Rum Communities of Istanbul in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: A Historical Survey

Abstract

This study focuses on the history and development of the Rum communities (κοινότητες/communes) of Constantinople/Istanbul, meaning both "communities" in the abstract sense and "communities" as administrative entities with their own particular histories in the late Ottoman period. The focus is particularly on the empire's last century, the period 1821–1924, which is bookended by the Greek Revolution on the one hand and the Treaty of Lausanne and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey on the other. The study surveys the evolution of these administrative communities, including their changing number and the boundaries between them, as well as the changes that had an impact on the demographics, land planning, and administration. This is a history that is abundantly documented in Greek-language scholarship, but which is not integrated into mainstream Ottoman history conversations. The hope is to provide a basic working knowledge of the internal world and dynamics of the Rum communities of the Ottoman capital for an Ottomanist audience.