Peace in the West, War in the East: Reestablishing Order in Syria and Iraq after the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718-1722)

Abstract

The Ottoman Empire participated in long-lasting wars on the Iranian front between 1722 and 1747. This article deals with the preparations the Sublime Porte made in the empire’s southeast between 1718 and 1722, when peace was established in the west and the possibility of war in the east increased day by day. The article specifically examines the Porte’s measures to establish military and political order in today’s Syria and Iraq in the context of center-periphery relations, based on Ottoman archival sources. It discusses the power and limitations of the Ottoman central authority in Syria and Iraq. One of the article’s main arguments is that the Sublime Porte tried to establish the central authority with employing strict measures (stick) on the one hand and making important concessions (carrot) on the other. © 2023, Istanbul 29 Mayis University - ISAM, TDV Centre for Islamic Studies. All rights reserved.