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