How Did The Millet System In The Ottoman Empire

    Around the years of 632-750 C.E., Islamic followers created an empire that reached across North Africa into Europe and dominated the Middle East. Due to several aspects leading up to expansion such as war, geography, and establishing an organized impressionable government, the Islamic empire grew rapidly.

The Ottoman and Safavid Empires share many similarities. Their courts were set-up alike, each empire advanced artistically, and both were deeply rooted within the Islam religion. Although these empires were alike in many ways, the form of Muslim each empire adopted were different. This paper will focus on the religion used by both empires as a pillar to governing its people, but also the differences between the sub-cultures adopted by each empire.

The Islamic empires of the Ottoman, Safivid, and Mughal were unique as they were some of the most dominant, powerful, and influential Islamic empires during their time and were considered more stable than their Islamic predecessors. These empires existed in some of the same and different eras and physical locations in the world; the Ottoman Empire existed in the 13th century through the 20th century in the modern day parts of Eastern Europe, North Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East, the Safavid Empire existed in the 16th century through the 18th century in the modern day parts of Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, specifically in modern day country of Iran (Persia), and the Mughal Empire existed in the 16th century through 19th century in the modern day parts of Southern Asia. These empires have had a continuing influence on civilizations years beyond their existence. These empires’ Islamic religion was also directly part of their politics, but they still were able to effectively control many areas with people that did not have the same religious or political beliefs.

Socially, the Ottoman Turks were each millet, or a nation, inside the empire and had separate social customs in accordance with the religion of the millet. Muslim women had harsh restrictions as with Islamic law, but the non-Muslim women were subject to separate laws. Even Muslim women had more rights than in other Muslim nations. In the Safavid empire socially, they were a mixed society just like the Ottoman empire. The aristocrats had limited power and influence. They were also Turkic-speaking tribal groups. In the Mughal

• Class system, those that were upper class or a minister received better land and status in community.

A medieval European social system in which land was divid into hundreds of small holdings.

Because of the Ottoman and Mughal Empire being tolerant of other beliefs, people of all religions living in the empire lived in peace. The Ottomans granted freedom of worship to

The “glue” for the Ottoman Empire was ethnic and religious tolerance. Islam was also a benefit to the Empire because it was a common religion throughout the Empire, which united many people together.

It is said that the Islamic culture mirrors that of the Roman Empire in terms of expansion and longevity. The now widely practiced faith began in an area called Arabia, which neither Rome nor Persia dared conquer. From its creation, it contributed several important things to Medieval Europe and the World as a whole. It conquered a large region and gained thousands of followers.

Sultan Mahmud II and other educated Ottomans with European influence, started one of the largest reform movements in the history of the Ottoman Empire . With the Tanzimat, life in the Ottoman Empire changed significantly, changing the way Ottomans lived. The Ottoman Empire was home to a variety types nationalities, races, religions, and cultures. The Ottomans issued a new policy known as Ottomanism , where they wanted to unite these people under Tanzimat. Some of the results from this policy was the creation of a national anthem

Social classes were based on the religion. The Ottoman Empire was considered an Islamic empire because its founder was a Muslim. Unlike any other state or empire, classes were taken by religion. Muslim millets were the highest class society and were treated equally as the other millets but other religions had to pay more

Throughout history there has been many religious conflicts. Of those, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empire are two of them. The Habsburg Empire was considered a Catholic Empire and the Ottoman was an Islam Empire. Charles V owned the Habsburg Empire. He inherited castile-Aragon (Spain) and the Habsburg territories. He also became the ruler of Aztec and Inca Empires in the Americas. (Sivers, Desnoyer, Stow 2012 Pg. 537) After battling against France in 1519, Charles was the title of emperor. In 1299, Osman Bey was in charge of the Ottoman Empire when he established independent rule in Anatolia. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire began in 1453.

The Ottoman empire began at the end of the thirteenth century when Othman united the decentralized, lawless clans. The expansion that occurred after the Mongols, instituted the Ottoman conquering technique, defeat than tax. Religious tolerance was granted within the empire, but there was a jizya, special tax, for non-Muslims. Every aspect of the complex Ottoman social order was connected, and Sufism was intertwined into some of the social groups, mainly merchants. The pattern of Sufism lead to kinship among the merchants which facilitated trade. With the psychological intimidation of gunpowder weapons and aggressive expansion, some of the Ottomans emperors even gained respect that rivaled Caesar’s. That respect was not only from a political view but also a religious view, for the emperor was also the pope. For the first time in Islamic history, a ruler of a primarily Muslim region had a role mirroring the Caesaropapism of Rome.

The rise of the Ottoman Empire started in Turkey and spread through most of the Middle East. Their military practice and successful transition to the use of gun powder made them one of the most successful ruling bodies in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire which ruled until modern times had great influence on the Middle Eastern world. Their political and economic abilities astonished the western world. Their religious views and fears were instilled into any non-Muslim and helped the western world to find new trade. The rise of Christianity in the western world provided new ways to preserve the dead and ended the need for frankensence, the main export of the Ottoman Empire. This

At eighteen the young men began training as eirens or cadets. They probably could not fight as front-line soldiers, but might have been able to serve in the army. Eirenes acted as role models and prefects, carrying whips and administering punishments when necessary. This continued the legacy what Plato called education "not by persuasion but by violence" . The training of the young men moved to a large school, where they were drilled by older youths in a martial style. They were also expected to marry soon, but contact with wives was restricted to secret meetings.