Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Sel Turhan’s article, “The Bosnian Catholics during the Nineteenth Century in the Context of the Ottoman Millet System Discussions,” published in the Q1 Journal of Islamic Studies, examines how Bosnian Catholics were positioned within the Ottoman imperial order. Drawing on extensive archival sources, the study investigates whether they were recognized as a distinct millet, the legal significance of Mehmed II’s Ahdname, and the relationship between Catholic clergy and the Ottoman centre. It also explores negotiation, mediation, and cooperation, demonstrating that the millet system functioned as a flexible and negotiated framework rather than a rigid institutional structure.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Sel Turhan’s article, “The Bosnian Catholics during the Nineteenth Century in the Context of the Ottoman Millet System Discussions,” published in the Q1 Journal of Islamic Studies, examines the relationship between Bosnian Catholics and the Ottoman central administration within the broader debates surrounding the millet system.
Drawing extensively on nineteenth-century Ottoman archival documents, the study investigates how Bosnian Catholics were defined by the Ottoman state and whether they were recognized as a distinct millet. It also explores the relationship between the Bosnian Catholic clergy and the Ottoman centre, with particular attention to the significance of the Ahdname granted by Mehmed II as a foundation of their legal status.
The article further analyzes the mutual expectations, negotiations, and forms of cooperation that shaped relations between Bosnian Catholics and the Ottoman administration, as well as the intermediaries they relied upon to seek state intervention in resolving local problems. In doing so, the study contributes to ongoing debates on the millet system by demonstrating the complexity and flexibility of communal relations in the nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire.