After the
two sieges of Vienna in the years 1529 and 1683, objects
that were left behind by the Ottoman
troops, were claimed as booty by the Christian Allied forces
that defended the city. Especially arms and armours,
but also flags and tents, were highly sought after objects.
Immediately after the sieges came to an end,
the objects were used in triumphal processions all over Europe.
The purpose was to mark not only the freedom of Vienna,
but also the victory of Christianity
over Islam
In a second step, most of the booty was added to imperial
or aristocratic collections, and from this point onwards
was used to shape the memory of the sieges.
Hence the objects served the self-representation of the new
Christian owners. Due to the rising demand for Ottoman objects
imitations were created.
These arms and armours were crafted in an ottomanizing fashion
commissioned by aristocracy in Habsburg courts.
Together with the original Ottoman objects
they were used as props for courtly festivities and tournament.
It can
already be seen in Emperor Maximilian I Freydal
from the early 16th century that the figure of the Turk
was part of the repertoire of courtly festivities,
especially Mummereis, which were costume parades.
In this context, it was not attempt to accurately
imitate the clothing and appearance of the Ottomans,
but rather to represent one's own interpretation of their appearance.
Later on, the Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol,
also a great love of courtly festivities and tournaments,
the motif of the Turk reappeared.
In addition, actual Türkica, so Ottoman and ottomanizing objects
found use as part of the costumes worn at his festivities,
even as part of costumes other than the Turk.
For example, he held a tournament in the context
of a wedding celebration at the end of the 16th century,
which was officially documented in a tournament book.
One of the folios.
In one of the folios
Ooe participant is depicted
and he is
shown as being dressed as a Turk. The turban
and the saber he is carrying are characteristic attributes
that are usually part of the costume of the Turk in courtly festivals.
It is known that these tournaments
in this tournament, the Ottoman partly lost, mostly,
because the purpose of this mock battles was to convey the message
that the Christian side is always victorious
over the Ottoman.
Another peculiar
figure, which was also equipped with Türkica in the festivities
of Ferdinand II of Tyrol is the Hussar.
The Hussars were actually an elite corp of the Habsburg Army
that had its origin in Eastern European or Ottoman military forces.
The Hussars outfit, therefore included
sabers and coats that resembled Ottoman frock coats.
Thus, this military unit is already in itself a hybrid phenomenon.
During the festivities held by Ferdinand II,
or at least in the illustrations of them,
the Hussars are sometimes hardly distinguishable from the Turks.
They are reports from festivities at other courts,
for example, in Germany, which states that sometimes the hussaric party
could not be distinguished from the Ottoman party
as they were dressed so similarly.
This shows that these Ottomanizing elements of the Hussar outfit
had already been assimilated to such an extent
that they were no longer considered foreign.
However, it was not only
that the court would show their superiority over the Turks
by simply staging mock battles, but during the end of the
17th century, Christian rulers themselves would dress up
as Ottomans using Türkica from their own collections.
Or, in the case of Maria Theresa, when she would
dress up as alla Turka in a portrait.
This demonstrates
that a shift in the perception and memory of the Ottomans took place
in which the perceived identity of the Ottomans changed
from being the enemy to and admired warrior.
The Ottoman booty and copies of such were used by the Habsburgs
to create a certain memory of them, which would serve their
self-representation and political propaganda.
At the same time, the ways in which the objects were used reflect
the fluid perceptions of the Ottomans, which are a result of the ever
changing political relationships between them and to Habsburg Empire.