Fransız Kaynaklarına Göre Kırım Hanlığı (1700-1768)

Abstract

The fact that the Crimean Khanate fell under the domination of the Sublime Porte for three centuries was also caused to be seen as the "right arm" of the Ottomans by European observers. The geographical ground of the Crimean Khanate allowed us also to see it as the northern frontier of the Empire. Under the pressure of the sui generis conditions, the Khanate preserved and developed unique characteristics for centuries, especially in the 18th century. The archival documents left behind by diplomats, travelers, merchants, and missionaries sent to the region in the 16th century when the political concerns that developed due to the commercial relations of France towards the Levant and the Black Sea hinterland intensified in the 18th century. This dissertation aims to give a historical description of the Crimean Khanate based on various contemporary French sources, primarily the documentation of missionaries and consuls sent to the region due to France's political and commercial concerns in the Black Sea and East. The French consular reports and archival records, which are not investigated adequately in the historiography of the Crimean Khanate, provide us with information about the political and social history of the Crimean Khanate in the 18th century. This dissertation also aims to present the French primary sources to the Crimean historiography from a comparative perspective for future examinations.