21 April 2026 – Dr. Michael Talbot, Associate Professor in the History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Middle East, University of Greenwich – From constitutionalism to catastrophe: The final decades of the Ottoman Empire.
Dr Talbot will guide us through the dramatic final decades of the Ottoman Empire, from the late 19th century to its dissolution after World War I. This period was marked by a series of transformative events, including the rise of constitutional movements, the Young Turk Revolution, and a succession of wars that ultimately led to the empire’s collapse. Dr Talbot will explore the internal and external pressures that led to this “catastrophe,” examining how a once-mighty empire grappled with modernity, nationalism, and its place in a changing world.
Michael’s work examines a number of topics in Ottoman history, linked by the theme of global Ottoman relations and interactions. His research to date has examined Ottoman-British relations, Ottoman maritime history, Ottoman relations with Southeast Asia, Ottoman Algeria, and Ottoman Palestine. His current work focuses on global Ottoman consular networks and Ottoman communities in Britain and Ireland. Above all, Michael is deeply interested in Ottoman relations and interactions with the wider world, connecting different historical periods and geographies, and the question of what made something (or someone) Ottoman. He welcomes enquiries from prospective students interested in any of the above areas. Michael is committed to bringing Ottoman history to a wider audience. In 2018 he became a BBC and Arts and Humanities Research Council ‘New Generation Thinker’ making shows for BBC Radio 3, and has appeared as an on-screen expert and historical consultant for the hit Netflix docudrama series ‘Rise of Empires: Ottoman’. [Greenwich University]