Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Kadim, sa.8, ss.51-76, 2024 (Scopus)
In response to the growing demands
of diplomacy within the increasingly institutionalized Ottoman diplomatic
framework, a significant expansion in the number of diplomats employed by the
state was observed during the final quarter of the nineteenth century.
Concurrent with the rapid increase in diplomatic personnel, a systematic
appointment process was implemented to enhance the recruitment of qualified and
knowledgeable individuals. This study aims to examine the impact of the
institutionalization of the Ottoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its
ambassadors and consuls, who were the principal executive officers of the
institution. Additionally, the article seeks to explore the social histories of
Ottoman ambassadors and consuls by analyzing the evolution of their
professional responsibilities and educational backgrounds.
This study employs a prosopographic
methodology to investigate the social and educational backgrounds, as well as
the professional careers, of Ottoman ambassadors and consuls, with a focus on
their personnel records archived in the Ottoman Archives. Through this
analysis, the study aims to elucidate how the state's efforts to establish a
centralized and institutionalized bureaucratic system, and to emphasize
merit-based appointments, contributed to the formation of a distinct
professional identity among Ottoman diplomats by the end of the nineteenth
century.