From Theory to Practice: British Travel Permits in the Ottoman Empire (1700–1800)

Abstract

Using archival documents in the Ottoman archives related to British travellers in the Ottoman empire who were travelling under the protection of the capitulations, this article examines the yol emri (travel permit) issued to travellers by the Ottoman state and focuses specifically on the case of Edward Wortley Montagu. In so doing it seeks to highlight the importance of Ottoman archival sources for an understanding of the diplomatic and commercial relations between Britain and the Ottoman empire, an importance that is often overshadowed by a heavy reliance on British sources.