Tales of Tulips Trivia Quiz

Answer: Treaty of Passarowitz

It was a time that signaled the end of war and defeat for the Ottoman Empire. One of their worse military losses ever had been suffered at the hands of Austria. Signed on July 21, 1718, the Treaty of Passarowitz ended the Austro-Turkish War of 1716-1718 between the Ottoman Empire who fought against the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Republic of Venice.

While the Ottomans had been successful in gaining land from Venice during the war, they had lost part of modern-day Serbia to the Habsburgs. Serbia was consequently made a crown land in the Habsburg Empire, while the Ottomans gained the Peloponnese in Greece, as well as Crete and other Greek islands and some cities on the mainland.

The signing of the treaty began the Tulip Era in the Ottoman Empire, which is also known as Lâle Devri, as a way for the Ottoman Emperor to boost morale.

Answer: Persian for "turban"

Because the Ottoman elite spoke Ottoman Turkish, a blend of Persian and Arabic, the word for tulip was taken from the Persian for turban, gauze, or muslin. In other words, the outline of the tulip resembled a turban. People in the Ottoman Empire went absolutely gaga over tulips - tulip gardens, tulip poems, tulip designs on clothes - were all intensely popular.

There was more to it, however, than just tulips. While looking toward European ideas, the Ottoman Grand Vizier had an idea to modernize the empire. Nevertheless, enjoyment from the cultivation of viewing of tulips was also achieved, with experts in the Sultan's court cultivating new tulips and giving them names like "Those that burn the heart", "Increaser of Joy", and "Diamond Envy", among countless others.

The preferred tulip was tall, thin, and only one color.

Answer: First Ottoman language printing press

The printing press itself had been introduced in Istanbul in the late 1400s; the problem, however, was that all of the works that were published there were either in Greek, Hebrew, or Armenian. Ibrahim Muteferrika was a man of many different abilities - he was an astronomer, historian, scholar, economist, and more. While he was working as a diplomat, he began to collect books. In 1726 he received permission from the Grand Vizier and Sultan to print non-religious books. The first book printed by his press was "Vankulu Lügati", which was a 2-volume Arabic-Turkish dictionary. Even though his books were scholarly and scientific in nature, Muteferrika's press met with much opposition by people who made their living copying books, and by 1742 his printing enterprise was closed.

The Ottoman language was commonly called Turkish. It was a derived from the Persian and Arabic languages, and used about 88% borrowed words, but was written with the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. Ottoman Turkish was the language of the upper class, and was not understood by the common people, who used what was called "raw Turkish".

Answer: The Ottoman Empire opened cultural embassies in Europe.

The Ottomans ended the seventeenth century with some terrible military defeats; the Grand Vizier, therefore, shifted his strategy a bit and initiated a more peaceful policy toward Europe. Previously Ottoman diplomats had never been encouraged to stay longer than necessary in any European country, and now that changed! They were asked to seek out new ideas.

While the Ottomans had been aware of European advancements, European diplomats were allowed to live more freely in Constantinople. The country that influenced the Ottomans the most at this time was France.

After a foreign embassy was opened in France in 1720, both countries experienced a surge of interest in the culture of the other. Apparently there was so much French influence apparent in Constantinople that it caused concern - especially when women were allowed more freedom and began to adopt European dress.

Answer: Ahmed III

Ahmed III was the son of Sultan Mehmed IV and his Greek wife, Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan, and ruled the Ottoman Empire for twenty-seven years from 1703-1730. Although Ottoman territory had been lost in the Treaty of Passarowitz, his army had been able to gain land previously lost, as well as conquer part of Persia.

His reign is best known, however, because of the Tulip Era, during which time his daughter, Fatma Sultan, and her husband, the Grand Vizier, were allowed to initiate many cultural changes in the Ottoman court.

After working for fifteen years to solidify his claim to the throne, it appears that Ahmed III was ready to sit back, relax, and let his son-in-law and daughter rule. In fact, some sources even believe Fatma Sultan was the real ruler of the Tulip Era.

Answer: She visited the sultan's harem.

Lady Montagu, who was one of the first Westerners admitted into a sultan's harem, wrote a letter to a friend about her visit that was not published until after her death. The letter she wrote to the Countess of Mar, Adrianople (now Edirne), on April 18, 1717, stated that she had been invited to dine with the Grand Vizier's lady - who was the sultan's daughter, Fatma Sultan. Her home was described as being "all very moderate", and she said that her hostess told her that she preferred to spend her time praying to God and doing works of charity. When the meal concluded, Lady Montagu was invited to meet the wife of the "kiyaya", who was the deputy to the Grand Vizier. Her apartment was a bit more opulent, and the lady herself was apparently breathtaking. She also saw young girls with very long, braided hair, dressed in damasks that were decorated with silver. Were they the sultan's daughters? He had over thirty of them!

By the way, while Lady Montagu was in the Ottoman Empire she contracted smallpox, and discovered the practice of variolation, that was used there. She had her own children inoculated, and, upon her return to England, attempted to introduce the procedure there - with little success.

Answer: Baroque

Mehmed Chelebi was an Ottoman diplomat who assisted in negotiating the Treaty of Passarowitz. He was sent to Paris by the Grand Vizier to return with a report on France's industry and general culture. Upon his return to the Ottoman Empire, Chelebi wrote a book, which so impressed the Grand Vizier that he instituted a policy to attempt as much imitation of Parisian life as possible.

The architecture of The Tulip Era blended European Baroque elements with Turkish traditions. One of the best examples is "The Fountain of Ahmed III", which is found between the Hagia Sophia and the outer gate of Topkapı Palace. An example of the influence of the time on religious buildings is the Nuruosmaniye Mosque.

The gardens at Versailles and other royal palaces were also copied, and many sites in Istanbul were redesigned in the French fashion, including a pleasure palace, called Kaghithane, built at the northern end of the Golden Horn, Istanbul's harbor.

It was one of the festivals in this area that Tulip Era poet, Nedim, invited his readers to attend, as seen in the introduction, especially in the springtime during the tulip festival.

Answer: True

In some ways it appears that the Tulip Era was more of a movement of the wealthy elite; they built pavilions, planted tulips, and held festivals. But the festivals that were held at Kaghithane were open to the public, not just the ruling class, of Istanbul. Fireworks, Horse-racing, mock naval battles, and shooting competitions were all part of the entertainments that anyone could watch.

In addition, there was such massive tulip planting that everyone could enjoy the beautiful sight.

Answer: False

What were the negative affects of the Tulip Era? The wealthy competed with each other to the ruin of many families. The Grand Vizier had to pass a law making it illegal for people to dress beyond the means of their social class; women could not wear any of the new fashions in public places. Who paid for all of this ostentatious display of luxury? The people did, of course, through taxation. Taxes became so ruinous that peasants could not afford to pay; as they left their farms to look for work in cities, the cities became filled with unemployed, homeless people. Silver was devalued, which led to horrible inflation.

The excesses of the Tulip Era led to much resentment among the people; it seemed that the Sultan had lost interest in running the government.

Unfortunately, the Tulip Era, sometimes called the "Ottoman Renaissance" was short-lived.

Answer: Persia

While it is true that war broke out with Persia during the Tulip Era, and there had been a devastating defeat in 1730 on the eastern front, one has to wonder if the uprising that ensued was brought on by the war with Persia or the excessive living of the Sultan and his court during the Tulip Era. By all appearances, the Sultan was a kind and honest man, but his lifestyle was resented by many. Patrona Halil, an Albanian janissary in the Sultan's household troops, organized a revolt in Istanbul; the Grand Vizier was killed, the Sultan was forced to abdicate in favor of his nephew, and was kept under house arrest for six years until he died. Ironically, in spite of all of the economic problems in his empire, and the poverty of his people, he left behind a very healthy treasury - all of the taxation apparently hadn't even been necessary.