Transcript The Early Ottoman Empire

1450-1750
1450-1750
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, was
a multi-ethnic and multireligious Turkish-ruled
state.
The state was also known as
the Turkish Empire or
Turkey
Republic of Turkey was
officially proclaimed in
1923 after the Ottoman
Empire disbanded following
their defeat in WWI
Ottoman Empire
At the height of its power (16th–17th century), it
spanned three continents, controlling much of
Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North
Africa, stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in
the west to the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf in
the east, from the edge of Austria, Slovakia and
parts of Ukraine in the north to Sudan, Eritrea,
Somalia and Yemen in the south.
The Ottoman Empire contained 29 provinces, in
addition to the tributary principalities of Moldavia,
Transylvania, and Wallachia [Vlad Tepes aka
Dracula]
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was at the center of interactions
between the Eastern and Western worlds for six
centuries.
The Ottoman Empire was, in many respects, an Islamic
successor to earlier Mediterranean empires — namely
the Roman and Byzantine empires.
In fact, they claimed they were the inheritors of the two
Romes.
Osman I (r. 1299-1326)
Declared independence
from Seljuk Turks in 1299
“Bone-breaker”
Mongol invasions pushed
many groups westward into
Byzantine Empire
Continuous war with
Byzantine Empire
The Golden Age of the Ottomans
Mehmet I (r. 1413-1421)
After the defeat of the
Ottomans by the TurkoMongol/Tatar
Tamerlane, the
Ottoman Empire went
into a period of chaos
and civil war.
The disorder ended
with Mehmet I emerged
and restored Ottoman
power.
Mehmet II, The Conqueror
Mehmet I’s grandson
reorganized the structure of
both the state and military
and captured
Constantinople in 1453.
The city became the new
capital of the Ottomans
and Mehmet II assumed the
title of Kayser-I-Rum or
Roman Emperor
Attempt after his death to
take Rome failed
The Ottoman Capital -- Constantinople
in time it would become Istanbul
The Fall of Constantinople: 1453
The End of the Byzantine Empire
Hagia Sophia is “converted”
Ottoman Growth
With Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the
Ottomans becomes the dominant power in the Eastern
Mediterranean.
Military and naval conquests help to expand empire as
well as trade
Growth also due to new trade and routes between
Europe and Asia.
Trade and military alliances with other “European”
powers
Selim I (r. 1512-1520)
Expanded the empire
dramatically with defeat
of Safavid Persia (Sunni
v. Shia)
Egypt and naval
presence in Red Sea
Competition emerges
between Ottomans and
Portuguese
Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566)
Expanded Ottoman rule by
first capturing Belgrade
Later captures the
territories of present-day
Hungary and much of
Central and Eastern Europe
Vienna to Baghdad
Kanun, the Lawgiver
Basis for later constitutions
Topkapi Harem
Topkapi “Fruit Room”
Ottoman Expansion
Under Selim and Suleiman, the empire became a
dominant naval force, controlling much of the
Mediterranean Sea.
The exploits of the Ottoman admiral, Barbarossa
Hayreddin Pasha, who commanded the Turkish
Navy during Suleiman's reign, led to a number of
military victories over Christian navies.
Among these were the conquest of Tunis and
Algeria from Spain and the evacuation of Muslims
and Jews from Spain to the safety of Ottoman
lands during the Spanish Inquisition
Ottoman Empire and Europe
The last conquest occurred on behalf of France as a joint
venture between the forces of the French king Francis I and
those of the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa.
France and the Ottoman Empire, united by mutual opposition
to Habsburg rule in southern and central Europe, became
strong allies during this period.
The alliance was economic as well as military, as the sultans
granted France the right of trade within the empire without
levy of taxation. What does this do to France’s motivation to
explore?
In fact, the Ottoman Empire was by this time a significant and
accepted part of the European political sphere, and entered
into a military alliance with France, England and the
Netherlands against Habsburg Spain, Italy and Habsburg
Austria.
Ottomans and Western
Europe
As the 16th century progressed, Ottoman naval superiority was challenged by
the growing sea powers of western Europe, particularly Portugal, in the Persian
Gulf, Indian Ocean and the Spice Islands.
With the Ottomans blockading sea-lanes to the East and South, the European
powers were driven to find another way to the ancient silk and spice routes,
now under Ottoman control.
On land, the empire was preoccupied by military campaigns in the Austria
and Persia, two widely-separated theaters of war.
The strain of these conflicts on the empire's resources, and the logistics of
maintaining lines of supply and communication across such vast distances,
ultimately rendered its sea efforts unsustainable and unsuccessful.
The overriding military need for defense on the western and eastern frontiers
of the empire eventually made effective long-term engagement on a global
scale impossible.
The Ottoman Bureaucracy
SULTAN
Divans
Heads of
Individual
Religious Millets
Social / Military
Divans
Local Administrators
& Military
Landowners /
Tax Collectors
Muslims
Jews
Christians
Ottoman Society
Few conflicts with
Christians
Rival Muslim groups had
claims to dynastic rule
Multiethnic army
Recruited Christian
children for army
(devsirme)
Bureaucracy
Arabic and Ottoman
languages
Created a separate class
with allegiance to sultan
Education
Palace schools and
governors or janissaries
Janissaries
“Recruited” from Balkans and beyond with allegiance
to sultan
Elite, military machines
Precision and discipline
Uniforms and military band
Feared throughout Europe
Move west not east. Why?
Calligraphy
Conversations Between Muslims &
Christians
The Ottoman Empire Trade Routes
Ottoman Decline
Some historians support the idea the Ottoman defeat at
the Battle of Lepanto (1570) gave the Holy League
temporary control over the Mediterranean, protected
Rome from invasion, and prevented the Ottomans from
advancing any more into Europe.
The Jelali revolts (1519–1610) and Janissary revolts (1622)
caused widespread lawlessness and rebellion in Anatolia
in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and toppled
several governments.
However, the 17th century was not simply an era of
stagnation and decline, but also a key period in which the
Ottoman state and its structures began to adapt to new
pressures and new realities, internal and external but a
little too late.
Ottoman Decline
During the stagnation period much territory in the
Balkans was ceded to Austria. Certain areas of the
empire, such as Egypt and Algeria, became
independent in all but name, and subsequently
came under the influence of Britain and France.
The 18th century saw centralized authority giving
way to varying degrees of provincial autonomy
enjoyed by local governors and leaders.
A series of wars were fought between the Russian
and Ottoman empires from the 17th to the 19th
century.
Ottoman Decline
Educational and
Technological Reforms
were unsuccessful
Fortified Walls not
enough. Why?
Military Reforms too late
Ethnic Autonomy leads to
ethnic nationalism
Islamic philosophy,
mathematics, and
Chinese technology were
not enough
Walls to keep out invaders
from European nations
not able to sustain new
techonologies
Janissary revolt and
subsequent massacres