Europe and the Porte : new documents on the Eastern question

One of the great crises that affected the European political system in the eighteenth century was the Eastern Question.

This new book looks at this subject from a previously neglected perspective, using an important collection of documents containing information on the Eastern Question: the diplomatic reports of the Swedish plenipotentiary minister to the Ottoman Porte (1795-1799).

This period witnessed the most serious phase of the Eastern crisis during the eighteenth century.

It was marked by crucial events, such as the disappearance of Poland from the map of Europe in 1795 and the great military campaigns led by Napoleon Bonaparte, which culminated with the invasion of Egypt in 1798.

These events confronted the European cabinets with the necessity of rapidly solving the Eastern crisis.

The great battles in Europe were waged, however, not only on the battlefield, but on the diplomatic field.

The centre of that confrontation was Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, as the success or failure of the concerned powers depended heavily upon the extent to which they succeeded in controlling Ottoman foreign policy. Intrigues, disguised attacks, blackmail - the entire arsenal of a diplomacy lacking any moral scruples - were perceived, with a remarkable accuracy, by the Swedish envoy in the Ottoman capital, Ignatius Mouradgea d'Ohsson.

This collection of documents is published in two volumes, the first covering the years 1795-1797 and the second 1798-1799.

The editor has included a general introduction giving the reader and researcher the historical background of the period covered in the sources and has provided extensive notes on each document that make them accessible and useful research tools.