The implementation of Ottoman religious policies in Crete 1645-1735 : men of faith as actors in the kadı court

Abstract

The arrival of the Ottomans in the first half of the seventeenth century was marked by a twofold religious policy on the island: The reestablishment of the Orthodox hierarchy and the establishment of Islam. The reestablishment of the Orthodox hierarchy was in contrast with the religious policy of the previous Catholic Venetian rule. The relationship of the Ottomans with the Patriarchate in Istanbul, as affected by the Protestant and Catholic missionaries from Europe, was a determinant in what was happening in Crete at this period. The establishment of Islam on the other hand was mainly a result of conversions. The Ottomans endorsed the mystical religious orders on the island in this period. After an examination of these processes, this thesis investigates the involvement of the Christian and Muslim men of faith into the new system.