THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE Flashcards
What is the key takeaway of the ottoman empire?
the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was at its imperial zenitn (at it’s height)
- They had power + centralization
defeats at Vienna (1529) and Lepanto (1571)
- military exploits, and legal and cultural accomplishment made it one of the strongest, wealthiest, and most cohesive entities on the world stage.
Where did the name “ottoman” come from?
Osman Sultan
What is the Ottoman Empire?
- Turkish migration from Central Asia to Anatolia (middle east- close to Europe) in the Middle Ages, forming several small states (Driven west by the Mongols)
- Subsequent sultans expand Ottoman territory
Main Things: conquest of Constantinople, expansion into Central Europe, failed siege of Vienna, expansion into North Africa, huge loss at Battle of Lepanto
17th century - Losing power
How many sultans oversaw the empire?
Traditional phrasing is there were 10 sultans who built the Empire to its zenith and 10 that oversaw its fall
How did the Ottoman’s own territory?
Often outright owned a lot
- If not they had Vassals who pay tribute to ottomans (like half own- pay to avoid being taken over?)
What was the old succession law to become sultan?
When Sultan, send sons away to govern
- After sultan dies, first son to make it back is crowned
- Then he has to kill his brothers (don’t want a civil war)
How did SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT earn his name?
“Magnificent” is a European title; to Ottomans he is known as the “lawgiver”
*Harmonized Ottoman law
*Reformed succession pattern = heirs stay in the harem, no more practical experience, no more fratricide (all brothers of sultan is killed)
What were Suleiman the Magnificent’s 2 main accomplishments?
- Military expansion
*Europe: Belgrade, Rhodes, and most of Hungary
*Middle East: Baghdad, most of Iraq
*North Africa: conquered most of it, but failed to capture Tunis - Culture
*Poet and patron of the art
*Famously, a lover of tulips
Explain Suleiman the Magnificent’s 2 important relationships?
- Ibrahim
-Man
- Suleiman was probably queer! - Roxelana
- Woman
- Said to be monogamous with her
- She got Ibrahim killed
- They were both Caucasian (mountain)
- Both enslaved
What provided the Ottomans a massive advantage militarily?
Mounted Calvary
- Readily adapted to new military technology (gunpowder, large guns) and were able to access it more easily because of their advantageous geographic location
AND
Standing armies: Ottomans had professional fighters (and granted them special privileges to conquered loot and land (like first trained military, other countries were just sending teen farmers)
How did other cities respond to the looming threat of the Ottomans?
They developed a reputation of being unbeatable, which encouraged neighbouring countries to become vassals and tributaries rather than risk invasion
Did other countries have standing armies?
*France had a small standing army, but disbanded most regiments; Hungary’s standing army arose because of Ottoman proximity
*England and Spain did not have standing armies until the 17th century
What are Janissaries?
: conscripted infantry force made up of forced converts to Islam, eventually becomes the most powerful political force in the Ottoman Empire
How was the Ottoman empire governed?
Government composed of the sultan and his household staff (scribes, advisers, accountants, etc.) = the sultan is the sole governing authority
*Advisers: Grand Vizier (like Prime Minister) and nobles
*The sultan protects the flock (i.e. the ordinary people
How were provinces governed?
Local governance by qadis (provincial governors) working alongside beys (military leaders)
*In theory they are checks on each other’s power: the qadi cannot enact punishment and the bey cannot order an execution unless the qadi has tried the case
*Qadis are directly answerable to the sultan
*Rebellion was possible and sultans could be overthrown
How were Vassal states connected to the empire?
paid taxes to the sultan and contributed to military campaigns
What are the three different court systems in the Ottoman empire?
Three court systems:
- one for Muslims,
- one for non-Muslims,
*Non-Muslim courts = different courts for Jews and Christian (You are judged by rules or religion you are apart of) - the “trade court” (Sultan rule)
What is the difference between Sharia law and Kanun law?
Sharia: Islamic Law
Kanun: Law made by the Sultan = high degree of centralization
*Suleiman’s legal reform takes all the decisions made by prior sultans, reconciles all contradictions, and creates a single, unified code
*These laws can be vetoed by Islamic law scholars, but this is very rare
What does the term “the shopping mall” refer to with legal systems?
Multiple legal systems = “the shopping mall” where you can pick your court
*You can try your case in front of any court (e.g. Jews can have a business dispute tried before an Islamic court)
What is a positive outcome for historians with the legal system?
One outcome for historians is that there is a huge wealth of Ottoman legal documentation
What is the Millet system in the Ottoman empire?
each religious group organized into autonomous communities
*The head of that community answers to the sultan
What were People of the Book?
: followers of Abrahamic religion
Were people of the book offered protections?
Yes!
Provided certain protections for Jews, Christians, and non-Sunni Muslims, including:
*No forced conversions (except via the Janissary program)
*No conscription for Muslim wars
*Equality under property and contract law
Were people of the book offered these protections for free?
Came with certain responsibilities, including:
*Paying a tax that replaced the obligatory charity Muslims performed
Why were there so many Jewish people here?
15th – 16th century: influx of Jews fleeing expulsions
*Jewish trading networks contribute to the wealth of the Ottoman Empire
Who was Mimar Sinan?
Chief Architect & engineer to Suleiman the Magnificent
*Designed many mosques
*His masterpiece: Selimiye Mosque, Edirn
Did the Ottomans build public buildings?
Yes!
*Public baths
*Mosque compounds, which typically included hospitals and schools
*Way stations for trade caravans
(Also renovated sites)
Which two styles heavily influenced the Ottoman Architecture styles?
Classical Ottoman architecture combines Byzantine and Islamic styles
What was “The Harem” in the Ottoman empire?
part of the palace where the wives, female relatives, and concubines lived
How did the elite women live in the Ottoman empire?
Lived isolated lives (only male contact is relatives and eunuch)
Potentially influence men (known to the public)
Mostly illiterate
How did ordinary women live in the Ottoman empire?
documentary evidence in legal records
*Inheriting property and businesses from husbands and fathers
*Pursuing business interests
*Divorce is possible
*Most women were illiterate
How did the Ottomans influence trading?
Ottoman trade tariffs push people into the Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope
*Ottomans are the gatekeepers of the Silk Road
*Encouraging Western European exploration to try and find a different route
Initially, the Ottoman did not have strong maritime technology. Once they developed it, where did they go?
Indian Ocean: trade with the Mughals, competing with the Portuguese in India and Aceh
(Competing with Portuguese directly) (Portuguese went around to avoid having to pay Ottomans)
(Tried to recapture trade)
How does the excursions into the Indian ocean influence the Ottoman empire?
Crossroad of trade and new ideas (science, technology, culture, etc.)
*Adopting advantageous technologies that pass through their territory
What limited maritime technology did they use?
Limited maritime technology: reliant on galleys (oars and sail)
What two consumables did the Ottomans popularize?
coffee and tobacco
Who were the Habsburgs?
powerful European family governing both Spain and Austria
*This is a huge family with many branches
*Very Catholic
How did the Ottoman empire expansion threaten the Habsburgs?
*Ottoman expansion threatens Habsburg expansion in Central Europe
*The family had held Austria, but Sulieman’s war of conquest against Hungary and Bohemia inadvertently causes these lands to pass to the Habsburgs
*1526: King Louis II of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia dies in battle against the Ottomans and Ferdinand I inherits what remains of Hungary. The Bohemian Estates decide that Ferdinand should also be king of Bohemia.
*The siege of Vienna (1529) solidifies Habsburg – Ottoman enmity
I think: Ottomans and Habsburgs fought over Hungary, Boemia, and Croatia
Many popes in 16th century? Explain the two important ones:
- Pope Clement VII (1478 – 1534)
- Pius V (1504 –1572)
- Pope Clement VII (1478 – 1534):
- is Pope during the initial phase of Suleiman’s expansion into Central Europe
- Catherine du Medici’s uncle
- More concerned with the Sack of Rome and lining things up for his family connection
- Personal problems (didn’t rlly deal with Ottomans)
- Pius V (1504 –1572):
- is Pope during Suleiman’s expansion into the Adriatic
- Founds the Holy League to repel Ottoman forces = afraid of repeating the Fall of Constantinople
*Huge success at the Battle of Lepant0
What is France’s relationship with the Ottomans?
1536: Francis I of France signs alliance with Suleiman = mutual hatred of the Habsburgs
*Not much comes of this in early modernity, but the alliance lasts until Napoleon invades Egypt
*France intermittently supports the Ottomans and the alliance deters the Habsburgs from making a bid for France
*Exchange of diplomatic envoys and scientific information
What is England’s relationship with the Ottomans?
: Elizabeth I’s ongoing letter correspondence with Murad III (Suleiman’s grandson)*Presents Protestant England and the Muslim Ottomans as united against Catholicism and idolatry
*Produced a very lucrative trade relationship in which England provided metal for munitions and received gold and sugar = cuts out nations like Spain
*Network of diplomats in England and throughout Ottoman territory = Ottoman Empire safer for English Protestants than Catholic territory
How did ordinary people feel about the Ottomans?
- “Better Turkish than Popish” – Dutch Reformed slogan
*Expressing that life would be better under the sultan than under the Catholic king of Spain - In general, there was a lot of fear and distrust of the Ottomans and Muslims in general
*As we move into the 17th century, we see a rise in apocalyptic theology in which Muslims are taken as enemies of Christianity = the sultan is often depicted as the Antichrist
*If you are protestant, the Pope is more commonly the Antichrist
What is the SIEGE OF VIENNA?
Fail!
They arrive late in the year, and the rain turns siege into mudfest
- Horses = slipping and sliding
- PPl sick and hungry
Habsburg = ended up looking more powerful (Ferdinand becomes king of Hungary) (unifies a Habsburg-Papacy anti-Ottoman front)
In Vienna: They dug holes under Ottomans holes to collapse and ruin plans
What is the BATTLE OF LEPANTO?
Pope doesn’t want Ottoman’s Navy taking over Mediterranean
Engage Naval battle with pope
Wind changes -> Ottomans start losing
- Run out of ammo, start throwing cargo at christians - ex. apples and oranges)
- First big loss in like a century
- Moral victory of pope (Damaged Ottoman’s invincibility
