Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire

As capitulations of the Ottoman Empire ( Ottoman قاپيتولاسيون Kapitülâsyon, also Ahdnâme / عهدنامه of Arab عهد ʿ ahd, promise, word ' and Persian نامه name, letter, letter ') are agreements initially mostly in the field of trade referred to by various European countries. The term comes from the after division into chapters capitule drafted texts.

History

The first of these agreements in 1536 with France, but never ratified. Later, other capitulations follow with France and other European countries. They cleared the European trade in the Ottoman Empire against the local merchants a significant advantage, especially in the duties. The capitulations were there any contracts between equal partners, but were written in the form of privileges of the Sultan. For commercial rights in the Ottoman Empire told the European states Tribute or military aid. The form of the contracts but had the consequence that the Ottoman merchants had no trade benefits in European countries. This resulted in the long term, that the economic position of the Ottoman Empire deteriorated compared to their European competitors.

Effects

The economic and military development is lagging behind meant that in the 18th and especially the 19th century had agreements with European states continue to designated partly as a capitulation of the Ottoman Empire negative consequences. In the 18th century the trade disadvantages Ottoman merchants led around to the fact that more and more local Christian merchants formally designated as a translator and put under the protection of a European state. They benefited from trade privileges were thus also partially the influence of the state revoked. But the Russian Empire had by 1808 about 120,000 Orthodox Greeks as " wards. " Even during the Tanzimatära result of the decline of the Ottoman Empire to the fact that it had to close unequal trade agreements. This is especially true for the Ottoman- British Treaty of 1838. Paris peace of 1856 the Sublime Porte was accepted into the European powers system, the state has been supported in a conditional modernization, the capitulations, however, remained composed.

Repeal

For Turkey, ended the period of European special rights with the entry into the first world war in 1914 and the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Existence they remained still in the semi-colonial Egypt. There entertained the twelve Kapitularmächte until 1949, the so-called Joint courts for which are under their protection Egyptians. Only after this law was to the Egyptian state.