Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723) was governor of Ottoman Moldavia and author of several works pertaining to the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world. In particular, his History of the Ottoman Empire was widely translated into European languages. While some historians have dismissed his history as lacking scholarly value, Cristina Bîrsan here reassesses Cantemir’s work in light of the original Latin text. His twenty years residing in Istanbul and his intimate knowledge of the state, its literature and the Turkish language means that his writings remain a valuable resource for historians. In particular, Bîrsan focuses on Dimitrie Cantemir’s perceptions of the Islamic world from the Christian perspectives of his time.