Chapter 7: Section 2 THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

The Early Ottoman Empire Osman  Around 1300, one Muslim state was governed by a chief named Osman Ottomansghazis-  Osman and his followers, known as Ottomans, were ghazis- warriors who fought to expand the frontiers of Islam  Conquered and united various lands in Asia Minor which formed the core of the Ottoman Empire Bursa  Captured the Byzantine city of Bursa, which they made the Ottoman capital

Rulers and Subjects sultan  All campaigns of conquest were either led by the sultan or directed by him  Sultan was the ruler of the Ottoman empire  Succession to the sultanship was hereditary, but no rules determined which prince should be the heir  Princes fought amongst each other for the title and often the winner killed his brothers to eliminate their possible threat to his power grand vizier  Sultan was advised on state affairs by the grand vizier, or prime minister  Oversaw political system that extended throughout the empire Imperial Council  Headed the governing council called the Imperial Council, or divan, which decided legal and personal complaints Kind of like this

The Role of Women harem  The Arabic word harem means “sanctuary” or “sacred place”  Referred to the women and the private quarters of a family hat were their domain  Women of the royal harem controlled political parties, negotiated with foreign power, and acted as rulers in place of their sons  Could make their own economic and social decisions

The Janissary Corps  Many different ethnic groups were slaves- Africans, eastern Europeans, and especially Russians Janissary Corps  Some parents wanted their children to become part of the Janissary Corps, for they had the possibility to achieve wealth and power  To be a slave of the sultan could be a mark of honor  Were sent to Constantinople for training before joining the army or a palace school  Learned law, languages, mathematics, literature, and religion, as well as a trade  Were Christians who were converted  Considered the sultan’s personal slaves

Non-Muslims in the Empire  Jews and Christians were tolerated in the Ottoman empire and were not forced to convert to Islam millets  Organized into partially self-ruling groups called millets  Each group’s religious leader was responsible for the actions of his millet  Ottoman rule was less oppressive and brought peace and stability  Some Jews held positions of great power and held jobs like court physicians, running printing presses, and carrying on international trade