Osman’s Dream HIST 1007 11/18/13. History at the Movies Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Thur. Nov. 21 st 6-9pm McMicken 53.

Osman’s Dream

HIST 100711/18/13

History at the Movies

• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)• Thur. Nov. 21st 6-9pm• McMicken 53

Forensic Reconstruction (1941)

Ulugh Beg Observatory, Samarqand

Ulugh Beg Observatory, Samarqand

Gunpowder/Muslim/Early Modern/Turko-Persian Empires

• Ottoman Empire (1299-1923)• Safavid Empire (1502-1722)• Mughal Empire (1526-1761)

Why Gunpowder Empires?• Term used to categorize the three great Muslim empires of the early modern period.• Emphasizes their impressive military exploits.• Adoption of new technologies as keys to success.

Early 16th century Ottomanvolley gun

The Gun

• 9th century: Gunpowder developed in China• 12th century: Chinese fire lance• 13th century: Gunpowder and early firearms travel with the

Mongols• 1260: Battle of Ain Jalut, perhaps first use of a canon• 14th century: hand-held canons become predecessor to handguns and rifles

Turko-Persian Empires

The Ottoman Empire (1299-1923)

Ottoman Origins

• Ghazi Emirates: born out of decline of Seljuqs of Rum• Frontier Society: Tribes, Nomads, and Mercenaries• Egalitarian Structure• Distribution of Plunder: Wealth, Slaves, Land• Warriors of the Faith?

Osman’s Dream• Osman I (r. 1299-1324)• Focus on the Byzantine Empire• Bursa: Western Anatolia (1323)• Shrewdness of Osman• Strategic location, theDardanelles strait• Combination of Turkish cavalrywith gunpowder infantry

Trade Routes

Bursa

• Conquered by Ottomans – 1323• Commercial Center – Merchants, Artisans, and

Guilds• Capital City – Administration and Stability• Infrastructure – Mosque and Caravanserai

Bursa Bazaar (1340)

Bursa Ulu Mosque

Ottoman Expansion

Conquest of the Balkans

• 1345 – Ottomans cross the straits from Anatolia to the Balkans• 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: Defeat of Serbia, assert Ottoman control of Balkans• Vassalage and marriage• Conversion and Sufism• 1396 and 1444 – Attempted crusades against the Ottoman Empire

Mehmed “The Conqueror”

• Mehmed II (r. 1444-1446, 1451-1481)• May 29th, 1453: Conquest of Constantinople• Cannon, navy (carried across land), and infantry• End of the Byzantine Empire (330-1453), the Fall of the Second Rome• Kayser-i Rum• One foot in Asia, the other in Europe

Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566)

• Golden Age of Ottoman expansion and power• Known for military conquests in the West• 1516-1517: Syria and Egypt, end of Mamluk Sultanate• 1529: Siege of Vienna• Known for codification of legal system in the east (Kanuni)• Shift from Turkic tribal ruler to ruler of a state

Diversity and the millet System• Pattern of Ottoman expansion meant they ruled over large numbers of non-Muslims.• Reach of the Sultan not very deep into society (taxes and military)• Local courts and local leaders enforced most laws and dealt with most disputes.• Courts divided by millet based on religion.

– Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Syrian Orthodox, and Jewish

Diversity and the millet System

• Exchange religious and cultural freedom for taxation.• Certain restrictions, but each millet could act independently within its boundaries.

Janissaries• Mid-14th century: expanding empire requires standing army, less reliance on ghazis and Turkic tribes.• devshirme: (1365-1648), every five years, Christian boys from the Balkans aged 10-12 were collected as a tax• Boys were taught Turkish, lived in Turkish households, and converted to Islam• They were then sent to Janissary academies

Palace Schools• 15th – 20th Centuries• Princes and Peasants• Education

– Languages and Literature– Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Greek– Mathematics, Administration and Finance– Personal Conduct, Music and Sports– Law and Theology– History– Military Science

• Merit as an Organizing Principle

Janissaries• Traditional Ottoman army based on Turkic cavalry• Janissary Corps focused on infantry and use of gunpowder weapons• Depending on talents, boys enlisted in the Janissaries became infantry, palace guards, or administrators• Improvements in gunpowder technologies increased the size and influence of the Janissaries (well over 50,000 strong at peak).

Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq’s Turkish Letters

• Flemish nobleman, employed by the Hapsburg dynasty.• 1555-1561: Sent to Istanbul on diplomatic mission for Ferdinand I, archduke of Austria, king of Hungary and Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor• 1589: publishes his notes on life at the Ottoman court• What does de Busbecq see as the strength of the Ottoman Empire?• What does he see as its weakness?

Constantinople and the Sublime Port

• Move from tribal affiliations and personal loyalties to an abstract state.

• Ottoman Sultan as austere figure.• Cannot even speak in his presence.• Reflected in thesplendor of palacelife

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

The Gates of Topkapi Palace

An Audience with the Sultan