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Ottoman Empire
Lasting nearly 650 years, the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey) was one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. Istanbul, its capital for the last 470 years, was one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet at the time.
1,226 Questions
What ended the Ottoman Empire?
World War One, the fall began with the failed assault of Vienna in the 17th century. The Ottoman's main contribution to society was the stool for ones feet. They still have created a massive empire of comfy stools.
Why did the Ottoman Empire attempt to reform itself?
When the Ottoman Empire was at its territorial height in the 16th Century, it was the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and was greatly feared by the Christian nations of Europe. However, from then on the empire began to decline relative to the western nations, which advanced significantly in technological and political terms, and succeeded in acquiring large empire in the Americas and Far East. Following the Napoleonic Wars and the rise of nationalism, Greek nationalists started to agitate for independence, which they succeeded in doing with British, French and Russian assistance, while an Albanian general, Mohammed Ali, took control of Egypt, declared independence and conquered much of the Ottoman Empire's Arabian territory, and came close to taking Constantinople. It was only the western powers intervention from preventing the Ottomans being overthrown completely.
After these events, the Ottomans realised they had to reform to catch up to the western world as a major power, and also to guarantee their own empire's independence.
In 1828, Murad III, Sultan committed to reform, as a first step violently purged the Janissaries, the Sultans traditional bodyguard who over the centuries had become unreliable and were against reform and modernisation. He replaced them with a modern professional army based on western models with modern uniforms and equipment, and adopted modern tactics. It was also under his reign that the Tanzimat was enacted, which started in 1839 and was continued by his successor, Abdulmecid.
Over the decades, the Ottomans made a very good job of reforming and modernising. The empire that was nearly destroyed in the 1820s had become a modern nation state, which in 1876 opened its first parliament, albeit with limited powers. Also in this period, they decisively defeated Serbia and Montenegro, crushed the Bulgarian rebels and very nearly defeated Russia one-on-one in the war that followed. However, the aftermath of the war was disastrous for the Ottomans. They only lost due to a lack of unified leadership, also being vastly superior in weaponry and, initially, in numbers.
The Ottomans lost Bulgaria and Bosnia, which provided a third of the Empire's revenues, and Sultan Abdulhamid II then suspended parliament, partly holding them responsible for the defeat and feeling strong government was necessary following the instability that followed defeat.
However, under Abdulhamid's autocracy, local governmental democracy flourished, and the empire continued to invest in education and modernisation of the empire.
His autocracy, however bred resentment, which culminated in the Young Turk revolution, starting in 1908, which resulted in severe instability, which Italy took advantage of to seize Libya, and Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro seized the remaining Ottoman territories in Europe.
Even so, the armed forces were modernised, and it took WWI to dismember the empire, and even then the Allies had a hard time, mainly due to underestimation. In Palestine the Ottomans held off a British army ten times its size for three years, and the Gallipoli campaign was also a success, where a young army officer, Mustafa Kemel (Ataturk) made his name.
After the empire was defeated, he was able to muster an army that drove the Allied and Greek forces completely out of Turkey, and abolished the Sultanate which had failed to support him, and proclaimed the modern Turkish Republic.
In the West, the 19th Century is often seen as a period of terminal decline for the Ottomans, which was the perception at the time, is totally inaccurate.
Thanks to the reform movements, the Ottomans were incalculably stronger at the turn of the 20th Century than they were at the turn of the 19th Century.
In which direction did suleyman the first expand the Ottoman Empire?
Suleiman I expanded the Ottoman empire northward (into central Hungary and Romania), eastward (into Mesopotamia), and southward (into Libya).
Why was Suleiman I a popular sultan?
As long as Suleiman ruled the Ottoman Empire it was the richest and most powerful empire in Europe and Southwest asia.
Why did the ottoman empire lose control of the middle east after 1917?
The Ottoman Empire of the 1700s and 1800s failed to embrace progress, understand nationalism, or modernize. This led to their inability to compete with European powers. The Ottoman Empire was incredibly conservative and attempts at progress (the Tanzimat Reforms) were crushed by the Islamic Establishment like the Caliphs and Mullahs.
The Young Turks, a secular movement in the Ottoman Empire proposing reforms, was only able to take control when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk overthrew the Ottoman Imperial Government through coup d'état.
The 13th to 16th centuries Who were the early ottomans?
The early Ottomans in the 13th and 16th centuries were the the people from Asia who were speaking Turkish.
Describes a major difference between the Ottoman and Safavid empires?
The Ottoman Empire was controlled by Sunni Muslims, while the Safavid Empire was ruled by Shia Muslims.
What was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman empire?
It has changed name twice. Byzantium - Constantinople - Istanbul.
How many wives did suleiman the magnificent?
Suleiman the Magnificent sired 10 childrenthroughout his life:
- Åžehzade Mahmud
- Åžehzade Mustafa
- Åžehzade Murad
- Åžehzade Mehmed
- Mihrimah Sultan
- Åžehzade Abdullah
- Selim II
- Raziye Sultan
- Åžehzade Bayezid
- Åžehzade Cihangir
Was the Ottoman Empire tolerant of other religions living in the empire?
Answer 1
Yes it was , people lived in peace, just like it is now in Turkey.
Answer 2
Answer 1 is correct insofar as its notes that the nature of tolerance that exists in Turkey today is reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire's stances. While the Ottoman Empire was certainly more tolerant than contemporary civilizations in the Middle Ages and early Modern Period, there was certainly a religious hierarchy.
Christians and Jews in the Empire were each governed by a Millet, which was an administrative council devoted to that religion run by the leadership of that religion as appointed by the Sultan. The Armenians, for example, had one Millet, the Greek Orthodox, another, the Slavic Orthodox, a third, and so forth. These Millets would report to the Sultan on the dealings of their religious flock and prevent them from being problematic. Non-Muslims were also required to pay the jizya tax, which was a per-person tax for the privilege of being both non-Muslim and alive at the same time. In different periods, the Ottomans also instituted the kharaj which was a land-ownership tax that applied exclusively to non-Muslims. Given the large Christian populations in the Balkans, this measure was fazed out rather quickly to avoid unrest.
However, the most egregious crime that the Ottomans perpetrated throughout their reign was the practice of devşirme, whereby young intelligent Christian boys and girls would be forcibly taken by their families and deported to Istanbul. Once in Istanbul they would be converted to Islam and trained in the Sultan's private academies. The men would become the fearsome Janissary Warriors, the elite troops of the Ottoman Army and the women would become the Sultan's attendants in the Harem (and if lucky they might give the Sultan a son).
Finally, after the loyalty shown by the Armenians to the Ottomans throughout the 1800s (as opposed to the Greeks, Bulgars, Croats, and Serbs, who openly rose up against Ottoman rule), 1.8 million Armenians were slaughtered from 1917-1919 in what Turkey refuses to call a genocide to this day. (Turkey continues to bully other countries on this issue as well.)
Turkish Tolerance issues currently are not religious as Turkey has relieved itself of most of its religious minorities. However, ethnic tensions, such as with the Kurdish population in the East, Circassian population in the Northeast, and Arab population in the South are recipients of wonderful Turkish hospitality.
Answer this question… Ottoman Empire
Why was the Ottoman Empire seen as threat to Europe?
Constantinople was seen as a bulwark against an Islamic conquest of Europe. Its fall to the Ottomans meant that the Ottomans would soon conquer the Balkans and pose a direct threat to major Central and Eastern European States such as Russia, Poland, and the Austrian Empire.
How did the toleration of diverse religions affect the Ottoman Mughal and Mongol empires?
Not appreciated by the scholars and mass people
Who was the leader in ottoman during world war 1?
Mehmet Resat was the ruler of Turkey during the 1st World War. Altough he was the official ruler of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was leading the country to overcome the sovereignity and bring back the democracy. Mehmet Resat died in July 1919. From July to November(last four months of World War) the last sultan of Turkey, Vahdettin, ruled the country as a representative of the Ottoman empire until the Armistice of Mudros was signed.
What is a major difference between the Safavid and mughal empires?
mughal monuments were built by mughals and sultanate monuments by sultans of delhi
What are Turkish soldiers called?
There are called Turkish Commandos, in the Ottoman era they were called Otto
Elite guard of the Ottoman Turks?
the elite soldiers name is Janissary, the protecter of the Ottoman Crown
