Ottoman Empire Pros And Cons

The Ottoman Turks emerged on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire and the Saljuk Turks. Under a Turkish Muslim warrior named Osman, raids were conducted in western Anatolia on Byzantine settlements and a vast number of Turks were united under his banner. Those Turks who flocked to Osman's banner and followed him into the history books came to be called the Ottomans. The word Ottoman, fits these Turks well as it roughly translates from Turkish as "those associated with Oman."

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

The world began to drastically change before the year fifteen hundred. These changes not only reshaped the world, but continued to change and develop from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Among these changes came the formation of many outstanding empires that included the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. The Ottoman and Safavid Empires account for two of the three Islamic Empires that underwent change and development during these centuries. Both empires had a ruler at the head of the empire; a sultan ruled the Ottoman Empire while a shah ruled the Safavid Empire. Two great rulers emerged from these empires; a sultan named Suleiman the Magnificent ruler of the Ottoman Empire and a shah named Abbas the Great ruler of the Safavid Empire.

century in which Europeans embarked on extensive overseas expeditions. European nations, such as Portugal, Spain, England, and the Netherlands, participated heavily in global trade and set up many trade colonies and routes. Many people will say that the European’s only reason for exploration was to spread Christianity, obtain gold, and gain glory through their conquests and acquisition of lands. Some people might also say that the Ottomans heavily influenced the Europeans to participate in this period of exploration. Although the goals of “God, gold, and glory” are often associated with the Age of Exploration, the Ottoman Empire had a greater influence on the desire of European states to establish overseas empires and employ mercantilist economy

Their way of education was difficult. They would take new borns and decide if they live or not. If they weren’t healthy they would leave them outside to die. If the baby was healthy they would go home until they turn 7 then they have to join the army (Doc A). That means people that could have done something useful beside fighting are murdered when there young. If they were in the army they go through extreme training that could get them killed. For example there was a contest were they beat each other to death (Doc B). They didn’t get much no matter what time of year was it they only got one garnet but no shoes and they were given little food so they had to steal. If they were caught they probably would be killed.

enlistment, the poor, weak class of the empire were drawn to the army because of

White Moors were of a higher social status than the black moors. However this group was farther divided into two subgroups; warriors and religious leaders. Warriors were focused on obtaining political power. They were also seen as nobles and often fought in wars. The religious leaders acted as advisors to the warriors, they also had to pay for the warrior’s social security. Religious leaders also had to raise live

All other religions, and forms of Islam were not excepted. The Empire's economic strength came from its location on the trade routes. The prime minister had all and was on top of all power. In the social life of the Safavids, the society was a mixed society of Muslims and non-Muslims and the Aristocrats had limited power and influence. In the Safavid Empire, the emperor and his family were at the top of the social structure followed by warriors, rich merchant class, artisans, and peasants.

Those soldiers, were the janissaries. The conquests of the Janissaries under Suleiman were earlier explained but, who were the janissaries when they were not on the battlefield? Initially formed around 1370, the janissaries were created mainly to be the bodyguard of the sultan. Eventually their numbers grew and through continuously waging wars with countries for the lust of expansion, the janissaries grew and became the military of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of Suleiman’s reign in 1520, the Janissaries numbered around 12,000 and by the end of the decade they had reached 20,000. The Janissaries were a ferocious and strict group of individuals who not only stood firm in their rank system but had a vicious thirst for battle. A thirst so fierce that in 1525 before the great Battle of Mohacs, the janissaries actually revolted against Suleiman for his lack of inaction. Suleiman was able to restore order to the janissaries by having the Agha, or chief, executed, forcing a number of those close to the agha to have their pay declined, and then having providing the soldiers with 200,000 ducats to share.79 Aside from their craving for battle, the janissaries followed a strict code amongst their hierarchy. The janissaries ranked up only through time in service and stayed until retirement. In a different

When you think of the military, the thought of children does not usually come to mind. But the Ottoman Empire had a military unit made entirely of young Christian boys. There are two types of elite forces that serve the Sultan: cavalry (The Cavalry of the servants of the Porete) and infantry (Janissary corps). The Janissary corps is also known as the yeniceri ocak, or “new soldiers corps.” and were the slaves of the sultan. They were trained and educated to be the most formidable force in Europe and had tremendous political power. The Janissary corps is organized into ortas (units) with four sub-groups: the camaat (the frontier troops with 101 ortas), beuluks (the bodyguards of the sultan with 61 ortas), sekban (mercenary peasants

they were attached to the centre of power, because they influenced the king more than

The Ottoman empire; one of the greatest empires in history. The Empire, at its height, ruled most of the land around the Mediterranean. It contributed much to culture, science, religion, war, politics, and the world. Its monumental fall will be known throughout history. How can the swift decline of the Ottoman power be explained? Perhaps the best way to understand how important this event was, there needs to be a brief explanation of the history behind this epic collapse; showing the rise before the fall and the drastic change.

Today, there are virtually no multinational states remaining and one would be hard-pressed to find a government that has remained in place since the pre-World War I era. In that sense, it is highly unlikely that the Ottoman Empire could have survived the tumultuous 20th Century. Nevertheless, it may have had a chance. If not for European intervention, Ottoman reforms may have succeeded. However, even with those reforms, they had to compete with the rise of nationalism, which would have been difficult.

Auxiliaries are just as unreliable and dangerous as the mercenaries, but they are loaned to a ruler from others. The most desirable troops are the natives, the citizens and subjects. Mixed troops are less desirable than fully native troops because they are a mixture of natives and mercenaries or auxiliaries. These descriptions are accompanied by examples to help the reader better understand the roles different types of troops served and how effective each type was for the rulers mentioned.

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