Ottoman maritime trade on the west coast of Anatolia (1750-1839)

Maritime Trade is one of the fields in which we have the least knowledge of. When Ottoman maritime is mentioned, more emphasis is placed on military maritime. Determining the effect of commercial maritime, understanding the commercial activities especially in the Western Anatolian coasts, revealing the transported goods and navigation routes contributed to the clarification of a little-known period. We found it appropriate to research the years between 1750 and 1839. These dates particularly represent a period when the Capitulations began to affect the Ottoman Empire in every respect. The picture that emerged after 1740 will help us to understand the Ottoman maritime trade policies, which have always been criticized, in real terms. The Western Anatolian coasts were chosen as the geographical region. Here, the captains of Ottoman subjects engaged in trade were especially selected. The goods carried by these captains, the ports they came to and went from and the amount of goods they carried were given in the table. When the data about the interaction areas of maritime were put forward by revealing the extent of the trade of the Ottoman Merchant class on the Western Anatolian Coasts, the economic dimension of this trade and the goods which were transported, it became easier to make general analyzes. Thus, a contribution has been made to illuminate a missing period in the literature. With the tables and documents used in this thesis, it is inevitable to bring new interpretations to the maritime trade that took place in the Western Anatolian coasts.