FREE GREECE, THE HIDDEN CENTURIES: TURKISH RULE FROM THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE TO GREEK INDEPENDENCE PDF

David Brewer | 320 pages | 04 Sep 2012 | I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd | 9781780762388 | English | London, United Kingdom The Historical Memory of Constantinople, Years After the Fall |

May 29, the final Ottoman assault on Constantinople succeeds. Ottoman cannon fire had battered the great Theodosian Walls of the city. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos-Dragases, had torn off his imperial regalia and died fighting as a common soldier. Ottoman troops plundered as Ottoman Greece Mehmet II marched through the city before coming to that most famous of Christian cathedrals, Hagia Sophia, converting it to a mosque, and thanking God for his victory. Constantinople was to be the new capital of the growing Ottoman Empire. The Byzantine Empire, this state of the Romans which stretched more than two millennia back into history, was, at last, no more. Europe received the news of the fall of Constantinople with unmitigated horror. The great city, the bastion of Christendom against the Muslim tide, had fallen. Pope Nicholas V called for yet another Crusade. O City, City, the center of the four corners of the earth! And you too, O Earth, heave a heavy sigh at the utter abandonment by God. To the triumphant Ottoman Turks, glorious Constantinople, that greatest of prizes, was now theirs. Following the fall of Constantinople, the rest of the Greek-speaking world was swiftly conquered by the Ottomans. Athens fell inthe Morea inTrebizond in Cyprus and Crete held out for longer, but bypractically the entire Greek world was under Ottoman rule. Yet the Romaioi did not become assimilated, but miraculously maintained their distinct culture. Throughout this year period of Ottoman domination, the historical memory of independence which was most prominent for the Romaioi was not that of classical, ancient Greece, but of Christian Byzantium. The Greek political thinker Rigas Feraios conceived of a Pan-Balkan federation in the late eighteenth century, using the Byzantine Empire as his the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence. When the island of Lemnos was finally liberated from Ottoman rule by the Greek Army inthe local boys went to look at the soldiers. The memory of the past for ethnic Greeks — even up to a century ago — was primarily not ancient Greece, but their identity as Romaioi, their collective memory of Byzantium, and the dream of its recovery. After Greece won its independence inthe recovery of Constantinople began to seem that it might not be just a dream, but could possibly become reality. While the newly independent Greek state consisted of little more than the Peloponnese and Attica, modern Greece had dreams of regaining its historical grandeur. Throughout the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Greece pushed forward, recovering more and more Greek-settled lands from Ottoman rule. Thessaly was retaken in ; Epiros, the Aegean islands and Macedonia were conquered from the Ottomans in The new king in was Constantine I, aptly named just like the first and last emperors of Constantinople; he was even referred to on occasion as Constantine XII, the direct successor of Constantine XI Palaiologos-Dragases. Finally, in the aftermath of World War I, Greece was granted Ionia, the area around the city of Smyrna, in Anatolia, as well as Thrace, with the boundaries of the new Greek territory now approaching the very gates of Constantinople itself. Greek forces were initially successfully in occupying these new Greece and countering Turkish forces, with the dream of recovering Constantinople seemingly within their grasp. The ruinous aftermath of the campaign was the torching of Smyrna by Turkish soldiers as Greeks Greece attempted to flee the flames and the ensuing bloodshed. Along with Smyrna, the glorious dreams of the Megali Idea and a restored Byzantium also went up in flames. Greece lost its newly-won Turkish territories and the Greek population in Anatolia was forcibly transported to Greece as part of a population exchange under the resulting Treaty of Lausanne. Although the recovery of Constantinople and the restoration of Byzantium appeared to die on the docks of Smyrna, Constantinople has not fully disappeared from the historical and collective memory of the Greek people. The Greek population in Constantinople was exempted from the population exchange ofbut their gradual exodus from the city was accelerated by the anti-Greek Turkish pogrom of September, which resulted in the destruction of Greek property and the injury and even deaths of ethnic Greeks living in Constantinople. The Greek population in Constantinople today is no more than a remnant of a few thousand, with some estimates as low as 2, Yet Constantinople still holds a precious place in history and in the minds of Greeks around the world. Perhaps most important among the surviving Greek community in Istanbul is the Patriarchate of Constantinople, that most revered of Orthodox Christian Greece institutions; indeed, most of its funding today comes from the Greek government. In addition, Byzantine-era monuments Greece exist in Constantinople, including the Theodosian Walls, the ruins of two Byzantine palaces, and approximately a dozen Byzantine churches albeit most having been converted to mosquesincluding the great Hagia Sophia, still open as a museum today. The picture in Greece itself and among Greece diaspora, however, is more complicated. The importance of classical Greece in the Greek mind steadily rose during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, influenced by the stress on ancient Greece by the first Greek king, Otto, but also because of the placement of the new Greek capital. Athens was an important city in classical Greece but had dwindled in importance, serving as only a minor provincial town during the Byzantine era, and it has few Byzantine monuments today. Yet despite this emphasis, Constantinople does still matter for Greeks. Major diaspora publications such as Greek Reporter and Greek City Times also frequently publish articles on Byzantium, and Constantinople in particular. It may no longer elicit the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence same recognition among Greeks or the global population as does ancient Greek history, but it has continued to make its mark on Greek historical memory from through today, both as an influence on policy and as a source of pride in the past. He has been published in a variety of academic and general-interest publications on history and law, including Le Monde Diplomatique, The Medieval Magazine, and the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. All Basketball Soccer tennis. Culture History Columns Opinion. Oct 21, Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. For almost years, between the fall of Constantinople and the Greek War of Independence, the history of Greece is shrouded in mystery, distorted by Greek writers and begging the question: What was life really like for the Greeks under Ottoman rule? In this wide-ranging yet concise history, David Brewer explodes many of the myths about Turkish rule of Greece. He places For almost years, between the fall of Constantinople and the Greek War of Independence, the history of Greece is shrouded in mystery, distorted by Greek writers and begging the question: What was life really like for the Greeks under Ottoman rule? He places the Greek story in wider, international context and casts fresh light on the dynamics of power not only between Greeks and Ottomans, but also between Muslims and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, throughout Europe. The Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence absorbing account of a crucial period will ensure that the history of Greece under Turkish rule is no longer hidden. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. Published May 11th by I. Tauris first published February 20th More Details Original Title. Other Editions 8. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Greece, The Hidden Centuriesplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Greece, The Hidden Centuries. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. The second half is much better. Shelves: european-history. For someone who has it is at best a three star work. The problem is that Brewer has a superb understanding of the political, social and intellectual trends of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries but is totally lost in the Renaissance and Byzantine eras. Moreover, his skills as a researcher are aligned with the abundant archival and secondary the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence available for the modern era. He is much less at ease when there is no archival data of any sort as is the case for the middle ages and renaissance leaving the modern historian to attempt to piece together a version of events based on unreliable pre- modern chroniclers who almost invariably wrote many years after the events occurred. Consequently, the first half of the book which deals with the primarily on the wars between Venice and the Ottoman empire for the control of commerce in the eastern Mediterranean is pedestrian verging on incompetent. In the second half of the book, as the narrative moves Greece the 18th century Brewer's facility with demotic Greek the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence his understanding of modern Greek culture comes into play. At this point, "Greece, The Hidden Centuries" becomes highly insightful and delightful to read. Brewer's analysis of the Orthodox Religion in which he compares its features to those of the Church of England is very well done. The Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence an approach could not be used in an academic work but indeed conveys very well the particularities of the Orthodox faith. Similarly Brewer's explanation of how the ideas of the Enlightenment were modified for the Greek context is also very good. Brewer's chapter on the actual War of Independence is quite masterful. He explains how France and England had been reluctant to aid the Greek independence movement because they feared that the ultimate result of weakening the Ottoman empire would be to make Russian the only Orthodox power too strong. Finally, they entered the war to limit Russia's gains in terms of prestige and influence. Nonetheless the magnificent second half makes it well worth the effort. Read Brewer's " Greek War of Independence" first. View 2 comments. The Parthenon was used as a powder magazine by the Ottomans when on September 26,Morosini's cannon scored a direct hit on the edifice. By contrast Morosini, who was the commander in chief of the operation, described it Greece his report to the Venetian government as a "fortunate shot". When Greece conquered Acropolis in earlyMorosini tried to loot Athena's and Poseidon's horses and chariots from the west pediment of the Parthenon but the sculptures fell on the ground and smashed. The Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence was the first documented attempt to remove sculptures from the pediments. The Ottoman Empire regained possession of the monument in the following year and having noticed the demand began to sell souvenirs to Westerners. Morosini also looted from the port of Piraeus the famous Piraeus Lion which is on display at the Venetian Arsenal. Jun 11, Joel Trono-Doerksen rated it liked it Shelves: books-i-haveottoman For a non scholarly book this was pretty good. It did live up to its promise to bust myths about the Turkish rule in Greece, like having secret schools and the supposed oppression of all Orthodox people. I only gave it three stars because it was kind of dull at times and just sort told the facts without much analyses. It was also a bit frustrating that the Greece breezed over the massacres of Turks and Muslims during the Greek Revolution but went into much more detail when Greeks were being kill For a non scholarly book this was pretty good. It was also a bit frustrating that the author breezed over the massacres of Turks and Muslims during the Greek Revolution but went into much more detail when Greeks were being killed by Turks. However this book dealt with Turkish rule in Greece in a much better and more balanced fashion than other writers have. Greeks should thank the Turks for their enlightened administration Among other things I learned the author considers taking Greek children away from their parents to serve the Sultan for the rest of their lives as simple form of conscription. Intriguing history of the evolution of modern Greece Full of detail, Brewer charts the history of Greece under Turkish rule and the complex reality of the war of independence. Well written chronicle of a neglected period of history. Mar 30, Laz Andronis rated it it was amazing. Great book, sheds light to the unknown Greek under Ottoman rule. Myth-busting, objective and well researched. Feb 18, Dmitri rated it liked it Shelves: greece. I wanted to like this book more than I did, and assumed that perhaps others were being unfair. This did Greece turn out to be exactly the case. My problems had less to do with a pro-Ottoman prejudice that I had anticipated from prior reviews. There is indeed a sympathetic stance towards the years of Turkish rule in Greece, however, this is not the main difficulty that I had with the book. The author makes a case that the Ottomans were no worse than earlier empires. The ideas of foreign conquest I wanted to like this book more than I did, and assumed that perhaps others were being unfair. Aside from the occasional impalement or flaying, the people adapted to the new rulers as they had to the old rulers. This of course does not make empire justified, but it was truly part of the context of the times. Where the book faltered for me was in providing a fully coherent recounting of Greek history during the rule of the Ottomans. Maybe this would not be possible in the short space allotted and the long time frame under consideration. The introductory chapters describe the poorly executed Fourth Crusade in which the Venetians sacked the Christian capital of Constantinople ininstead of attacking the Muslim infidels in Jerusalem as was planned. Thereafter followed years of Venetian presence in Greece, culminating in the Turkish conquests of Thessaloniki in and Constantinople in Within less than a decade all of the Peloponnese was under the Ottoman rule. The Venetians were defeated at Cyprus Greecebriefly redeemed themselves at Lepanto inbut were reversed in the treaty in By the last Venetian stronghold in Crete was ceded to the Turks. So far so good. But there are many other interceding chapters on the Orthodox Church and the Sultanate, Greek peasants and bandits, Turkish devshirme and North African corsairs. The clashes with Hapsburgs and Romanovs, Sultanate incompetence, income lost by the privatization of tax collection leading to the decline of the Turkish empire. The plague, malaria, superstition, Church rejection of Enlightenment and lack of political unity and education contributed to Greek misery. Finally, there are two short chapters where the roots and outline of the war of independence are discussed, and another where an early 19th-century memoir of a revolutionary captain is synopsized. This long thread becomes somewhat unraveled in the 24 brief but dense chapters, spanning only around pages. Consequently, it is not strictly chronological, nor Greece it wholly thematic. This is not intrinsically a bad thing, and the juxtaposition of political and cultural history is generally a good thing. But in skipping around through so much so quickly a sense of coherence was lost, at least for me. After the many critical comments above I would be remiss not to mention that I did learn a lot from this book. It is well annotated and provides sources for further study.

The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See details for additional description. Skip to main content. About this product. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. In this wide-ranging yet concise history David Brewer explodes many of the myths about Turkish rule of Greece. See all 4 brand new the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence. Buy It Now. Add to cart. Was it a period of exploitation and enslavement for the Greeks until they were finally able to rise up against Turkish rule, as is the traditional, Greek nationalistic view? Or did the Greeks derive some benefit from Turkish rule? How did the Greeks and Turks co-exist for so long? And, why are Greek attitudes towards Venice, who also controlled much of Greece for many of these years, so different? For almost four hundred years, between the fall of Constantinople in and the Greek War of Independence, the history of Greece is shrouded in mystery: distorted by Greek writers and largely neglected by others. He places the Greek story in its wider, international the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence and casts fresh light on the dynamics of power not only between The Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence and Ottomans but also between Muslims and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, throughout Europe. This absorbing and riveting account of a crucial period will ensure that the history of Greece under Turkish rule is no longer hidden. It will be of immense value to anyone with an interest in Greek and Turkish history and in how the past has shaped the Greece we know today. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. Greece before the Turks Sultans and Patriarchs The Greek Peasants The Italians in the Aegean Pirates and Slaves The Fall of Cyprus Mainland Greece and Town Life The Greek Church Venetian Crete Turkish Rule in Cyprus and Crete The Changing Ottoman Empire Hunger and Disease Travellers to Greece Greeks Abroad Greeks and the Enlightenment The Enlightenment Attacked Prelude to Revolution Show More Show Less. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 5 - All listings for this product. No ratings Greece reviews yet No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. Bill o'Reilly's Killing Ser. When Women Pray Hardcover T. Jakes Christian Inspirational No ratings or reviews yet. Save on Nonfiction Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. You may also like. Greece Paperback Books. Paperbacks Books in Greek. Greek Paperback Books. Paperbacks Books in Turkish. Turkish Paperback Books. Paperback Children in Ancient Greek. This item doesn't belong on this page. Be the first to write a review About this product.