The Ottoman Empire at the time of the Treaties of Karlowitz

Abstract

The article presents the internal situation of the Ottoman Empire in the period immediately preceding and following the signing of the Karlowice Treaties in 1699. These events mark a turning point in the political and social history of the empire, revealing the growing crisis in its administrative, financial and military structures. The aim of the study is to show the profound changes and social tensions in the Ottoman state at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, which culminated in the rebellion in Istanbul in 1703, known as the ‘Adrianople incident’ (Edirne vakası). The author focuses on phenomena such as fiscal destabilisation, the overburdening of the population with taxes, the corruption of the religious and administrative elites, and the weakening position of Sultan Mustafa II. The analysis is based on Ottoman and European sources (including reports by envoys, chronicles, accounts by contemporary observers) and selected historical studies. The research method is based on comparative analysis and critical exegesis of events from 1699 to 1703. According to the author, the Treaty of Karlowitz revealed the weaknesses of the Ottoman state apparatus and deepened social frustrations, especially in Istanbul. The rebellion of 1703, which ended with the dethronement of the sultan and the execution of Grand Mufti Faizullah, was the result of long-standing tensions that the treaty only exacerbated. Although the uprising did not bring about lasting reforms, it was a symptom of the crisis of legitimacy of Ottoman rule at the dawn of the 18th century.