The Ottomans

Libertyville HS

Who were the Ottomans?

• Turks with 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 met with by lowest peasant (except sultan)

Ottoman Absolutism

• Structure of Government– Sultan was the Caliph

(supreme leader of Islamic faith)

– Why?• Mecca, Medina part of

empire• Responsible for Islamic

orthodoxy• Conquest for two reasons:

assure safety of pilgrims and root out false Islam practices

Ottoman Absolutism: The Bureaucracy

SULTAN

Divans

Social / MilitaryDivans

Heads of Individual

Religious Millets

Local Administrators& Military

Landowners / Tax Collectors

Muslims

Christians

Jews

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– 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 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• 1699: Peace of Karlowitz

– Ottomans gave Austria Hungary, Transylvania

Ottoman Empire in 1700s

• Defined by conflict with Russia– Russia aggressively

expanded southward into Muslim territories

– Muslim states had no where else to turn, except Ottomans

– Ottomans and Russians fought three major wars

– No clear winner, loser

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