My proposed source is entitled “The Adventures of an English Merchant, Taken Prisoner by the Turks of Argiers, and Carried into the Inland Countries of Africa”. The author, only known by his initials, “T.S.” wrote his story in 1670 after having left England in 1648. Although, it appears that his background and occupation are not explicitly stated, much can be inferred from his writings. The author states that his name will be useless to the “judicious” reader and so he decides to withhold his name. He mentions that he was first destined to be a scholar but that the “extraordinary rigour” frightened him from his studies. His aversion for learning meant that he sought out adventures instead. T.S. bounced around for several years before latching onto an apprenticeship with a prominent trader in London. It appears that he eventually intended to earn his fortune as a traveler. Eventually, he took off for North Africa. Quick analysis suggests that he went as a solo traveler without the backing of any powerful trade association. Consequently, though he was an Englishman, T.S. was not treated with any unique gestures or afforded dignity.
Towards the beginning of his account, T.S makes reference to the fact that he eventually served as a slave for various Ottoman masters. As T.S. navigates through a variety of jobs and occupations, he is simultaneously able to see large swaths of the Ottoman Empire (but especially North Africa). Apparently, he becomes so valuable that he is able to earn his freedom. Much more research and analysis must be done on this front to examine his claims about his perceived value to his Ottoman masters. T.S. claims that he is writing his accounts not to “make advantage of them”, but it remains to be seen if he is trying to win fame or garner wealth from his tales in a foreign land. One main avenue to go down is the author’s experience as an English slave in the Ottoman Empire. I am hoping that his adventures can shed light on this feature of Ottoman daily life. How does his Protestant faith affect his treatment? Is he forced to convert to Islam? Is there a hierarchy within the slave world in the Ottoman Empire? Does “Providence” keep him safe and help him win his freedom? Under what light does the Christian T.S. view the Muslim Ottomans? This may also help me understand modern early English or Protestant views of the Muslims. Though this is several centuries after the Crusades, are Muslims seen as infidels? And furthermore, what did the English think about the Ottoman military power? How were the English tolerated? As discussed with Professor Kollmann, one of the main things I'm looking at for this source is the veracity of his writings due to the potential for sensationalism.
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ReplyDeleteHi Jimmy, Let me first say that, although it isn't very helpful to you, I already personally like your author because he claimed the "judicious" reader would be able to read with discernment and judge based solely on the content of his account (that in itself gives food for discussing the degree of veracity in his writing and whether he would have fallen prey to the typical potential for sensationalism during his time). I love the question of the intersection of Christian and Muslim faith from the lens of an English Christian slave - not something I've ever thought about before. I am a little curious about what you mean when you say he became so valuable he was able to earn his freedom? The only time I've encountered this idea before was in learning something about how slaves could earn their freedom in colonial Latin America. As I understood it, slaves would appeal to courts there to win their freedom by describing their hard work, good behavior, and earnings and initially their slave owners would claim they were poor, inefficient, lazy slaves in an attempt to dissuade the judge from giving them their freedom. But when judges did grant slaves freedom, the next task was to determine how much the owner would be compensated. At this point, the former slave owner would begin making opposite claims (that the slave was terrific and very valuable) and the slave would downplay his/her abilities. It was a lot of theatrics surrounding an intensely moral issue. Don't know if T.S.'s experience was anything like this, but I thought it might give you a basis for comparison or food for thought. Sorry this was long, but good luck!
ReplyDeleteT.S. sounds pretty interesting. It might be hard to gain insight on English views through the analysis of a single person, though. You might need to bring in a secondary source to compare it with T.S. It could even be interesting to see if he has a change in perspective after his years in captivity.
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