Enlightening Europe on Islam and the Ottomans: Mouradgea d'Ohsson and His Masterpiece

Mouradgea d'Ohsson’s Tableau general de l'Empire othoman offered the Enlightenment Republic of Letters its most authoritative work on Islam and the Ottomans, also a practical reference work for kings and statesmen. Profusely illustrated and opening deep insights into illustrated book production in this period, this is also the century’s richest collection of visual documentation on the Ottomans. Shaped by the author’s personal struggles, the work yet commands recognition in its own totality as a monument to intercultural understanding. In form one of the great taxonomic works of Enlightenment thought, this is a work of advocacy in the cause of reform and amity among France, Sweden, and the Ottoman Empire.