Despite their unilateral nature, the Ottoman rulers made long-lasting agreements with non- Muslims. These treaties were renewed regularly so there was an intention to establish state of peace except several wars in the Ottoman foreign policy. For example, Bayezid II signed an agreement with Pope Innocent VIII. In this treaty, the Sultan and the Pope agreed on the capturing of his brother Cem in France rather than sending him to the foes of the Ottomans in return for the control of Jerusalem by the French King after it had been taken by the Ottoman Empire from Mamluks. (Yurdusev, 16) The deal between the Sultan and the Pope shows the pragmatism of Ottomans in their diplomatic relations.

The main objective of the Ottoman rulers through conducting these pragmatic relations with foreign states was to be an influential actor in the European system. The Sultans carried out cautious diplomatic relations with the European states with considering balance of power in the European states system. Thus, Yurdusev argued that this diplomatic pragmatism triggered, to some extent, the formation of nation states in Europe. On the other hand, as the Ottomans became a powerful empire and a part of this power game, the European states had to take the Ottomans into consideration while making their decisions and implementing their policies, so from time to time they allied with the Ottoman sultan against each other. Therefore, the role of the Ottoman Empire in the European states system facilitated the preservation of status quo. (Yurdusev, 22) Especially in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman rulers supported the English and Dutch against the Habsburgs, the main enemy of the Ottomans at that time, because these states were the forerunners of European resistance against Habsburgs’ dominance in the continent. On the other hand, the Ottoman rulers benefitted from the religious rivalry in Europe and they supported Protestants and Calvinists against the Catholics because this religious split in the continent was an important tool in the war against Habsburgs. The Ottoman pressure on the Habsburgs triggered the spread of Protestantism in Europe. (Yurdusev, 23)