1. The Ottomans
Libertyville HS

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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!

5. 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

6. Ottoman Absolutism: The Bureaucracy
SULTAN
Divans
Social / Military Divans
Heads of Individual Religious Millets
Muslims
Jews
Local Administrators & Military
Christians
Landowners / Tax Collectors
Note: Religion was a part of the government

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. Ottoman Empire in 1700s Defined by conflict with Russia
Russia aggressively expanded southward into Central Asian Muslim countries
Muslim states had no where else to turn, except Ottomans
Ottomans and Russians fought three major wars
No clear winner, loser

14. 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