This is something I've always been curious about. There's an extensive list of Brits, Frenchmen, Germans, Poles, etc who served the Ottomans as military officers, naval commanders, and administrators with many converting to Islam and taking on Turkish names. Why? Were they the Turkish equivalent of Weebs? What was the benefit?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_foreigners_who_were_in_the_service_of_the_Ottoman_Empire
>>18114635Orientalism
>>18114639I know but why was Orientalism so popular?
>>18114635>>18114654By the 18th century, the Ottomans were no longer a threat to Europe and their culture became one of admiration and fascination, rather than fear and derision. The Ottomans began opening themselves up to European influence in an attempt to modernise and many Europeans, who were already interested in "oriental" culture due to its exotic appeal, took the opportunity to embark on adventures in this mythic, distant land of contrast, where west met east. There was nowhere in the world quite like the Ottoman Empire at the time and Turco/Islamophillia became rampant across Europe by the 19th century.
