the black death in early ottoman territories - Bilkent University

as to whether the Ottomans systematically applied measures such as quarantine in
the first two centuries of the presence of the disease. It might very well be that the
evidence simply did not survive, because it seems surprising that Ottoman
bureaucracy with its firm grip on society would not have tried to remediate the
situation through regulations. On the other hand, the Ottomans might have
displayed an 'ad hoc' approach to the disease, taking special measures whenever
they saw the necessity, such as in the case of Sakız island. Moreover, comparisons
with 'Europe' tend to focus on the systematic efforts of the Venetian republic to
repel plague from their city and their galleys. Such a comparison is void of any
meaning, as Venice had the benefit of borders that essentially coincided with its
city-gates. Moreover, the Venetian galleys transported enormous concentrations
of wealth, therefore it was in the Serenissima's best interest to keep their galleys
(which were leased by the Venetian authorities) well-defended, that is plague-free.
In contrast, at the turn of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman empire's borders were
larger than those of any European state and the collecting of customs duties was
subcontracted through the principle of tax-farming 417 , creating a potential area of
conflict of interest between the controlling of disease by the authorities and the
maximizing of profits by private individuals.
417 Halil İnalcık. Sources and Studies on the Ottoman Black Sea. Gönul and Şinasi Tekin, editors.
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University. 1995.
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