The Ottoman penetration into Europe in the 1350s and their capture of Constantinople later in 1453 opened new floodgates for slave-trade from the European front. In their last attempt to overrun Europe in 1683, the Ottoman army, although defeated, returned from the Gates of Vienna with 80,000 captives.874 An immense number of slaves flowed from the Crimea, the Balkans and the steppes of West Asia to Islamic markets. BD Davis laments that the ‘‘Tartars and other Black Sea peoples had sold millions of Ukrainians, Georgians, Circassians, Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians, Slavs and Turks,’’ which received little notice.875 Crimean Tatars enslaved and sold some 1,750,000 Ukrainians, Poles and Russian between 1468 and 1694. 876 According to another estimate, between 1450 and 1700, the Crimean Tatars exported some 10,000 slaves, including some Circassians, annually—that is, some 2,500,000 slaves in all, to the Ottoman Empire.877 The Tatar slave-raiding Khans returned with 18,000 slaves from Poland (1463), 100,000 from Lvov (1498), 60,000 from South Russia (1515), 50,000–100,000 from Galicia (1516), during the ‘harvesting of the steppe.’ Numbers from Moscow (1521), 800,000 were taken and from Valynia (1676), 400,000 were taken. 800,000 from Moscow (1521), 200,000 from South Russia (1555), 100,000 from Moscow (1571), 50,000 from Poland (1612), 60,000 from South Russia (1646), 100,000 from Poland (1648), 300,000 from Ukraine (1654), 400,000 from Valynia (1676) and thousands from Poland (1694). Besides these major catches, they made countless more Jihad raids during the same period, which yielded a few to tens of thousands of slaves.878 These figures of enslavement must be considered in the context that the population of the Tatar Khanate was only about 400,000 at the time. (1463-1694) while sources are incomplete, conservative tabulation of the slave raids against the Eastern European population indicate that at least 7 Million European people-men, women, children were enslaved by Muslims. Sources suggest that in the few years between 1436-1442, some 500,000 people were seized in the Balkans. Many of the captives died in forced marches towards Anatolia (Turkey). Contemporary chronicles note that the Ottomans reduced masses of the inhabitants of Greece, Romania, and the Balkans to slavery eg from Moree (1460)-70,000 and Transylvania (1438) - 60,000-70,000 and 300,000-600,000 from Hungary and 10,000 from Mytilene/Mitilini on Lesbos island (1462) (Bulgaru p 567) and so it continued. The vicious destruction of Constantinople in 1453 shows the religious zeal of the Muslims, their hatred of Christians, massacres, destruction and pillage and of course, the enslavement of 50,000-60,000 people! Turkoman Archer massacre, enslavement, exile, destruction of farming, destruction of trade, depopulation, reduced productivity, and destruction of the normal exchange of knowledge around the Mediterranean and through Christian and Jewish societies, plus colonisation by Muslims---as also occurred in the conquest of Asia Minor. The states of Byzantium, Bulgaria, Serbia...had reached a high level of economic and cultural development before the Muslim attacks. The conquest of the Balkan peoples was disastrous and for centuries trammelled their normal economic and social development. Yet its described as a blessing for the population (they had the chance to become Muslim) and we are fed lies of peace and economic unity. The Turks didnt have a higher culture or better civic organisationthey were semibarbarian tribes bent of pillage and war, enriching themselves with booty.(estates, slaves, money, jewels) and rendered fanatical by the dogmas of Islam Even a brief look at the date list in the slavery series, shows the violence and oppression by the Muslims! Byzantine historian Georgius Pachymeres, a contemporary of the events in the 1262-82 invasion north of the meander, (Paphlagonia, Caria in Asia Minor) described the ruination of towns and monasteries, the fleeing population and the conversion of land into a Scythian desert. He notes indiscriminate massacres, large scale enslavement, the merciless crushing of any resistance and the death of the entire male population where people refused to surrender. The 14th century Ottoman state had only a rudimentary economy with underdeveloped commerce and trades and money was rare. Enslavement served to weaken nations as populations were depleted and moved. Mass enslavements are documented. The remaining populations were severely exploited peasants who laboured for others and were subjected to excessive taxes and fines. Similarly artisans were needed so, despite the routine massacres and deportations, the military was used to stop people fleeing and force them to remain.

• published: 13 Nov 2015
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