Ottoman History Podcast Martin Crusius and the Discovery of Ottoman Greece
Oct 24, 2025
Richard Calis, an assistant professor specializing in cultural history, discusses the intriguing German scholar Martin Crusius, who studied Greek life under Ottoman rule without ever visiting. Crusius's work sheds light on early modern cultural debates, particularly about Greek identity. He relied on a vast network for information, blending ethnography with religious inquiry. Calis also explores Crusius’s dreams and the paradox of Amomans as both central and peripheral in his narratives. The conversation reveals how his efforts shaped European perceptions of Greeks and the Ottoman Empire.
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Homebound Scholarly Globalism
- Martin Crusius became early modern Europe's foremost expert on Greek affairs without ever leaving Tübingen.
- He built knowledge via a wide network of intermediaries, manuscripts, and interviews across decades.
Greeks As Theological Touchstone
- Crusius studied contemporary Greek Orthodox practice to test and legitimize Lutheran theology.
- He treated the Patriarchate as an authoritative ancient institution comparable to the papacy for theological validation.
Interviews With Greek Alms-Seekers
- Crusius interviewed Greek Orthodox alms-seekers who passed through Tübingen for forty years and recorded those conversations.
- These interviews made him the most informed European about Greek life under Ottoman rule at the time.
