Christianity in the Ottoman Empire

Under the Ottoman Empire, Christians and Jews were, in principle tolerated, in accordance with Sharia law. In practice, the degree of tolerance varied by time and place.

Orthodox Christians were the largest non-Muslim group. With the rise of Imperial Russia, they came to have an external advocate.

Conversion to Islam in the Ottoman empire involved a combination of individual, family, communal and instituional initiatives and motives. The process was also influenced by the balance of power between the Ottomans and the neighboring Christian states.

Ottoman religious tolerance was notable for being a bit better than that which existed elsewhere in other great past or contemporary empires, such as Spain or England. By the Byzantine Empire, apart from during the time of Theodosius, generally did not condemn other religious groups either, there being a mosque built in Constantinople, a Latin Quarter filled with Roman Catholic Churches and even a synagogue. Of course, there were isolated instances of gaps between established policy and its actual practical application, but still, it was the mode of operation of the Empire. Lewis and Cohen point out that until relatively modern times, tolerance in the treatment of non-believers, at least as it is understood in the West after John Locke, was neither valued, nor its absence condemned by both Muslims and Christians.

Under Ottoman rule, dhimmis (non-Muslim subjects) were allowed to "practice their religion, subject to certain conditions, and to enjoy a measure of communal autonomy" (see: Millet) and guaranteed their personal safety and security of property. While recognizing the inferior status of dhimmis under Islamic rule, Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, states that, in most respects, their position was "very much easier than that of non-Christians or even of heretical Christians in medieval (Catholic) Europe." For example, dhimmis rarely faced martyrdom or exile, or forced compulsion to change their religion, and with certain exceptions, they were free in their choice of residence and profession. But they could not have high up positions like the Muslims, and received smaller pay.

...
Wikipedia