release: Piracy, Slavery, and Law in the Early Modern Ottoman Mediterranean by Joshua Michael White A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in the University of Michigan 2012 Doctoral Committee: Professor Rudi Paul Lindner, Chair Professor John V.A. Fine Associate Professor Gottfried J. Hagen Associate Professor Diane Owen Hughes © Joshua Michael White 2012 For my parents ii Acknowledgments From the Midwest to the Mediterranean, many individuals and institutions gave generously of their time, knowledge, and resources to make the research and writing of this dissertation possible and, occasionally, pleasurable. I am pleased to finally be able to acknowledge their contributions here. My undergraduate advisor, Ahmet T. Karamustafa, set me on this path. I will always be grateful to him for his gentle guidance and for nurturing my enthusiasm. During my graduate studies at the University of Michigan, I had the great good fortune to study with an outstanding ensemble of teacher-scholars. I thank first and foremost my dissertation committee members: Rudi Paul Lindner, Gottfried Hagen, Diane Owen Hughes, and John V.A. Fine. Back in early 2005, when I was still trying to decide where to go to graduate school, Rudi Lindner wrote to me of his own advisor, John Masson Smith, Jr.: “He taught me how to study, what to study, but he never tried to mold me after himself, and he went where I wanted to go, even down some dead end streets.” I am grateful to him for being the ideal mentor in the mold of his master—humane, patient, generous with his time, and endlessly supportive—and for allowing me go to where I wanted, even when others saw nothing but dead ends. Gottfried Hagen taught me Ottoman Turkish and much more. Through classes and extended conversations he had a profound impact on my development as a scholar. His influence has shaped every aspect of this project from iii conception to conclusion; his subtle course corrections during research, writing, and revision kept it from foundering on the rocks. I learned a great deal studying with and teaching for Diane Owen Hughes. She exposed me to ideas and approaches to history that have left a lasting impression on my thinking about research and teaching. John Fine, beyond being a master of all things Balkan and Byzantine, was a font of encouragement and kindness. I thank him for sharing his vast knowledge with me, for the many long lunches, and for believing I was on to something. Mehmet Süreyya Er introduced me to Modern Turkish. More recently, Katherine French gave me very good advice when it was most needed. Tom Green did the same, and provided valuable comments on chapters. My deep appreciation goes to the staff of the Department of History at Michigan, especially Lorna Altstetter and Kathleen King, for keeping everything running smoothly and handling various bureaucratic snags during my years abroad. Kathleen deserves a second mention for being a friend and confidante throughout my time in Ann Arbor and making the Department’s office an always-welcoming retreat from the outside world. A number of institutions generously provided funds that supported over two years of research in Istanbul, Venice, London, and Crete. A fellowship from the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT), funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, kicked off my research in Istanbul in 2008. A Fulbright-Hays DDRA fellowship, administered by the Department of Education, continued it for another year. Later, a Rackham International Research Award and grants from the Department of History and the Medieval and Early Modern Studies Program at the University of Michigan financed further research in Istanbul and in Venice. After my iv return to Ann Arbor in the summer of 2010, the Mellon Humanities Dissertation Writing Seminar, convened by Linda Gregerson, supported ten precious weeks of intensive writing and provided an interdisciplinary forum to discuss the process and its results; I thank my fellow seminar participants, whose keen insights on a chapter-in-progress had a lasting impact. A Multi-Country Research Fellowship from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers sent me back into the field in the summer of 2011, funding essential work in London, Crete, and Istanbul. Starting that fall, a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship allowed me to concentrate on writing full-time and saw me through to the end. During my time abroad, I benefited greatly from the expertise and goodwill of fellow researchers and the professional staffs at all the institutions where I worked. In Istanbul, I would like to thank the administrations, archivists and librarians of the Prime Ministry’s Ottoman Archives, the Süleymaniye Library, and the library of the Islam Research Center (İSAM) for granting me access to their collections and for responding to my requests with good humor and remarkable efficiency. Research in the Ottoman archives was always a pleasure, made more so by the companionship of a revolving cast of fellow Ottomanists. Matt Ellis, David Gutman, Vjeran Kursar, James Meyer, Fulya Özkan, Zeynep Türkyılmaz, Will Smiley, and many others shared countless glasses of tea with me in the archive tea gardens—my sincere thanks to its hardworking staff—and more than a few elliliks after hours. Guy Burak showed me the ropes at the Süleymaniye and how to work with fetva collections; I am deeply indebted to him for his help. My home in Istanbul for nearly two years was the ARIT Istanbul hostel in the beautiful Bosphorus-side neighborhood of Arnavutköy. I thank Tony Greenwood and Gülden v Güneri for making ARIT such a warm and hospitable environment. I will mourn when it moves to its new location. Research in the Serenissima was made possible and infinitely more enjoyable by the presence of Tijana Krstic and Natalie Rothman, who introduced me to the beguiling world of the Venetian archives and helped me make the most of my stay. Both are exemplars of selfless generosity. I am grateful to the staff of the State Archives of Venice for giving me research permission and for granting me extra time to photograph documents near the end of my visit. My thanks go also to the staff of The National Archives of the United Kingdom in Kew Gardens, London. They run a tight ship. While in the U.K., Colin Heywood welcomed me into his home in Hull and shared his vast knowledge of things maritime. In Greece, I benefited immensely from the kindness and generosity of an array of scholars and friends. Yannis Spyropoulous provided contacts and advice. Alexander Katsigiannis and Katerina Stathi hosted me in turn in Athens and provided invaluable logistical support and good company. Marinos Sariyannis and his colleagues at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies in Rethymnon, Crete, went above and beyond the call of duty, making introductions, supplying transcriptions, and extending a warm welcome to the island. Research at the Vikelaia Municipal Library in Herakleion would not have been possible (nor, indeed, would it have been undertaken) without Marinos’ early encouragement and, years later, his facilitation. I am extremely grateful to him. I would also like to thank the director and staff of the Vikelaia for giving me permission to look at and photograph everything I wanted, and for the kind offers of coffee, pastries, and fruit that brightened long days immersed in seventeenth-century court records. For responding vi to inquiries and providing helpful advice and connections, I thank Eyal Ginio, Molly Greene, Marie Kelleher, and Nicolas Vatin. Portions of this dissertation were presented at numerous conferences, as well as at the Medieval and Early Modern Studies (2011) and History (2012) dissertation writing seminars at Michigan; the Adriatic Frontiers Workshop at the Mediterranean Research Meeting in Montecatini Terme (2010); the Violence in Ottoman Anatolia workshop at NYU (2011); the Current Research on a Shared European, Ottoman, and Mediterranean History (2010) and The Well-Connected Domains (2011) meetings at Heidelberg University; the Pre-Modern Colloquium at Michigan (2012); and the Mediterranean Seminar’s Maritime Mediterranean workshop at UCSD (2012). I would like to express my deep appreciation to all the participants for their probing questions and constructive feedback and, for giving me the opportunity to share my work, extend my heartfelt thanks to the organizers, conveners, and commenters Brian Catlos, Pascal Firges, Tobias Graf, Bruce Grant, Tom Green, Maximilian Hartmuth, George Hoffman, Sharon Kinoshita, Thomas Maissen, Nabil Matar, Leslie Peirce, Amanda Philips, Leslie Pincus, Michael Ursinus, Christian Roth, Gülay Tulasoğlu, and Tom Willette. Special thanks go to my frequent co-panelists, collaborators, and friends, Tobias Graf, Nur Sobers Khan, and Will Smiley for the brisk trade in ideas and inspiration over the last few years. Traces of their influence are scattered throughout this work. Will also read the entire dissertation towards the end and provided helpful comments. The fabulous Alison DeSimone read much of it at earlier, rougher stages. The final product is far better for her efforts, as is my taste in music. vii My friends and colleagues in History at Michigan have been a constant source of inspiration. I would like to thank the members of my cohort who were my close companions in the early years, kept me connected to Ann Arbor during my time away, and provided advice and support throughout: Sheree Brown, Ian Campbell, Emily Price, and Sara Lampert. I would also like to acknowledge the kindness and friendship of those who regularly kibitzed with me in the halls of Haven during my final years in Ann Arbor, especially Richard Antaramian, Yoni Brack, Melissa Johnson, Nevila Pahumi, Anshuman Pandey and Kimberly Powers.