Abstract:

This study explores trade and commercial diplomacy in Crimea just before the Ottoman–Russian War (1768–1774). During this period, the Black maintained its status quo, effectively remaining closed to foreign-flagged ships. However, countries such as Russia, France, and Austria wanted peace in the profitable trade in the Black Sea and Crimea. Baron de Tott, representing France, was appointed and sent as a diplomat to Crimea on June 23, 1767, to negotiate with the Crimean Khanate for better conditions for French traders. This study focuses on his diplomatic efforts. We also examined the commercial activities of German (Habsburgian) merchant Nikolaus Ernst Kleemann, who arrived in Crimea shortly before the great Russo–Turkish War and made significant sales there. Finally, we examined how the Ottoman Empire managed trade in Crimea,especially in the city of Caffa, which was a major trade center. In addition, we discuss corruption in the mukātaa system, which emerged under the administration of the Kefe Nezâreti Mukātaası during the reign of Sultan Mustafa III, approximately three decades before the dissolution of the Ottoman–Crimea association. The primary sources for this study comprise records from the Ottoman Archive (BOA), along with memoirs, travel accounts, and diplomatic correspondence from the relevant period.

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