Moral Critique and Political Realism: Greville and Osborne on Ottoman Sovereignty

Seda Erkoç Yeni

Article Details

Moral Critique and Political Realism: Greville and Osborne on Ottoman Sovereignty

Authors:

Seda Erkoç Yeni

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Intellectual History of Politics

Journal:

Siyasal: Journal of Political Sciences Vol.34 Issue 2, pp.267-277

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001360379

pISSN:

2618-6330

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This article examines Fulke Grevilles treatises A Treatise of Monarchy and A Treatie of Warres alongside Francis Osbornes The Turkish Policy, as seventeenth-century English texts that explore the political structure of the Ottoman Empire from distinct perspectives. Written nearly fifty years apart, both authors portray the sultans rule as a form of absolute power. They diverge, however, in tone, purpose, and ideological framework. Greville, writing from a moral and philosophical standpoint rooted in Aristotelian and Christian thought, depicts the Ottoman regime as tyrannical and inherently corrupt and sets it as a warning against the decay of natural law and legitimate monarchy. Osborne, on the other hand, adopts a pragmatic and politically realist view shaped by the turmoil of mid-seventeenth-century England and deeply influenced by Hobbesian thought. While acknowledging the systems cruelty, Osborne emphasizes its functionality, particularly the subordination of religious authority and the use of meritocracy to sustain state power. Through a portrayal of differing representations of Ottoman absolutism, this article demonstrates how the Ottoman Empire served not simply as a distant example, but as a reflective surface for Englands own political anxieties. Ultimately, it argues that early modern English writers invoked the Ottomans as both a cautionary tale and a model of stability within a shared tradition of statecraft.

 This article examines Fulke Grevilles treatises A Treatise of Monarchy and A Treatie of Warres alongside Francis Osbornes The Turkish Policy, as seventeenth-century English texts that explore the political structure of the Ottoman Empire from distinct perspectives. Written nearly fifty years apart, both authors portray the sultans rule as a form of absolute power. They diverge, however, in tone, purpose, and ideological framework. Greville, writing from a moral and philosophical standpoint rooted in Aristotelian and Christian thought, depicts the Ottoman regime as tyrannical and inherently corrupt and sets it as a warning against the decay of natural law and legitimate monarchy. Osborne, on the other hand, adopts a pragmatic and politically realist view shaped by the turmoil of mid-seventeenth-century England and deeply influenced by Hobbesian thought. While acknowledging the systems cruelty, Osborne emphasizes its functionality, particularly the subordination of religious authority and the use of meritocracy to sustain state power. Through a portrayal of differing representations of Ottoman absolutism, this article demonstrates how the Ottoman Empire served not simply as a distant example, but as a reflective surface for Englands own political anxieties. Ultimately, it argues that early modern English writers invoked the Ottomans as both a cautionary tale and a model of stability within a shared tradition of statecraft.

 This article examines Fulke Grevilles treatises A Treatise of Monarchy and A Treatie of Warres alongside Francis Osbornes The Turkish Policy, as seventeenth-century English texts that explore the political structure of the Ottoman Empire from distinct perspectives. Written nearly fifty years apart, both authors portray the sultans rule as a form of absolute power. They diverge, however, in tone, purpose, and ideological framework. Greville, writing from a moral and philosophical standpoint rooted in Aristotelian and Christian thought, depicts the Ottoman regime as tyrannical and inherently corrupt and sets it as a warning against the decay of natural law and legitimate monarchy. Osborne, on the other hand, adopts a pragmatic and politically realist view shaped by the turmoil of mid-seventeenth-century England and deeply influenced by Hobbesian thought. While acknowledging the systems cruelty, Osborne emphasizes its functionality, particularly the subordination of religious authority and the use of meritocracy to sustain state power. Through a portrayal of differing representations of Ottoman absolutism, this article demonstrates how the Ottoman Empire served not simply as a distant example, but as a reflective surface for Englands own political anxieties. Ultimately, it argues that early modern English writers invoked the Ottomans as both a cautionary tale and a model of stability within a shared tradition of statecraft.

 This article examines Fulke Grevilles treatises A Treatise of Monarchy and A Treatie of Warres alongside Francis Osbornes The Turkish Policy, as seventeenth-century English texts that explore the political structure of the Ottoman Empire from distinct perspectives. Written nearly fifty years apart, both authors portray the sultans rule as a form of absolute power. They diverge, however, in tone, purpose, and ideological framework. Greville, writing from a moral and philosophical standpoint rooted in Aristotelian and Christian thought, depicts the Ottoman regime as tyrannical and inherently corrupt and sets it as a warning against the decay of natural law and legitimate monarchy. Osborne, on the other hand, adopts a pragmatic and politically realist view shaped by the turmoil of mid-seventeenth-century England and deeply influenced by Hobbesian thought. While acknowledging the systems cruelty, Osborne emphasizes its functionality, particularly the subordination of religious authority and the use of meritocracy to sustain state power. Through a portrayal of differing representations of Ottoman absolutism, this article demonstrates how the Ottoman Empire served not simply as a distant example, but as a reflective surface for Englands own political anxieties. Ultimately, it argues that early modern English writers invoked the Ottomans as both a cautionary tale and a model of stability within a shared tradition of statecraft.

Article Details

Moral Critique and Political Realism: Greville and Osborne on Ottoman Sovereignty

Authors:

Seda Erkoç Yeni

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Intellectual History of Politics

Journal:

Siyasal: Journal of Political Sciences Vol.34 Issue 2, pp.267-277

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001360379

pISSN:

2618-6330

Fulke Greville

Francis Osborne

Absolutism

Tyranny and sovereignty

Early modern statecraft

Issues

Article Details

Moral Critique and Political Realism: Greville and Osborne on Ottoman Sovereignty

Authors: Seda Erkoç Yeni

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Intellectual History of Politics

Journal: Siyasal: Journal of Political Sciences Vol.34 Issue 2, pp.267-277

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 9/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001360379

pISSN: 2618-6330

Fulke Greville

Francis Osborne

Absolutism

Tyranny and sovereignty

Early modern statecraft

Issues

Authors:

Seda Erkoç Yeni

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Intellectual History of Politics

Journal:

Siyasal: Journal of Political Sciences Vol.34 Issue 2, pp.267-277

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001360379

pISSN:

2618-6330