AbstractsHistory

Despite a wealth of existing primary source material, archival, literary, and numismatic, for the period from the accession of Sultan Suleyman II in 1687 to the end of Mahmud I's reign in 1754, no substantial study of the Ottoman currency system during this era has been written to date. This work examines and analyzes all three types of material to provide a comprehensive view of the imperial monetary structure in this neglected time span. Focusing on gold and silver coinage, it chronicles one of the most dynamic periods of development and change in Ottoman monetary history, characterized by a series of concerted efforts by the imperial government to reform the currency system and marked – most notably – by the creation of a new silver unit along with numerous new coins in all metals and denominations, a dramatic rise in currency production, the introduction of new technology into imperial mints, and the regulation and centralization of coining operations. This study also relates these important monetary events to broader contemporary political trends, providing evidence for a more in-depth and nuanced version of the history of this period in general.