Ottoman Imperial Identities Between Istanbul and the Caucasus

Erik R. Scott

Little has been written on Ottoman imperial identities in the early modern period, less still on the role of Caucasians in Ottoman service. Emphasizing the importance of Caucasian ethnic origins too often ignored or misinterpreted in the historiography, the author offers preliminary findings on their significance to seventeenth-century Ottomans and outlines areas for further research. While based on their own distinct customs, language, and traditions, the identities of Caucasian kullar (slaves) were forged in an Ottoman context and are best understood as hybrid identities. The way Caucasian kullar were seen by others and, in turn, the way they saw themselves, was shaped by the manner of their incorporation into the Ottoman Empire and colored by Ottoman considerations of class and social refinement. Nevertheless, because of the Caucasians’ relatively late arrival in the Ottoman elite and their preservation of unique traits, there remained a tension between service in the highest positions of the empire and Caucasian identity.

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