Turco-Calvinism

A Dutch crescent-shaped Geuzen medal at the time of the anti-Spanish Dutch Revolt, with the slogan "Liever Turks dan Paaps" ("Rather Turkish than Papist"), 1570.

Turco-Calvinism refers to the alliance or rapprochement between the Protestant Reformation and the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century.[1][2]

This rapprochement occurred at the expense of Catholic Habsburg, as the Protestant Reformation was struggling for survival in Europe and later entered into frontal conflict with the iconoclastic movement of 1567, and concomitantly the Ottoman Empire was also fighting against the Habsburg for control of southeastern Europe.[1] This rapprochement was a continuation of the Franco-Ottoman alliance established by Francis I of France from the beginning of the 16th century.[1]

The Dutch in particular were involved in these relations.[1] Envoys were exchanged, and an Ottoman trading center was established in Antwerp in agreement with the Sultan, where four Greeks were able to officiate.[1] This rapprochement brought a stimulus to the development of Antwerp and the western seaboard.[1] By 1612, Holland had established a formal embassy in the Ottoman Empire, following France (1534) and England.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Islam in Europe by Jack Goody p.87
  2. ↑ The Apocryphal Apocalypse by Alastair Hamilton p.121
  3. ↑ Islam in Europe by Jack Goody p.86