مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - OTTOMAN WOMEN FROM POINT OF VIEW OF AN ENGLISH ARISTOCRAT

Abstract :

There are some information about social life of women in Ottoman Empire in studies of European travelers. Those studies include some prejudice ideas which have incompatible with Ottoman religion and social life of Ottomans. Thus Lady Montegu’s letters are different from other travelers letters. Lady Montegu traveled to East with her husband. After his appointment to Ottoman Empire as an ambassador. They stayed in different cities as Lahey, Nurnberg, Vien, Prague and came to to Istanbul following Petervaradin-Belgrad-Edirne way. During this journey Lady Montegu wrote letters to her friends to give information about journey. She sent her first letters which comprise information about Turkish people on February 12th. In 1717 when she was Belgrade. She had been Istanbul for one year between 1717-1718. After that period she traveled Ottoman states to write information which include people, climate, history and cultural values. She also gave detailed information about Ottoman women who she was able to be in touch because of being a woman. Letters of Lady Montegu are one of the main sources for 18th Century Ottoman history researches. Lady Montegu’s letters are special from other travel letters because of first Christian woman who traveled east as being woman and at the same time wrote travel letters in great interest and elegance.