Call for Papers

The repercussions of the Ottoman conquest continue to shape our lives to this day. The ripples caused by certain pivotal events have spread far and wide, linking the two ends of Europe.

News of the Battle of Mohács, fought on 29 August 1526, shocked Europe. In Castile, less than a year after the Hungarian catastrophe, the chapter of Burgos Cathedral was obliged to explain to the Emperor, Charles V, in a letter dated 10 April 1527 why it sought to reduce its contribution to support Ferdinand I of Hungary in his struggle against the Ottoman Empire, referring to the conflict as “la defension desta causa que es de Dios.”

Much like the Battle of Mohács, the fall of Constantinople in 1453 is a prime example of Ottoman expansion, as illustrated by Guillaume Dufay’s Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae. The work is a perfect example of how Ottoman expansion influenced both attempts to revive the idea of the Crusades and contemporary Renaissance music. Of course, we must mention here the Hungarian Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos, poet, musician, and author of the beautiful Egri Historiának summája.

The theme was evident not only in medieval liturgical motets and historical songs but also clearly in the romantic literature of countries that remained under prolonged Ottoman occupation. In Bulgaria, the literary landscape transformed further in the late 19th and 20th centuries, as writers began to express political dissent through their poetry and prose, risking their lives under authoritarian regimes.

One of the most striking legacies of the Ottoman conquest in architecture can be found in Pécs, just fifty kilometres from Mohács. The Candlemas Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary—formerly the Gazi Kasım Paşa Camii—embodies this layered history. Having served as both mosque and church, its dome bears a cross and a crescent, symbolising the enduring entanglement of religious traditions shaped by Ottoman expansion.

The legacy of the empire, which spanned three continents, remains visible in multiple domains: in the Arabic and Turkish inscriptions of West Tripoli, in the demographic traces of historical population movements, and in processes of Islamisation among newly incorporated populations in the Balkans. These ranged from peaceful conversion in some regions to coercive pressures and violence in others; West Armenia stands as a clear example of the latter.

Ottoman rule also reshaped socio-economic relations, contributing to long-term transformations in regions such as Cyprus, where these shifts undermined communal equilibrium and contributed to the island’s present-day division. Even beyond its borders, the perceived threat of Ottoman expansion could shape political decisions, as in the Lake Chad region, where the Kanem-Bornu Empire aligned with British forces during the First World War.

The WRCSCR invites proposals for the hybrid conference Repercussions of the Ottoman Conquest (Budapest, 21–24 June 2027). Contributions from all relevant disciplines are welcome, including both individual papers and organised panels. PhD students are particularly welcomed. Presentations will be 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of discussion; abstracts should be submitted by 31 January 2027, with notification of acceptance by 28 February 2027.

Individual Papers

• Abstracts must be submitted by 31 January 2027.
• Proposals should be max. 2000 characters (including spaces) long.
• Abstracts will be reviewed by the conference committee.