Ottoman Treatment of the French Prisoners during the War of Second Coalition (1798-1802) The War of Second Coalition saw many novelties in traditional Ottoman practices such as entering a coalition with the traditional foe –Russia- against the tradition friend –France and opening the Straits to Russian warships for the first time in history. Ottoman treatment of French POW in this war has widely been condemned by the contemporaries including the Russian ally. Poqueville who fell captive to the Ottomans was also very influential in the shaping of negative views about the treatment of the POWs. Nevertheless, no study has ever been conducted on this subject based on the Ottoman archives. This presentation aims to (1) analyze the treatment of French POWs during the War of the Second Coalition by the Ottomans with reference to the Ottoman archives (2) show the changing nature of Ottoman attitudes so as to follow the European patterns of war (3) contextualize the subject within the broader issue of Ottoman efforts of gaining legitimacy in the eyes of the friends and foes. This presentation contends that while accusations about the Ottoman ill-treatment of the French POWs was not totally unfounded, ongoing rivalry between the two allies –Russia and the Ottoman Empire- and the popular theme of ‘oriental despotism’ were more important in the emergence of this misperception.