By: Cara Prince and Austin Wilcox

The Ottoman Empire

Social

Suleyman created a law code to handle both criminal and civil actions.

He also simplified and limited taxes, and reduced government bureaucracy.

He created the devshirme system, this is where the sultan’s army drafted boys and educated them, converted them to Islam and trained them to be soldiers.

The elite force of 30,000 soldiers were known as Janissaries.

Political

The second Ottoman leader, Orkhan I, declared himself sultan.

Most Muslims were required to serve in Turkish armies, but didn’t have to pay tax to the state. Non-Muslims didn’t have to serve in the army, but had to pay tax.

The Ottomans captured many cities like: Andrianople Constantinople Siria Palestine Mecca Medina Ciro

Political (Con’t)

The first ruler was Osman and he was the one who started the Ottoman Empire.

Then there was Orkhan, Osman’s son, he declared himself sultan in 1360.

And then there was Mehmed II, he achieved the most dramatic feat in Ottoman history by conquering Constantinople.

Mehmed II’s grandson, Selim the Grim, came into power in 1512.

The Ottoman did not reach its peak until Suleyman the Lawgiver came into power.

Interactions

All of the success of the Ottoman Empire was due to the use of gunpowder.

They used cannons to invade cities by blasting down the city walls.

They conquered more land, therefore the empire grew.

People moved outward and migrated to different cities in the empire.

Cultural

Suleyman had broad interests which contributed to the cultural achievements of the empire.

He liked to study poetry, history, geography, astronomy, mathematics, and architecture.

He employed one of the world’s finest architects, Sinan.

He created the Mosque of Suleyman. It includes four schools, a library, a bath, and

a hospital. They also had a period similar to the

European Renaissance.

Religions

The Ottomans were Muslim, but did not force their religion on others.

The Ottomans granted freedom of worship to other religious communities, particularly to Christians and Jews.

They allowed them to follow their own religious practices and laws.

This kept conflict among people of the various religions to a minimum.

Economic

The Ottoman Empire was known for its coffee trade.

It helped start coffee houses in London. In 1600, the Ottoman empire was an

important market for Europeans, by 1900 it was much less important because of excessive markups which caused Europeans to seek other routes to Asia.