Was This The Worst Decision in History? How the Ottoman Ban on Printing Presses Altered the Course of History

Bayezid II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1491 to 1512.

He worked hard to govern fairly and gained the epithet "Bayezid the Just." When Spain expelled its Jewish and Muslim populations in 1492, Bayezid sent his navy to evacuate them safely to Ottoman lands, proclaiming that the refugees were to be welcomed.

However, he made one far-reaching and ultimately catastrophic decision.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440 in Mainz, Germany. His invention revolutionized the production of books and other printed materials, playing a crucial role in the spread of knowledge and information during the Renaissance and beyond.

Under pressure from religious leaders, Sultan Bayezid II issued an edict prohibiting the use of the printing press in the Ottoman Empire. He banned the printing of books in Arabic or Turkish scripts. In 1508, the Shaykh al-Islam, the highest-ranking Islamic scholar of the Ottoman Empire, issued a fatwa stating that printing using movable type was permitted for non-Muslim communities but not for Muslims.

The Sultan’s ban on the printing press was a response to political, religious, and economic pressures. The introduction of the printing press posed a potential threat to the Sultan’s centralized authority. The technology enabled the mass production of books and pamphlets, offering a means for ideas to spread rapidly and challenge traditional power structures. Fearing the dissemination of dissenting or heretical material, Sultan Bayezid II sought to control the flow of information within his vast and diverse empire. By restricting the printing press, he could maintain a tighter grip on religious narratives and prevent potential religious unrest.

Additionally, the Ottoman Empire had a thriving industry of skilled calligraphers who meticulously hand-copied manuscripts. The introduction of the printing press threatened their livelihoods, leading to opposition from this influential group.

The impact of Bayezid’s ban on the printing press was massive. In the short term, it limited the spread of new ideas and dissent within the Ottoman Empire. In the long run, it severely damaged the empire’s intellectual and technological progress. While Europe experienced the Renaissance and the scientific revolution, the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim world lagged behind, missing out on the transformative power of the printing press to disseminate knowledge and foster innovation.

Ultimately, the ban on printing books contributed to the Ottoman Empire’s decline relative to its European counterparts. The ban was in effect until the 18th century. As the Western world embraced new ideas and advancements, the Ottomans found themselves falling behind in various domains, ultimately impacting their ability to compete on the global stage.

As a direct result of what might be the single worst policy decision in history, the wave of scientific and cultural advancement in Europe known as the "Enlightenment" entirely missed the Middle East and set back the Muslim world by 200 years. The effects of this decision in 1485 are still felt today.