List of Figures and Tables; Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter One The Sultan's Promise; Chapter Two The Protection System; Chapter Three Avanias: Misrepresentations of the Ottoman; Chapter Four The Division of Estates; Chapter Five Bankruptcy; Chapter Six Theft; Chapter Seven Conclusion; Archival Sources; Selected Bibliography; Index
Summary
"Pre-modern Western sources generally claim that European mercantile communities in the Ottoman Empire enjoyed legal autonomy, and were thus effectively immune to Ottoman justice. At the same time, they report numerous disputes with Ottoman officials over jurisdiction ("avanias"), which seems to contradict this claim, the discrepancy being considered proof of the capriciousness of the Ottoman legal system. Modern studies of Ottoman-European relations in this period have tended uncritically to accept this interpretation, which is challenged in this study."--Jacket
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-313) and index
