"Enlightening Europe on Islam and the Ottomans: Mouradgea d’Ohsson and His Masterpiece"
Carter Findley
"Enlightening Europe on Islam and the Ottomans: Mouradgea d’Ohsson and His Masterpiece"
October 6, 2021
4-5 p.m.
What did Europe’s enlightened rulers need to know about Islamic law and the state to get along with the greatest Muslim ruler of the age? If Mouradgea d’Ohsson could have published his entire work before the French Revolution, his Tableau général de l’Empire othoman would have been recognized then and since as providing precisely that guidance. As its long subtitle states, his work has two parts: the larger part on Islamic law, the final part on the state. This was the most authoritative work ever yet published on Islam and the Ottomans. Profusely illustrated with 233 engravings, the work also offered the century’s richest collection of visual imagery on the Ottomans, thereby opening deep insights into the processes and politics of illustrated book production. Carter Findley will present an illustrated lecture about d’Ohsson, his monumental work and its illustrations, based on his 2019 book, which bears the same title as this presentation.
Programming note: This event will begin with remarks from University President Kristina M. Johnson.