A History of the Ottoman Empire

In his book, "A History of the Arab Peoples," Albert Hourani provides a history of the Arab-speaking parts of the Islamic world from the rise of Islam to the present day. Hourani writes extensively about the Ottoman Empire, a state founded in the late 13th century by Turkish tribes in Anatolia and ruled by the descendants of Osman I. The principality founded by Osman was at the main point of contact with the Byzantine Empire. As the Ottoman Empire expanded, its resources grew. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Empire had expanded rapidly into Eastern Europe.

Hourani writes that the Ottoman Empire was the one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history. The Empire became one of the largest political structures in the western world since the fall of the Roman Empire. During most of its existence, the Empire spent a great deal of its resources and energy on expansion into eastern and central Europe and on controlling the population of previously conquered territory. The European provinces held most of the Empire's population and generated the majority of the Empire's revenue.

The Ottoman Empire was a theocracy, with the sultans dedicated to the advance of the Sunni branch of Islam through military means.á The Empire was successfully ruled by a single family for seven centuries. Authority to rule the Empire resided in the House of Osman. Hourani explains that when the sultan died, he was usually replaced by his

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worldly leader of Islam. The goal of the Ottoman government was the security of Muslims around the world, particularly the security of their Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. As Caliph, the Sultan was responsible for defending the frontiers of Islam intended to ensure the safe passage of Muslim pilgrims to Mecca. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ottoman Empire was still the most powerful state in the world both in wealth and military capability. However, in place of the absolute rule of the sultan a bureaucracy had developed to manage the Empire. This bureaucracy was controlled by a rigid and complex set of rules, and the sultan himself was constrained by these rules. This led to power struggles between the grand vizir, the supreme Islamic court, the military and the janissaries. The highest officials of the army and the government met regularly as a council that set policy, wrote regulations, investigated complaints and received foreign ambassadors. A positive feature in Ottoman administration was the religious toleration generally extended to all non-Muslims. For example, after the capture of Constantinople, although Mehmet converted many churches into mosques, he did not suppress the Christian faith. According
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Approximate Word count = 1857
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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