...Kadir Has University History of Turkish Republic 4/9/2015 Shah Basit Hussain Qureshi 1- In your view, what were the reasons for the Ottoman Empire’s demise? How did competing internal and external factors play into the weakening of the empire? There were few vital reasons for the downfall of Ottoman Empire’s, linked with some of internal and external factors which played a important role to weaken the Ottoman’s empire. I will take this opportunity to write on this significant historical downfall factors of Ottomans Empire and I will write try to accomplish those major points from which this downfall led to Ottoman Empire. It was the second Egyptian crisis which manifested tensions in the Middle East. The elementary problems of the empire, caused by rising pressure between the different nationalities and communities, which the central government was not capable to get to the bottom of or control. Nevertheless for about 15 years they did not express to large-scale interference on the part of the enormous powers of Europe. The most aggressive internal conflict of these years was fought in the Lebanon. The tough man of the region was the Emir Bashir II, who belonged to the miniature religious group of the people of Druzes 3, but he was converted to Christianity and he ruled the Lebanon from his stronghold in the Shuf Mountains for almost 50 years. He had associated his providence strongly to the Egyptian professional forces, and when the concluding...
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...What were the military successes of the Ottoman-Turk? In creating a third (non-Arab) Islamic Empire Modern Middle East 31 May 2012 Introduction The Ottoman success was largely due to the more advanced weaponry systems they had, because of the better equipment they had improved their battlefield success greatly. The Ottomans ruled a large area and let non-Muslims practiced their own religions long as they paid their taxes and obeyed the law. Summary The Ottoman Empire was a success because the military is made up of two distinct groups, the kapti kallari forces and the locals. The ghazis, which were the Turkish warriors, were largely responsible for the conquest of Anatolia. The first twelve sultans enjoyed long reigns, this was necessary because instability at the top is sure to force decline in any empire. Body One of the reasons was because of nationalism and a notion that a state and ethnic nation are very similar; early on the Ottoman Empire was defined by his ruler, by its faith, as well as its military, all acting in sync. The empire emerged from a number of Turkey smaller states in Anatolia that was left behind from the devastating Mongol Victory at Kose Dagh (1243) over the Sultanate, Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66). The reign of this great king represented the acme of Ottoman power. This was one of the finest states in the Western World, a universal empire unmatched in size, wealth and military power. Obviously, other...
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...POSITION OF WOMEN IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRECourtney L HendricksJuly 15, 2015 Through human history, the power of a woman and her role especially within the Islamic society has been a contentious topic. Many people, when they look at Islamic women and their roles, see a secluded and oppressed sex and which is taken to much inferior to men in most cases. Furthermore, when it comes to issues such as politics, women from the Islamic society are considered voiceless and thus play now important role as they work is seen much in the households chores as well as remaining submissive and faithful and to their husbands and the men around them with questioning. However, this is not the case when we look at the Ottoman Empire as things are totally different from what most people think and perceive about women in the Islamic society[1]. In fact, this has brought about an endless debate in terms of the place of women and their importance especially based on the Sultanate of Women period. This paper dives into the debate as we analyze the actual position that was taken by women specifically in the Ottoman Empire. Prior to the introduction of Islam religion, women did not have much say or significant contribution in the society as they were basically treated as inferior to their male counterparts. However, things were quite different, especially with the situation in the Ottoman Empire. Here, women enjoyed much freedom and had rights in regards to marriage, inheritance, divorce among other things...
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... 12/15/2015 In this essay I will attempt to answer the following question: What role did Islam play in the Ottoman and Mughal empires and what was the situation for religious minority groups? Overall, especially compared to Europe, religious toleration was very high in the two empires. While religious toleration varied along the years and the importance of Islam and its role in the two empires changed, it is safe to say that both of the empires went through a period of time where religion played a vital role in the people’s lives and tolerance of minority groups was at a high point. I will look more in-depth at the overall role that religion played in the empires as well as discuss both the positives and the negatives of the situation for minority groups. Islam played a big role in the Ottoman Empire. As a religion it was a focal point around which the rulers based their decisions as faith was a “major pillar of dynasty and empire”(Stearns, Peter N. World Civilizations. Fifth Edition. 2007. Pg. 580) . Islam played a role of civilization and it is also what encouraged emperors to keep expanding the empire. Finally it promoted principles of political succession- in other words it stimulated competition. Overall the religion served to bind people together and achieve a stable regime. Similarly in the Safavid Empire there was a lot of emphasis put on Shi’ism, and citizens were encouraged to convert to this religion. Religious festivals became focal...
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...During the time period from 1450 to 1800, two powerful empires were in the process of being built. These two empires were the Ottoman Empire and the Spanish Empire. During the building process of their empires, the Ottoman and the Spanish both developed many similarities in their political, social, and economic affairs. A similarity between these empires was that they both had some type of slave system. Even though they did have some things in common there were also many differences that were between these empires. Some differences between these two were that the Ottomans had the devshirme slave system and the Spanish had the encomienda system. The devshirme system was the practice in which the Ottomans recruited and then forcibly took Christian boys from their families and put them in Ottoman society. These Christian boys were called Janissaries. The Janissaries were converted to Islam and trained so that they could obtain a high position in society such as being a military leader or a high administrator. The reason for this system was that the Ottomans wanted to have the most able men trained to lead the empire. The encomienda system was a practice employed by the Spanish during the colonization of the Americas. It was used to regulate Native American labor. In this system, Spanish-Americans were given grants from Spain for which they had to take care of a certain number of Native Americans. These men that were given grants were instructed to teach the natives the Spanish...
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...Genocide means the killing of a specific race. What is now Turkey did use to be the Ottoman empire. The weakening or lack of own work from Armenians threatened the Ottomans terribly. People made hyperboles about how many people were killed during Armenian Genocide. The Turks said the Armenian people were just extra weight in the battle that was going on at the time, and were not a part of any type of Genocide. (St John). Armenia used to not need anybody, they used to depend on themselves. Christian like religion popped up in Armenia people’s lives first. Armenians did not use the term “Genocide” to indicate any type of crime of any sort. Until 2004 nothing about Genocide had popped up in the “New York Times”. Ottoman people were normally...
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...During the 15th century there were three Islamic Empires who used their tactful skills to build and spread their territories all throughout the Middle East and India. These empires which included the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, and the Safavid Empire were both similar and different in their own ways, but the two empires that are going to be compared and contrasted in this essay are the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. More specifically their religious systems will be compared and contrasted throughout the essay. Within the Ottoman and Safavid Empires it would seem as if the two had nothing in common regarding religion, but upon further research it seems as if they had more in comparison than one would think. Yes, they were practiced different types of Islam, and one empire was more tolerant to other religions, but religion was intertwined into each of their government systems and those who...
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...The Ottoman Empire was founded in the year 1299, at this time only a small Anatolian state. However, the country had greater ambitions and sought to bring down the ailing Byzantine Empire. In 1453 they would realise this goal when Ottoman forces stormed the walls of Constantinople, declaring the great city as their new capital. Since then, the country entered a period of relentless conquest and expansion. The country reached its peak in the late 16th century under Suleiman the Magnificent, boasting a vast empire that stretched over three continents. However, after the failure of the Ottoman plot to seize the Austrian capital, Vienna, the empire entered a gradual decline. Over the course of 4 centuries, the Ottomans would lose grip over their conquered territories, its borders creeping closer and closer to Constantinople. Nevertheless, the Ottomans remained a force to be reckoned with and an empire of enviable size. Throughout the mid to late 19th century, the Ottoman government would oversee an era of widespread social, political and economic reform known as Tanzimat, Turkish for reorganisation. Some of the key reforms included emancipation of non-Muslims, reorganisation of the military and financial system, the building of rail and telegraph infrastructure and a boom in the size of the Ottoman bureaucracy. In 1876 an Ottoman Constitution was introduced. While...
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...by the empires, and the conclusion of the war resulted in the destruction of the empires, particularly the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary Empire. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire allowed many Middle East countries to be self-governed, while the West such as Great Britain and France had more interest in Europe than in the Middle East enabled the former to play a dominant role of colonization in the region. This seeded confrontation between two different civilizations, resulting in chaos later and to a large extent helping shape the Middle East in today's world. This paper attempts to examine this history arguing how the Ottoman Empire declined and eventually dissolved at the end of WWI. It shows that the internal problems of the Empire, such as its backward political and economic system, failed to compete with the increasing influence of the Western European countries, whose government was more efficient and more industrialized than the former, in the Middle East. The paper starts with a discussion of the contemporary situation in the Empire, and then deals with the problems that led to the conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the European powers over the Middle East during WWI. It finally analyzes how the defeat of the Ottomans and the increasing British and French dominance in the Middle East laid the ground for today's conflicts in the region between the Arabic states and the Jewish nation, which is supported by the West. Since 1600s the Ottoman Empire had controlled...
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...The Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire The rise of the Ottoman Empire started in Turkey and spread through most of the Middle East. Their military practice and successful transition to the use of gun powder made them one of the most successful ruling bodies in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire which ruled until modern times had great influence on the Middle Eastern world. Their political and economic abilities astonished the western world. Their religious views and fears were instilled into any non-Muslim and helped the western world to find new trade. The rise of Christianity in the western world provided new ways to preserve the dead and ended the need for frankensence, the main export of the Ottoman Empire. This was a blow to their economy and their inability to change their polocies and find new trade left them behind economically which aided in the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Crusades in Turkey which began in 1097 with the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuks lasted for many years (Pitman III). The Western crusaders took the side of the Byzantine Empire and assured defeats (Pitman III). However these winning streaks would not last for the Byzantine Empire. In the 1140’s Turks revolted and caused great damage to the Byzantine Empire (Pitman III). The French and Italian allies had to step in (Pitman III). Count Baldwin was named as emperor of the Latin Empire by the crusaders in 1204 (Pitman III). In 1261 the Latin Empire was on the run from Michael...
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...The Ottoman Empire: The Rise, Fall and Influence in Today's Middle East By: Robert Rosen M01 A1 Written Assignment Throughout history, there have been many empires. Some of them lasted years, some lasted decades. But one stands alone as the longest running empire. The Ottoman Empire ruled from 1280-1922. The Empire saw 37 Sultans and an expansion of power and control over most of the Middle East and parts of Europe and Africa. The Empire had a slow, but sudden burst of growth. That burst was immediately followed by their undoing. But it left behind a long legacy which is still felt to this day in the Middle East. During this period, the Mongols were running rampant. In order to avoid certain death, the Turkic Kayi tribe fled. The Byzantines were being fought by the Rum Seljuk. Kayi tribe chief Ertogrul offered his stable of 444 horse soldiers to aid in fighting the Byzantines. In exchange, he was given land. When Ertogrul died, his son Osman (1280-1326) took power. He was given a sword and he would go on to fight against the Byzantines, just as his father had before him. The basis of this war was religion, with the Byzantines Christian and Osman Islamic. Osman would raid Byzantine land, overtaking it in the name of Islam. Osman refused to make peace and finally took the city of Bursa, which became the very first capital of the Ottomans. (Goldschmidt Jr & Davidson, 2010, p. 131-132) Osman's eventual death opened the door to his son to become ruler. Orhan (1288-1360)...
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...Both the ottoman empire and the Ming Dynasty had a limited period where they had a huge amount of power. But each of them handled losing power, gaining, and maintaining power differently. The Ottoman empire gained power by absorbing the other states meaning invading and taking over. They also had a rise to power when they defeated the byzantine empire which gave the Ottoman empire more power because they had conquered many areas. The ottoman empire also had maintained their power by allowing the other areas to keep their area safe and protected their identities. They also kept power the power by strengthening their army to take over and conquer more land o add to their empire. With better military it’s a less likely chance...
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...Ali Adan Prof. Holcom History 20th Century World History September 27, 2015 Topic Assignment The Ottoman Empire was the largest and most successful empire during the civilization. It had very powerful army that had different believe and came from different countries. During this period of time, the Ottoman Empire were far ahead of other empires in terms of science, production, military and culture. According to historian half of Ottoman Army were Muslim and the other half were Jewish and Christian. This empire spread in Europe, Asia and Africa. In my research assignment I am going to focus on how did Ottoman Empire start? its main religion, what kind of law of law they used? The Janissaries and the fall of the Ottoman Empire was it...
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...Mohamed II The most remarkable exploit of the Ottoman Empire was the conquest of Constantinople (May 29, 1453) by Mohamed II, the great emperor of the Turks. Two characteristics distinguish the personality of this sovereign: his brutal cruelty and intellectual magnificence. Mohamed was brilliant: he knew astrology very well and was able to speak five different languages. However, humanistic studies did not prevent him from committing the most horrible massacres. Under his reign it became customary for the Turks to execute the prisoners of war by scraping them alive, sawing or impaling them. The sultan was also known for his particular acuteness and awareness of all the political problems of the moment. For this reason, all the diplomatic attempts...
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...The Ottoman Empire was most successful in terms of their economy because of how well they participated in domestic and international trade. The Ottomans began to gain popularity after the fall of the marvelous city Constantinople, which was the center of trade routes. Thus, the empire created a vast trading center known as, “The Grand Bazaar [and it] was the biggest terminus of the silk roads that moved west Eurasia and it was here that carpets and luxury goods of every kind flowed. The Ottoman Empire itself ...was the biggest customer. But merchants from all over Europe also came to buy the goods…” thereby indicating both domestic and international trade were present (Istanbul: When the Grand Bazaar was the Center Of the Ottoman World). As...
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