Leon Walerian Ostroróg (1867 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 1932 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

), was an

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

, jurist, adviser to the Ottoman government and émigré in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. He was also a writer and translator.

Early life

Ostroróg was the third son of Count

Stanisław Julian Ostroróg Count Stanisław Julian Ostroróg (January 1836 – 31 May 1890) was an exiled Polish nobleman and Crimean War veteran. He later became known as an early professional portrait photographer who created photogravures, under the professional name ...

, a British and France-based Polish emigrant of noble descent and his wife, Teodozja Waleria Gwozdecka. The family travelled frequently between the UK, France and Poland. The father was a noted Victorian photographer, who after working in

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and Paris, eventually settled in London. Meanwhile, Ostroróg underwent schooling in France and attended the Sorbonne where he completed a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

, later specialising in

Islamic Law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

Career

He was attracted to the Ottoman Empire as it was a popular destination for the exiled

Polish diaspora The Polish diaspora comprises Polish people, Poles and people of Polish heritage or origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish language, Polish as ''Polonia'', the name for Poland in Latin and many Romance la ...

in the 19th century. It was also a place to which his father had travelled in his youth and is reputed to have taken a death-bed photograph of the Polish bard,

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

. His first job was as an adviser in the Ottoman Public Administration of debt in Istanbul. His erudition and social connections led to a friendship with a number of French intellectuals, including,

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...

. He was later taken on as a government adviser despite his Christian origins. He kept his employment status through the

Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908; ) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Revolutionaries belonging to the Internal Committee of Union and Progress, an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II ...

, until 1914. With the outbreak of the I World War, he returned to Europe. By 1918 his star in Istanbul had waned and his contract with the government was terminated. He was enamoured of the country and married Marie-Jeanne Lorando of Christian European descent, but from a long-established

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

ine family with whom he had two sons, Jean and Stanislas. The younger of the two, Stanislas became a French diplomat. He also had a traditional wooden mansion, a Yali built in Kandilli on the

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

waterfront, which stands to this day. Count Ostroróg was a member of the Polish delegation to the

Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the capital and largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the 30th most densely pop ...

. According to ''The New York Times'' obituary about him, he was a contributor to the

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. Later in life, he settled in London where he lectured at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

in Turkish studies. He died in London and his body was taken for burial back to Turkey. His contribution to Turkish-European relations is said to have been significant and his role in Turkey becoming a modern state is still being evaluated.Paulina Dominik

Works

His publications include: * "Droit romain: de la comptabilité des banquiers à Rome. Droit français et législation comparée de la constitution des sociétés anonymes en France, dans l’empire allemand et en Grande-Bretagne". ''Doctoral Thesis'', Paris: L. Larose et Forcel, (1892) * ''El-Ahkam Es-Soulhaniya'', Paris: Ernest Leroux, (1900-01), 2 vols. Translation of the works of Islamic jurist, el-Mawardi. Review in the Journal of the

Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

* ''Conférence sur la Renaissance du Japon'', Istanbul: Ahmed Ihsan, (1911) * ''Pour la réforme de la justice ottomane''. Paris: A. Pedone, (1912) * ''Le problème turc''. Paris: Maison Ernest Leroux, (1917) * ''The British Empire and the Mohammedans'', (1918) an essay by Count Leon Ostroróg, National Archives, Kew, ref. FO 141/786/5 * ''The Turkish Problem: things seen and a few deductions''. London: Chatto & Windus, (1919) * ''The Angora Reform: Three Lectures Delivered at the Centenary Celebrations of University College on June 27, 28 & 29, 1927''. London: University of London Press, (1927) * "Les droits de l’homme et des minorités dans le droit musulman". ''Revue de droit international'', 5, 1–22. (1930) * ''

à Constantinople'', (1927) * ''The book of Count Lucanor and Patronio : a translation of Don Juan Manuel's El Conde Lucanor'', (1925) * ''Rinconet et Cortadille : tableaux de l'ancienne Espagne tirés de la nouvelle de

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

Saavedra''

References

External links

* M. Emin Elmac�

''A Pioneer in Ottoman Law Reform: Kont Leon Ostrorog'' (in Turkish) with English summary and several photographs * Ali Adem Yörü

- Entry in the Turkish ''Islam Encyclopedia'' with photograph (in Turkish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrorog, Leon Walerian French people of Polish descent Leon Walerian 19th-century French lawyers Jurists from the Ottoman Empire Ostrorog Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920) Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom 1867 births 1932 deaths Writers from Istanbul Translators from Turkish Translators from Spanish Burials at Feriköy Cemetery