Batı Avrupa’da ortaya çıkan siyasi ve iktisadi gelişmelere ilave uluslararası alanda ortayaçıkan gelişmelerin etkisiyle XVIII. yüzyılın başlarından itibaren, Osmanlı ve İspanyadevletleri arasında yakınlaşma başladı. XVIII. yüzyılın başında İspanya’da hanedanın eldeğiştirmesinin bu yakınlaşmada önemli bir yeri vardır. Tahtın yeni varisleri OsmanlıDevletiyle antlaşma yapmaya istekliydiler. Osmanlı Devletiyle varılacak bir antlaşmaneticesinde İspanya, doğrudan ticaretin faydalarından yararlanmakla kalmayacak KuzeyAfrika kıyılarından ticarî aktivitelerine ve kıyılarına karşı gerçekleşen saldırılardankorunacaktı. Antlaşma, İspanya’nın İslam dünyası ile ekonomik ilişkilerini geliştirecekti.Uzun uğraşlar sonucu 1782 yılında İspanya ve Osmanlı devletleri arasında bir barış veticaret antlaşması imzalandı. Barış antlaşmasının ardından her iki tarafın birbirlerinitanıma çabaları başladı. Antlaşma sonrası ortaya çıkan ilk eserler İstanbul’a giden İspanyolgörevliler tarafından kaleme alındı. Bu eserlerden biri Gabriel de Aristizábal’ın 1784yılında İstanbul’a yaptığı seferde ortaya çıktı. José Moreno bu yolculukta Osmanlı Devletihakkında rapor yazmakla görevlendirilmişti. Böylece “1784 Yılında İstanbul’a Seyahat”başlıklı çalışma kaleme alındı. Eser, III. Carlos’un ve onun Başnazırı Floridablanca’nınAkdeniz politikalarıyla yakından bağlantılıdır. 1784 Yılında İstanbul’a Seyahat kitabındayer alan iki ara açıklama bu çalışmanın konusunu teşkil etmektedir. Uluslararası alandadeğişen siyasî ve iktisadî koşullar nedeniyle iki imparatorluğun birbirlerine yakınlaşmaistekleri, birbirlerinden beklentileri ve barış süreciyle ortaya çıkan yeni dönemin Osmanlıİspanyailişkilerinde ne gibi sonuçlar doğurduğu konunun sınırları içerisinde ele alınmıştır.

From the beginning of the 18th century, a rapprochement between the Ottoman and Spanishempires emerged. In the rupture of the old competition at the beginning of that century, thenew developments in the global arena played an important role. It is not possible to think thisprocess independent of the political and economic developments of then in the world and inthe Western Europe in particular. Both parties had to accord with the change in internationalarena. With the dynastic change in the early 18th century in Spain and Bourbons’ inheritingthe crown, brought new tendencies in foreign policies. The new owners of the throne searchedfor the ways to strike a deal with the Islamic World in general and Ottoman Empire inparticular. Among the primary objectives of the Bourbon dynasty was the strengthening of theadministrative and economic structure of the state besides establishing an economic structurewhich is not dependent on the silver coming from the colonies in the New World. In order toenhance the trade and to lessen the dependency of the economy to American silver to developfriendship with Ottoman Empire and the Islamic World as well as decreasing the influenceof pirates alongside the Mediterranean coasts of the country were crucial. Concluding anagreement with the Ottoman Empire would not only provide Spain to enjoy the benefits ofdirect trade but also get protected from the attacks to its coastal regions and trade activities inthe Northern Africa. This agreement would develop the economic relations with the IslamicWorld and bring revival to local and global markets thanks to the safe trading that it wouldpromote. Wish of Spanish to conclude an agreement with the Ottoman Empire came intoexistence during the rule of Carlos III. Carlos III, who achieved a trade agreement with theOttomans when he was the king of Naples, also wanted to make a deal when he acceded to thethrone of Spain between the Ottomans and the Spanish. Following huge efforts, the initiativebecame successful and a trade agreement was signed in 1782 between Spanish and Ottomanstates. When the agreement put an end to the conflict/competition, both sides came upwith a chance to recognize and understand each other. The information transferred throughambassadors, spies, captives and via indirect means replaced by the information quoted byofficers, travelers and independent authors who regularly traveled to the Ottoman territories.The first books following the agreement were written by the Spanish officers in charge whotraveled to Istanbul. The style and the target of the works were closely related with the politicaland economic policies of the time. The first of these books emerged in the first journey ofGabriel de Aristizábal to Istanbul in 1784 which came after the agreement. José Morenohad been assigned to write a report about the Ottoman state during this journey. So, thework titled “A Journey to Istanbul in 1784” was completed. The book is quite related withthe Mediterranean policies of Carlos III and his Prime Minister Floridablanca. Therefore, thesubject of this study is how the Ottoman State was defined by the Spanish with respect to thecontent of the book “A Journey to Istanbul in 1784”. The desire of the two empires to becomecloser to each other due to the changing political and economic conditions in the globalarena, their collateral expectations and the results of the new era for the Ottoman-Spanishrelationships are also going to be treated in this study, respectively