[38] “The central government of the Sultan has generally treated its Mussulman subjects with as much cruelty and injustice as the conquered Christians. The sufferings of the Greeks were caused by the insolence and oppression of the ruling class and the corruption that reigned in the Othoman administration, rather than by the direct exercise of the Sultan’s power. In his private affairs, a Greek had a better chance of obtaining justice from [[155]]his bishop and the elders of his district than a Turk from the cadi or the voivode.” (Finlay, vol. vi. pp. 4–5.)
“It would be a mistake to suppose that the Christians are the only part of the population that is oppressed and miserable. Turkish misgovernment is uniform, and falls with a heavy hand upon all alike. In some parts of the kingdom the poverty of the Mussulmans may be actually worse than the poverty of the Christians, and it is their condition which most excites the pity of the traveller.” (William Forsyth: The Slavonic Provinces South of the Danube, pp. 157–8. London, 1876.)
“All this oppression and misery (i.e. in the north of Asia Minor) falls upon the Mohammedan population equally with the Christian.” (James Bryce: Transcaucasia and Ararat, p. 381.)
“L’Europe s’imagine que les chrétiens seuls sont soumis, en Turquie, à l’arbitraire, aux souffrances, aux avilissements de toute nature, qui naissent de l’oppression; il n’en est rien! Les musulmans, précisément parce que nulle puissance étrangère ne s’intéresse à eux, sont peut-être plus indignement spoliés, plus courbés sous le joug que ceux qui méconnaissent le prophète.” (De la Jonquière, p. 507.)
“To judge from what we have already observed, the lowest order of Christians are not in a worse condition in Asia Minor than the same class of Turks; and if the Christians of European Turkey have some advantages arising from the effects of the superiority of their numbers over the Turks, those of Asia have the satisfaction of seeing that the Turks are as much oppressed by the men in power as they are themselves; and they have to deal with a race of Mussulmans generally milder, more religious, and better principled than those of Europe.” (W. M. Leake: Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor, p. 7. London, 1824.)
Cf. also Laurence Oliphant: The Land of Gilead, pp. 320–3, 446. (London, 1880.) [↑]
[39] It was in the sixteenth century that the tribute of children fell into desuetude, and the last recorded example of its exaction was in the year 1676. [↑]
[40] De la Jonquière, p. 333. Scheffler, § 45–6. Gasztowtt, p. 51. [↑]
[41] “Denn ich höre mit grosser Verwunderung und Bestürtzung, dass nicht allein unter den gemeinen Pövel Reden im Schwange gehn, es sey unter dem Türcken auch gut wohnen: wann man einen Ducaten von Haupt gebe, so wäre man frey; Item er liesse die Religion frey; man würde die Kirchen wieder bekommen; und was vergleichen: sondern dass auch andre, die es wol besser verstehen sollten, sich dessen erfreuen, und über ihr eigen Unglück frolocken! welches nicht allein Halssbrüchige, sondern auch Gottlose Vermessenheiten seynd, die aus keinem andrem Grunde, als aus dem Geist der Ketzerey, der zum Auffruhr und gäntzlicher Ausreitung des Christenthumbs geneigt ist, herkommen.” (Scheffler, § 48.) [↑]