The Ottoman Empire
Around 1293 the chieftain of a nomadic Turkish tribe named Osman, founded an empire that would endure almost six hundred years. As this empire grew by conquering lands of the Byzantine Empire and beyond, it came to include, at its height, all of Asia Minor, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Romania, Egypt, Crete, Cyprus, Palestine, and North Africa through Algeria; parts of Hungry, Austria, Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, U.A.E., and Syria. The elite tactics and fearsome fighting of the well trained Janissary Corps helped make the Ottoman Empire one of the largest in the world's history. -1- The first "army" of the Ottoman Empire was made up Gazis, Turkish faith fighters. They were effective against small countries and principalities, but were not always reliable. (J.F. VonHamer-Purgstal 771) For example, the original Ottoman state was very close to Constantinople, the capital of the struggling Byzantine Empire, it was not captured until 1453. At the time of its formation the Ottoman state could not defeat the defending armies of Constantinople due to its small and untrained army. (Bossenbrook 504) In addition, when the Ottomans went to face the larger and more powerful army of the Tatar Empire, under the leadership of Tamerlane, the Gazis deserted. Left with an army made of Christian vassals, the Ottomans fell to the Tatar army. (J.F. VonHamer-Purgstal 771) Since the Gazis proved to be unreliable Sultan Murad I around 1371 thought it necessary to build up an army that would have superior fighting power and be loyal to him. He began to build up the power of various non-Turkish groups in his service, particularly those composed of Christian slaves and converts to Islam. (J.F. VonHamer-Purgstal 771) -...
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... to the decline of the empire. It started after Suleyman I died in 1566. The Ottomans suffer their first military defeat in 1683, and from then on started losing territories. ( J. F. von Hamer-Pugstall 783) The Ottoman military fearsomeness was still in existence after the empire had disintegrated. Turkey was formed after the Ottoman Empire was destroyed in 1918 following the final defeat in World War I. The fear of Turkish fighters was abundant during World War II. Turkish infantryman would wrap rope around their chest and stomach prior to a ground attack. -8- These soldiers would attack with sword in hand to lop off the heads of enemy soldiers even after being shot many times. The rope around the body would help keep the Turk from collapsing as he was being "filled with lead"; he would then be able to reach his victim and "take one with him" ( Portillo, 1994). -9-
The Ottoman Empire was a large empire that lasted for several hundred years. They were primarily Sunni Muslims and they were led by the Sultan. Over time, they had a long decline, mostly because they hadn’t progressed with the times. France and Britain were getting very involved with their affairs in Egypt. By the late 1800’s most of the Ottoman Empire was gone. During World War One (WWI), in 1916, the Arabs helped Great Britain to defeat the Ottoman Empire. In 1918 the Ottomans surrendered and their empire was dissolved. When mandates were established it caused nationalist ro revolt. General Mustafa
The empires of the British and Ottoman were both influential economically, socially, and politically before their decline. They were able to control their territory and others around the world. The decline of the Ottoman Empire in 1683 was because of the collapse of government and lack of trade, which led to rebellions in colonies and new introductions of education and religion. Also, the decline of the British Empire in 1928 was because of the loss of control over colonies and the industrialization of other countries which led the British to losing control over other parts of the world. The British and Ottoman both declined because of colonies but their declines were still vastly different.
The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest running empires in history, spanning 624 years. The women of the Ottoman empire were often limited to the household of their husband’s and held back by Ottoman lawmakers and authorities. The point of view of outsiders was varied, but there were both positive and negative views.
The Ottomans and Spanish built flourishing empires based on different philosophies from 1450 to 1800. The Ottoman and Spanish were two powerful empires during that time. During the building of the two empires, the Spanish and the Ottoman both developed similarities in their social, political, and economic structures. The Ottoman took control of Europe, while the Spanish saw it as easy to monitor new lands. The different tactics employed made the both empires flourish. For instance, the Spanish were not tolerant of religion. They conquered other areas with the aim of converting Christians to Islam, if they refused, they would be killed. On the other hand, the Ottoman leaders incorporated leaders of diverse culture
?In the 8th century, the first Turkish-speaking tribes migrated westward from central Asia and began converting to Islam.? They became Sunni Muslims, who follow the most orthodox form of Islam.? Islam appealed to these nomads because it was a simple faith with straightforward requirements.? Many were so passionate about the faith that they became ghazis, ?warriors for the faith.?? Fighting the Byzantines, they began to conquer the lands of Anatolia in the name of Islam.? The Ottomans, one of the Turkish clans, became the dominant leaders of this new land and united the scattered Turkish tribes.? By the 12th century, a new wave of Turkish immigrants who followe...
The Ottoman Empire success was largely due to their military technology, and equipped soldiers with weapons. Along with these successes they also had a strong leader, known as Suleiman, who came to the throne as one of the wealthiest rulers in the world.The wealth and stability of the Empire at its time led to this period of time to be knowns as the Golden Era . He strengthened the government and improved the system of justice throughout the empire. Their law was based on the Islamic power, but Suleiman consulted his advisors and councils before making important decisions, he did not let his power get out of hand. “The Ottomans inherited three universalist traditions: one from their s...
From the 18th century through the beginning of the 19th century, European influence was a significant force in various aspects of the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Iran. Although the reforms, coined primarily by Gelvin as “defensive developmentalism,” were initially intended to centralize governmental control and strengthen the military, the actual effects were much broader. Based on varying pre-existing conditions and unique approaches to governorship, this process of modernization affected each region differently. This essay will explore the manners in which European influence shaped each territory, the primary areas of civilization, politics and culture that experienced reform, and the degree to which that influence was significant, or in the case of Iran, insignificant.
The emergence of gunpowder and the ability to create increasingly more accurate firearms in the Middle East and Europe in the fifteenth century sparked the growth of two highly militant empires. The Habsburgs, hailing mostly from the Iberian Peninsula, fully began to rise when Charles V inherited Spain, American territories, western Mediterranean territories, and Austria from his parents. The Ottoman Empire had its humble beginnings as a nomadic group; however, it later became a force to be reckoned with upon the capture of Constantinople (now Istanbul). Since these two emerging empires were in close proximity, military dominance was a necessity. The Ottomans were rightfully feared for their military due to their strict training regulations
The Ottoman Empire were Muslims and included Hungary, Syria, Egypt, Bulgaria, and Albania, and they marched on land. The Ottoman Empire is said to have first appeared somewhere around the 1300’s, and can be related to the decline of the Byzantine Empire. They began conquering Christian lands and by the late 1600’s all Christians were afraid of the “terrible Turk”. It is no wonder that many other people were afraid of the Ottoman Empire since they seem to be really rather powerful and they conquered a lot of land. It was in the 1330’s when the Morroccan Abu Abdallah Ibn Battuta passed through Constantinople and became impressed with the Ottomans who seemed to be gaining power rather quickly, he noticed that they had close to 100 forts and
The Ottoman Empire was one of the Muslim empires. It was an empire that ruled large areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The ruler of Ottoman was called a sultan. The Ottoman Empire was greatly expanded by the Ottoman army. Freedom of women was limited in the Ottoman society. The women lived separately from the men in an area of household called a harem. The Ottoman empire did not consist entirely of Muslims, but with Christians and Jews as well.
There is a point of time in certain a country’s history where they become dominant and more powerful than ever before. During this elongated process a country becomes an empire. The British and the Ottomans were states that succeeded in this process, but becoming an empire such as theirs required vast amounts of political and social maneuvering to expand their boundaries, called imperialism. Imperialism is, “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force”. By becoming a modern nation enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, the British and the Ottomans created an imperialistic impact over the globe with distinctive motivations and approaches especially during the transition period of gaining ample amount power and influence globally.
Today, there are virtually no multinational states remaining and one would be hard-pressed to find a government that has remained in place since the pre-World War I era. In that sense, it is highly unlikely that the Ottoman Empire could have survived the tumultuous 20th Century. Nevertheless, it may have had a chance. If not for European intervention, Ottoman reforms may have succeeded. However, even with those reforms, they had to compete with the rise of nationalism, which would have been difficult.
The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 1500s. While other empires were experiencing their downfalls, the Ottoman Empire’s power seemed to be increasing. In fact, this empire can be ranked as the strongest power due to its tactical internal organization of power, minorities, and religion, due to its physical expansion which provided more resources, more advancements, and more people to support the empire, and due to its large military strength that provided security, reduced rebellion, and challenged the other powers.
Prior to my research, there were two interesting articles that have struck my attention regarding the states and issues that are being discussed in this essay. The first article is A Survey of the Turkish Empire by Sir William Eton. In the article, Eton discusses his admiration of the glorious army that had once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. He describes the Turkish army as “formidable”, and organized. Eton tune quickly changes by criticizing their faults and ultimately what led to their demise. Eton states that “it is a mob assembled rather than an army levied.” This article had great impact because while researching the topic, I was able to better understand the role of the military in the Ottoman Empire.
Cicek, Kemal. “The Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839.” Journal of the Economic &Social History of the Orient 52, no.1 (2009): 153-158. EBSCO.