Publisher's Synopsis
This is an account of Jewish economic social life from the time of the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to 1600. During this time the Ottoman Jewry became one of the two leading groups of communities (with Poland-Lithuania) in the Jewish world. Jewish exiles from Spain and Portugal went there and were welcomed by the Ottoman authorities who were generally favourable to Jewish economic enterprise.;Salonika and Constantinople became the largest communities of the age. The Ottoman Empire reached a peak of economic expansion in the mid 16th century and the author discusses the role played by the Jews in the Ottoman economy as administrators, merchants, craftsmen, physicians and printers, with those of Spanish and Portuguese origin being able to display skills and expertise developed in the Peninsula in new fields. He also gives an account of the legal and organizational structures of trade and commerce, commodities of merchandise, trade routes, markets and business centre.;Dr Bashan has drawn on a variety of sources including contemporary travel literature, Rabbinic responsa and Turkish archives.
