Researching Jewish Ancestors in the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire existed for almost 500 years, at one time stretching from the gates of Vienna to the Nile cataracts. It was a place of refuge for Jews exiled from the Iberian Peninsula, and home to a diversity of other Jewish communities. As the empire declined it was replaced by nation-states in Europe and other empires in the Middle East and North Africa. Most of the Jewish populations from most of the successor states emigrated, sometimes voluntarily and sometimes under coercion. David Mendoza provides an overview to researching Jewish ancestry in the Ottoman Empire, showing there are more surviving records than is generally realised.
David Mendoza is a co-host of Sephardic World and lives in London.
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[@heleneabergman]

My Romanian-born great grandfather was an Ottoman subject.