De Bataven onder druk; de complexe diplomatieke positie van de zusterrepubliek aan het Osmaanse hof en de Porte tijdens de Franse expeditie in Egypte van 1798-1801.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the complex diplomatic position of the Batavian officials at the Porte in Constantinopel during the French campaign of Napoleon in Egypt from 1 July 1798 until 2 September 1801. The Batavian Republic could not be seen separate of the French Republic. The Batavian-Ottoman relations were put under pressure by the French expedition in Egypt. Letters written by the Batavian ambassador Frederik Gijsbert van Dedem van de Gelder addressed to the official of Foreign Affairs Maarten van der Goes or to the Executive Authority of the Batavian Republic will be the focus of this research. The main question of this research is: How did Batavian-Ottoman relations change during the French campaign in Egypt from 1 July 1798 until 2 September 1801? John Watkins’ New Diplomatic History will be the underlying theory used in this research. This theory not only tries to investigate the traditional elements of a diplomatic letter, like politics, but also tries to uncover (unintentional) cultural elements of a letter. The letters from Van Dedem will be discussed chronologically. After the traditional elements are uncovered, a small chapter will show the (unintentional) cultural elements found in the diplomatic letters. This thesis aims to enhance our knowledge of diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and Western European states during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.