The Ottoman Empire

1389-1914

Mehmet II conquered Istanbul in 1453 and made it his capital, renaming it from the previous name of Constantinople

Ottoman Empire Timeline

1389-19141389

• Ottoman victory over the Turks

• laid the groundwork for the empire

1454

• Ottoman Empire conquers Byzantine capital Constantinople

• Makes Ottomans more powerful and gain more land

1492

• Jew flea persecution in Spain to the Ottoman Empire

• Ottomans were more diverse and had larger population.

1517

• Egypt and Syria are conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

• The empire gained more land and became more powerful.

1571

• The Christians win over the Turks

• beginning of Ottoman Empire’s decline

1683

• Siege of Vienna

• Causes a social transition and more of a decline of Ottomans

1774

• Ottoman Empire is defeated by the Russian Empire

• Weak government and armies

1914

• Start of World War I

• Total destruction and existence of the Ottoman Empire

Social StatusThe social classes were divided by occupation,

economic status, and location. The Sultan was the head of the government, which was at the top of the social ladder. In addition to the ruling class there were four groups:

• Peasants- tilled the land that was given to them from the state.

• Artisans- were organized into craft guilds that were responsible for dealing with the government, providing financial services, social security, and training its members

• Merchants- were the most privileged class, next to the ruling elite. They were exempt from taxes and government regulations. They were hated by other subjects of the empire because they established monopolies and set high prices. As a result the merchants become very wealthy.

• Pastoral People- herded animals

Women’s StatusWomen in the Ottoman Empire were treated fairly well. could not be forced into marriageCould have positions of authorityCould own and inherit propertyHowever,Women were isolated in their part of the house.Couldn’t inherit property from the husband if he was

Muslim and she was not. Female children were not regarded well unless they

could create alliances once they got marriedAlmost never attended school

Art and ArchitecturePotteryRugsSilkCarpet makingcalligraphyTextilesJewelryArmor

Paintings- realistic scenes of sultans, court, military scenes

MOSQUES!-modeled after Byzantine

Church- used an open floor plan to

create a prayer hall where numerous Muslims could worship in unison

-dome shaped with large central area

-well lit with many windows

The Suleymaniye MosqueIstanbul, Turkey

Interior of Suleymaniye Mosque

Blue MosqueIstanbul, Turkey

ReligionVery tolerant of different religious beliefs, to

prevent the most likely cause of revoltIn return for this and the fact that they were

exempt from military service, Christians and Jews paid a head tax

Permitted to convert to Islam but Muslims were prohibited from adopting another faith

The Sultan was regarded as “the protector of Islam”

Sunni Muslim-run state so inequality in the government, Muslims given preference

ReligionChurches in

conquered lands were converted into mosques

Religious communities called “millets” kept their own courts, schools, and welfare system; built roads and the likes for their own neighborhoods

Economy Christian and Jewish merchants control some

aspects of trading with Ottoman protectionAgricultural based in the beginning – fertile land

in Turkey and MesopotamiaWealthy through military, gaining land and,

therefore, gaining trading routes Istanbul became one of the great trade centers of

the worldAnother important city was Bursa, a center of the

silk tradeGoods traded: silk, musk, rhubarb, porcelain

from China, spices like pepper and, dyestuff such as indigo

politics: The Government

- The Ottoman State rested in the hands of an absolute monarch.

- The central function of the ruler or Sultan, was to guarantee justice among all the people, including the lowest members of societies and the peasantry.

- The Sultan watched the officials and would sometimes observe in secret the proceedings of the Divan.

- If the Sultan believed that an injustice was being committed against the people, he would interfere directly and overturn the decision.

- Those officials that abused their power were subjected to a special jurisdiction.

- The government was basically all about the people and protecting them and their wants.

The Laws- From 1350 to 1550 the Ottomans created a law code.- The laws were first collected together by Mehmed the

Conqueror. - Imperial law was regarded as the essential and sacred

foundation of the empire.- When this tradition collided with the Islamic tradition, a

compromised system combining both was formed.- The imperial law, or law pronounced by the monarch, was

considered sacred.- The kanun was divided into two separate sets, or laws. The

first dealt with the organization of government and the military. The second dealt with the taxation and treatment of peasantry.

- This code of laws was called, kanun-I ‘Osmani, or the “Ottoman laws.”

Military → In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, sea power played a central role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, and Ottoman fleets operated on the high seas in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and east into the Indian Ocean.

→Their guns comes from the Prussians (Now Northern Germany).

→ The Janissaries were a group of people, mostly men and young boys, who were “slaves” and forced to fight in the military.

→ Both the rich and the poor served in the military. There were also volunteers.

→ At the peak of their expansion, some of their land included Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Hungary, and much more.

Rise and Fall of Ottoman Empire

Rise Fall• Started as Turkish and Muslim

settlers in the 1300’s in Anatolia.

• The founder was Osman which is where Ottoman originated from.

• Once the Turk Empire started to decline, the settlers from Anatolia conquered small areas after small areas with their newly advanced military.

• The conquering of the Byzantine Empire by Sultan Mehmed was the start of the huge expansion of Ottoman Empire.

• It expanded greatly and was the peak of the Ottoman Empire during 1512-1566 with the leader Suleiman the Magnificent.

• Fall of Ottoman Empire can be greatly connected with the man, Selim II (1566-1574), who was a very weak leader.

• Internal and external problems continued for the next 300 years.

• Wars and battles against different parts of the Ottoman Empire caused them to loose land and population.

• The Tulip Period (1718-1730), was the steep decline of the Ottoman military.

• In 1914, which was the start of the first World war was the complete destruction and existence of the Ottoman Empire.

Gunpowder EmpireMilitary used guns and cannons as weaponry in warfare Highly centralized government around the SultanGood economy from trading in conquered landsManufactured weapons in Istanbul Strong army that conquered mass amounts of landExpanded insanely to conquer 13 regionsChanges in society - woman had more respect than

previously in the OttomanPolitical changes - Sultan gave them more of a fair

chance, cared more for the commonersTechnological advantages - shipbuilding skills elevated,

materials got stronger and sturdier therefore Ottomans acquired naval dominated

Works CitedThe Earth and Its People: A Global History.

Bulliet, Crossley, Headrick, Hirsch, and Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, MA 2008

World History. Duiker, William J., Spielvogel, Jackson J. Thomson Learning, Inc.: Belmont, CA 2007

“The Ottomans.” Washington State University.http://wsu.edu/~dee/OTTOMAN/OTTOMAN1.HTM