The Ottoman Empire in the Middle of the Eighteenth Century and the Fragmentation of Tradition

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AND THE FRAGMENTATION OF TRADITION RELATIONS OF THE NATIONALITIES (MILLETS), GUILDS (ESNAF) AND THE SULTAN, 1740-1768 BY ROBERT W. OLSON Ottoman studies in the West other than diplomatic have concen- trated on the nineteenth century. Recent studies of the eighteenth century Ottoman Empire indicate that the malady which afflicted the "sick man of Europe" predates the time that the "Eastern Question" preoccupied European diplomatists. Within the Ottoman Empire Istanbul was a microcosm of the complex interplay of Christian (Armenian, Greek, and European), Jewish and Muslim groups during a period of