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    The Ottoman Empire
    The Ottoman Empire
    The Ottoman Empire
    Ebook130 pages2 hours

    The Ottoman Empire

    By Anne Davison

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    About this ebook

    The history of the Ottoman Empire, as with most Empires, is complex. It is also a history that is little understood by the general public. At the same time there are many events that occurred within the context of Ottoman history that the general reader may be quite familiar with: for example, the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Crimean War in 1853, the Battle of Gallipoli or exploits of Lawrence of Arabia during the First World War.
    This book begins with the arrival of the Turkic tribes into Anatolia in the 13th century and covers the main events up to and including the dissolution of the Empire in 1923. The final part of the book explores the link between today’s conflicts in the Middle East and the peace process following the First World War, in particular the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration and the Treaty of Sevres.
    Although all Ottoman history is fascinating, the period from the 18th century onwards is particularly important in relation to the making of today’s Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Equally, if not more importantly, is the period from the First World War and the dissolution of the Empire. A better understanding of this last period could help many people make better sense of the complex situation in the Middle East today.
    As with other books in the ‘In Brief’ series, this book is aimed at the general reader who wants to understand a particular historical topic but does not have the time or inclination to read a heavy academic tome. With this mind, footnotes have been omitted but the reader should find the maps very helpful.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnne Davison
    Release dateJun 29, 2016
    ISBN9781311557094
    The Ottoman Empire
    Author

    Anne Davison

    Canon Doctor Anne Davison has had a lifelong interest in history and the religions of the world. Her journey into understanding other cultures began in her early 20s when she lived in Lagos, Nigeria. Later, a job with British Airways gave her the chance to travel the world more widely.When she became aware of a global increase in religious intolerance she felt the need to better understand our world, past and present. She was particularly interested in how ‘religion’ interacts with politics. This led her to study for a Degree in History and Comparative religion, followed by a PhD in inter religious relations.Whilst living in Switzerland in the 1990s Anne took on the role of Vice Moderator of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, before moving back to London to work with the Church of England as an Adviser in Inter Religious Relations.In addition to organising pilgrim groups to Israel and Lebanon, Anne co-ordinated a Youth Exchange Programme for 16 to 18 year- old Jews, Christians and Muslims between Jerusalem and East London. In recognition of her work in inter-religious relations Anne was made a Lay Canon of the Church of England.Since retiring from the Church of England she has lectured on many cruise ships and in the UK for the Arts SocietyIt was in response to people asking for her lecture notes, that in 2013 Anne decided to write her first book: From the Medes to the Mullah: A History of Iran. She has just published her ninth book on A History of China.She remains convinced that many of the problems facing the world today are the result of an ignorance that can lead to intolerance at best and hatred at worst.She firmly believes that one way to combat this ignorance is to promote a better understanding of our diverse world. Anne likes to think that by offering lectures and writing short, accessible books, she is playing her part in a small way.

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      Book preview

      The Ottoman Empire - Anne Davison

      THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

      a brief history

      ‘In Brief’ Series: Books for Busy People

      by Anne Davison

      Smashwords Edition

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

      Copyright2016 Anne Davison

      Cover designed by Karen Turner

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Prologue

      Introduction

      Chapter One: Turkic Tribes

      Chapter Two: Early Empire

      Chapter Three: Bayezid ‘The Thunderbolt’

      Chapter Four: Conquest of Constantinople

      Chapter Five: Suleiman the Magnificent

      Chapter Six: Changing Balance of Power

      Chapter Seven: Fragmentation: Egypt, Greece and the Crimea

      Chapter Eight: End of Empire

      Chapter Nine: The Aftermath

      Epilogue

      Glossary

      Works Referred to

      Other Books by the Same Author

      MAPS

      Seljuk Empire

      Mongol Empire 1251

      Territory Under Osman I, 1326

      Territory Under Orhan 1361

      Territory Under Murad 1389

      Anatolian Beyliks

      Contemporaries of Suleiman the Magnificent

      Ottoman Empire 1566

      Black Sea

      Sykes-Picot Agreement

      Treaty of Sevres

      British and French Mandates

      PROLOGUE

      Many books have been written about the Ottoman Empire. Some of these are scholarly works written by academics. Others focus on one particular period of Ottoman history or perhaps a particular geographic area.

      This book is different in that it is written for the general reader, covers the entire period of some six hundred years, and assumes no prior knowledge.

      The history of the Ottoman Empire, as with most Empires, is complex. It is also a history that is little understood by the general public. At the same time there are many events that occurred within the context of Ottoman history that the general reader may be quite familiar with: for example, the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Crimean War in 1853, the Battle of Gallipoli or exploits of Lawrence of Arabia during the First World War.

      Although all Ottoman history is fascinating, the period from the 18th Century onwards is particularly important in relation to the making of today’s Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Equally, if not more importantly, is the period from the First World War and the dissolution of the Empire. A better understanding of this last period could help many people make more sense of the complex situation in the Middle East today.

      The aim of this book is to offer a general overview of what is a complex history of the many countries and cultures that made up the Ottoman Empire while at the same time placing some of the more familiar events within their historical context. It is rather like putting small pieces of a jigsaw into their correct place while not losing sight of the big picture.

      While there will inevitably be gaps in a work of this size it is hoped that the reader may be inspired to further reading on the subject. For those interested a short selection of the main works that have been consulted is provided at the end of the text.

      As with other books in the ‘In Brief’ series, this book is aimed at the general reader who wants to understand a particular historical topic but does not have the time or inclination to read a heavy academic tome. With this in mind, footnotes have been omitted.

      Finally, I would like to thank those friends and colleagues who gave of their time to read through various chapters, proof read the script, and offered helpful comments.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Ottoman Empire was officially founded in 1299 when Osman I became the first Sultan. It was abolished in November 1922 in the aftermath of the First World War. At its peak, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th Century, the Empire covered an area that included North Africa and Arabia, the Balkans, today’s Turkey, Syria and the Levant. During the same period the Ottoman army was both feared and respected by Western powers and the Ottoman navy competed on an equal footing with the Genoese and Venetians for mastery of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1529, when Suleiman led his armies right up to the walls of Vienna, panic seized the hearts of Christians in Europe and as the Turkish armies gradually moved westwards many feared that an Islamic conquest would lead to the demise of Christendom in Western Europe.

      The founder of the Empire, Osman I, belonged to the Oghuz tribe. The Oghuzs were a Turkic speaking people who migrated from the region of Kazakhstan in Central Asia to Anatolia during the 13th Century. Having brought the various Seljuk tribes of Anatolia under their influence, the Ottomans then went on to conquer much of the Balkans, the Levant, parts of Arabia and the coastal regions of North Africa. In this way the Empire became multi-national, multi-lingual and multi-religious.

      The Ottomans were Sunni Muslims and for much of the Empire’s history, although non-Muslims were subject to certain discriminatory legislation, there was never a policy aimed at their conversion to Islam. Religious communities were generally permitted to practice their faith and organise their own internal affairs in return for the payment of a special government tax (jyziah tax).

      By the 18th Century the Ottomans were falling well behind Europe in terms of trade and industry. Valuable trade was lost due to new markets opening up in the Far East supported by the British and Dutch East India Companies. Home markets suffered due to generous trade concessions being granted by the Empire to European countries. At the same time the Empire’s attempts at modernisation and industrialisation met fierce resistance from conservative clerics. Western observers often blamed this situation on the traditional conservatism of Islam. The lack of modernisation and cost of Balkan wars led the Empire into debt and it was in this context that the Ottoman Empire became known in the West as the ‘Sick Man of Europe’.

      During the 19th Century parts of the Empire, with encouragement from the Western powers, began to seek self-rule. This was particularly the case in the Balkans, an area that was largely populated by Christians. Russia, for example, sought special concessions from the Ottomans on the grounds that she had a duty to protect her co-religionists, the Orthodox Christians and particularly those living in Greece, Serbia and the Holy Land. Austria also claimed a special relationship with the populations of countries such as Hungary and Croatia based on the principle they were all Roman Catholic. Both Russia and Austria would later argue that they had a right to intervene in Ottoman affairs in defence of persecuted Christians.

      Throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries nationalistic fervour and calls for independence spread across Eastern Europe and the Balkans. These anti-Ottoman uprisings were often supported by Austria and Russia as each competed for territorial influence in the region. Britain and France, who were wary of Russian expansionism, also became involved in Ottoman affairs. Both countries were also aware of the need to protect their trade routes to the Far East.

      The Ottoman response to these uprisings was often harsh. Images of ‘barbarity’ appeared on the front pages of the Western Press. All this resulted in a change in the relationship between the Ottoman government and her religious minorities, particularly the Christians. Many leading Christians were suspected of being spies working for Western powers. The Armenians in particular were suspected of being on the side of Russia. Consequently, the atmosphere of trust and tolerance towards the minorities that had existed in the early centuries of Ottoman history began to change in the 19th Century. To some extent this was due an Ottoman perception that European powers were meddling in Ottoman affairs.

      While the situation was different in other parts of the Empire, for example Mesopotamia, the Levant and North Africa, Western involvement was equally evident here. This was particularly the case in Egypt when in 1805 Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman Governor in Cairo broke away from Istanbul and established an independent dynasty with the support of France. His aim was to become sole ruler of a reformed and modernised Egypt and the Levant.

      Britain later became involved in Ottoman affairs during the First World War when the British Government encouraged Arab tribes in Arabia to rise up against their

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