Early ottoman modernisation thougt in diplomatic courier and correspondence

Abstract

The Ottoman ambassadors to European countries were the first persons who studied and observed the Other and the Other-world. Their mission abroad gave them the opportunity to understand the deep differences in the level of economic, military and cultural development. Ottoman ambassadors wrote diplomatic courier so that the Sultan could be aware of the political and social changes in Europe. These diplomatic writings are the platform where the Ottoman person began to investigate the situation in the empire and to see that modernisation was a necessity in military and administration of the state. There are some observations about the reversed situation: the Muslims are not superior anymore, they are inferior and behind the developments in the Christian world.