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The Ottomans
Libertyville HS
Who were the Ottomans?
• Turks were a small Muslim state in Western Anatolia
• Extended control over most of Anatolia, then into SE Europe
• Byzantine Empire was a joke, but Constantinople held out
Sultan Mehmed II “the Conqueror”
• Sultan who finally conquered Constantinople– Renamed city Istanbul– Became one of the most
important cities of Islam– Important because it was a
trade center (N+S & E+W)
Ottoman Absolutism• Sultan = absolute ruler
– Job was to guarantee justice (adala) throughout land
– Justice = fairness, equity (Solomon)
– Sultan also to protect poor, helpless from corrupt government
– Personal protector of the people from excesses of government
• To do this, Sultan had to have absolute power!
Ottoman Absolutism• Government practices
– Divan: Imperial council advising sultan
– Bureaucracy under control of Sultan
– Central government controlled local gov’t
– Sultan observed operations of gov’t, stepping in when necessary (spies, disguise)
– Siyasa: punishments for corrupt officials
– Accessibility: All levels of government could be accessed by lowest peasant, except sultan
Ottoman Absolutism: The Bureaucracy
SULTAN
Divans
Social / MilitaryDivans
Heads of Individual
Religious Millets
Local Administrators& Military
Landowners / Tax Collectors
Muslims
Christians
Jews
Note: Religion was a part of the government
Ottoman Absolutism• Structure of Government
– Sultan was the Caliph (supreme leader of Islamic faith)
– Why?• Mecca, Medina part of empire• Responsible for Islamic
orthodoxy• Pursued conquest for two
reasons– Assure safety of pilgrims– Root out false Islam practices
Suleiman the Magnificent
• Suleiman “the Magnificent” (“the Law Giver”)– Considered the most perfect
Islamic ruler in history– Brilliant military leader, poet,
architect, politician– Recognized in Europe as well
• Believed the entire world was his, as a gift from God
Suleiman the Magnificent• Viewed conquest of
Europe as his right– Conquered Rhodes &
much of Greece– Conquered Hungary– Also conquered most of
Austria (up to Vienna)
• Played major role in European politics
Suleiman the Magnificent
• Saw Europe as the major threat to Islam– Tried to destabilize
Catholic Church and HRE– Poured a lot of money into
supporting Protestant countries
– Why support European destabilization?
Suleiman the Magnificent
• “The Builder”– Building projects in Istanbul
with goal of making it the center of Islamic civilization
• Patron of the Arts– Poetry, music, philosophy
all flowered under his rule
• Suleiman’s rule was highpoint of the Ottoman Empire
Suleiman’s signature
Ottoman Empire in 1600s
• Largest, most powerful empire in world
• 1683: Ottomans invaded Austria, laid siege to Vienna– Defeated by European
coalition– Lost out to better technology
of Europeans
Decline of Ottoman Empire• Series of poor rulers
– Insane– Uninterested in overseeing gov’t
functions– Increasing corruption– Loss of support for sultan by
people
• 18th C., population doubled (high unemployment, famine)
• Ottomans did not industrialize like Europe (kept old labor practices, like guilds)
• By 19th C., decline accelerated by rising European powers