English dragomans and oriental secretaries: the early nineteenth century origins of the anglicization of the British embassy drogmanat in Constantinople

This article begins with a brief account of the role of the dragomans in Constantinople and the evolution of the 'drogmanat' in the British embassy up to the beginning of the nineteenth century. It then argues that the push for an infusion of 'natural-born' Englishmen into this i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diplomacy and statecraft 2003-12, Vol.14 (4), p.137-152
Main Author: Berridge, G R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
British Empire
Constantinople
Diplomacy
Embassies
Espionage
Foreign Service
Great Britain
History of international relations
Indigenous populations
Loyalty
Nineteenth Century
Ottoman Empire
Political science
Public Officials
Translation
Workers
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Summary:This article begins with a brief account of the role of the dragomans in Constantinople and the evolution of the 'drogmanat' in the British embassy up to the beginning of the nineteenth century. It then argues that the push for an infusion of 'natural-born' Englishmen into this institution at this point came chiefly from the Levant Company and not, as sometimes supposed, from the diplomatic service or the Foreign Office. The upshot was a 'drogmanat' infused with English Levantines and watched over by a British-born oriental secretary. The article concludes with a postscript on developments up to the end of the nineteenth century. Reprinted by permission of Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
ISSN:0959-2296