What were Ottoman reactions to the Protestant Reformation?

by toanuva2
Zooasaurus

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Initially, the reformation was considered by the Ottomans to be nothing more than a theological problem. They considered the Reformation a Christian feud, and that the Catholic Christians were more than able to deal with these trivial theological differences, just as they had done earlier with other movements in the past like Jan Hus and Peter Waldo. However, when the movement managed to become a widespread political movement in Europe, the Ottomans took interest in the movement and supported or show sympathy towards the Protestants to prevent unity in Europe, oppose the power of the Habsburgs, and prevent a united crusade.

For example in 1530, An intelligence report sent to Süleyman by an agent on the Albanian coast reported that Fra Martin Luther, the leader of a new sect opposed to the "false" rite of Catholicism, had raised an army of 30,000 men and routed Charles V’s army in a battle at a place in Germany called San Borgo, amongst other things like troop and naval movement, and the general political situation in the Mediterranean. The battle was a fantasy, but the report shows that the Ottomans followed closely the movements and divisions among their contemporaries. This followed with gestures of sympathy towards the Protestants as an attempt to make an alliance or work together against the Habsburgs. Süleyman was an active player of this, he first made friendly inquiries to Luther and assured him that if they were to meet and establish some sort of alliance Luther would find him a 'gracious ruler'. Later on, Süleyman made various similar gestures like urging German protestant princes to hold firm and cooperate with the French against Charles V, and assuring that if the Ottoman army entered Europe he would grant the princes amnesty. He also promised help to the rebelling Netherlands and supported Calvinists in Hungary and Transylvania, where it later became the dominant religion to the extent that some Europe began to speak of 'Calvino-turcismus'. Though in this time the most of the Protestants has little desire to ally with the Ottomans, used both rather friendly stance and Ottoman pressure to the Habsburgs to further enforce their demands, like in 1532, where they forced Charles to sign the Peace of Nuremberg, to accept the Treaty of Passau and, finally, to sign the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 in which Protestantism was formally recognized.

After Süleyman's death, this policy was continued by his successors. in a letter to Charles IX in 1572, Selim II proposed an alliance composed of Charles IX, a handful of German princes, and Elizabeth I to oppose Spain:

Your ambassador has presented us with your request that has reached us with the sincere content in which the lord of Navarre, a Lutheran (Henry of Navarre) and a firm enemy of Spain and the pope; who is nonetheless your sister (Margaret of Valois), was given in marriage to him and is an ally to the English Crown. The queen (Elizabeth of England ) sworn to be an ally to the allies and enemy to the enemies; and even with the German princes being together with the mentioned alliance with their ambassadors who come and go ... It is our decision [that you], on one side and the German princes on the other, join forces from Qayandus (Kaindorf) with the above-mentioned queen, with the intent to harm and attack this wretched city

Though the alliance never really materialized, it shows the Ottoman intent to ally Protestant countries and oppose the Habsburgs. Later on, in a letter from Murad IV, he expressed theological sympathy to the Protestants in the Netherlands as to why the Protestants should be supported in the context of the Reformation that was well under way at that time. In that letter, the Protestants are viewed as sincere as Muslims in their working for the true faith, and a sincere community with respect to the divine cause and faith in the Oneness of God in contrast to the pope, who is depicted as a figure who lacks faith because of the attribution of divinity to Jesus. The Church thus strayed from the divine path, used idols and images that the Church made. Thus, they possessed the right to be protected whenever they needed security, even with military force, wherever and whenever possible:

Imperial Dispatch granted to the followers of the Lutheran sect in the lands of Flanders and Spain. Esteemed subjects, the Lords and the Princes of the nation of Christianity committed to the work of Jesus in the lands of Flanders and Spain, may your destiny be Divine favour ... You do not worship idols but reject them, [along with] the images and the bells of churches. For the Truth is One and you say that Jesus is His prophet and servant that you have faith in this, that you still claim to this Faith willingly through the spirit and by tongue [language] [against] the one called Pope, who is deprived of religion, who does not know his Creator but attributes deity to Jesus and worships idols and images made by their own hands, and casts the Oneness of Allah into doubt ... It is evident that you are taking up the sword and defying the Pope. Our gracious Kingdom, without any regard of expense from the sea and land, will aid you against the cruel Pope who lacks faith, in your [struggle for] salvation and true conveyance of the True Faith

This is probably in accordance to the friendly stance of the Ottomans with the Netherlands, which the former provided aid and assistance during the Dutch revolt ever since the reign of Murad III.

Bibliography

"The Ottoman Sociopolitical Impact on the West during the European Reformation" by Ahmed Akgunduz

"An Ottoman Report About Martin Luther and the Emperor" by Christine Isom-Verhaaren

"The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe" by Daniel Goffman

http://www.armandsag.nl/papers/Masterscriptie.html on more information about the Ottoman-Dutch relations in the 16th and 17th century