Kalimaki Bey in Ottoman Foreign Affairs: His Career and the Role in the 1849 Hungarian Refugee Crisis

This study examines the transformation of the Ottoman Empire's foreign policy during the Tanzimat period and the construction of the empire's image in Europe through the life and diplomatic activities of Alexandros Kalimaki Bey, a prominent diplomat. The main objective of this article is to analyze the career of Kalimaki, who was of Romanian origin and from a Greek family in Phanar, and who stands out as the first non-Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire to serve as a permanent ambassador to Europe, particularly his crisis management during the Hungarian Refugee Crisis, within its historical context. The research proceeds with a chronological and qualitative method based on primary archival documents of the Ottoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kalimaki's diplomatic reports sent from London and Paris. Data obtained from archival documents have been evaluated within their historical context by considering them alongside studies in the literature. Through this method, the transformation and crisis management processes in Ottoman foreign policy have been qualitatively assessed through the diplomatic correspondence and reports of the period. Within this framework, the study also aims to highlight the interaction between Kalimaki Bey's personal diplomatic capacity and the new diplomatic approach adopted by the Ottoman State after the Tanzimat reforms.