This study analyses the dynamics between the non-Muslim merchant elites of Ankara and Izmir (mostly Greeks and Armenians) and their European competitors in the eighteenth century. In particular, it investigates two major developments: the Dutch attempts to penetrate the mohair trade in Ankara and the local resistance they faced, and the Ottoman non-Muslim merchant’s infiltration of the Dutch Levant trade and the Dutch reaction to this form of Ottoman 'expansion'.

"This study analyses the dynamics between the non-Muslim merchant elites of Ankara and Izmir (mostly Greeks and Armenians) and their European competitors in the eighteenth century, particularly the mohair trade in Ankara, and Ottoman infiltration of the Dutch trade between Amsterdam and Izmir."--

How easy and uncomplicated was it for an 18th-century, medium-sized, Ottoman trade company to expand its business in the West? Which kind of resources, in terms of knowledge, information, experience, contacts and capital, could guarantee its successful passage from the business environment of a precapitalist oriental market to that of a major commercial and financial center of western Europe? Following the venture of the Ottoman Greek merchants Bartholo and Raphael Cardamici, who in the 1760s traded goods between Smyrna, Constantinople and Amsterdam, Despina Vlami investigates various aspects of the organization and strategy necessary for such an important transition. To expand their wholesale trade business to Amsterdam, the Cardamicis chose as their local correspondent an experienced and strong-minded Dutch merchant, Thomas De Vogel. De Vogel's letters addressed to his Ottoman clients reveal the course of their business transactions and the making of their personal relationship. At the same time, they are comprehensive and efficient tutorials on trade business and strategy guiding the Ottoman Greek merchants through the unpredictable and unfamiliar 18th-century international business universe.

This study analyses the dynamics between the non-Muslim merchant elites of Ankara and Izmir (mostly Greeks and Armenians) and their European competitors in the 18th century, particularly the mohair trade in Ankara, and Ottoman infiltration of the Dutch trade between Amsterdam and Izmir.

Merchant colonies were a significant factor for economic growth in Europe during the early modern period. The essays in this collection look at merchant colonies across Europe, assessing their function, legal status, interaction with local traders and assimilation into their host countries.