By the beginning of this timeframe, the Ottoman Sultans have already been successful at re-establishing an Islamic Empire in the Middle East.
The religious tensions between the Ottomans and the Safavid
(Sunni/Shia) have already been quelled with the Ottomans winning the Battle of Chaldiran and reconfirming their superior military and religious views.
The religious tolerance that was institute under Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) continued to be practiced within the Ottoman world. The bureaucratic millet system is still protecting the “dimmi “within separate religious authorities (localized religious jurisdiction) responding to and respecting the authority of the Sultan. The 15th -18th century were known for the institution of the “Devshirme system” in which Christian boys from the Balkan region were taken to be come close advisors and personal soldiers for their families. 1900
By the end of the timeframe the Tanzimat reformers have made a significant effort from 1830-1870 to implement Enlightenment ideologies within Ottoman politics. Religious views and practices were not left out of these reforms; in fact one of their decrees specifically safeguarded the rights of all subject people (including non-Muslims) by guaranteeing public trials, rights of privacy and equality before the law. Yet matters of marriage and divorce still fell under the religious discretion. These reforms worked to undermine the Ulama, who controlled religious education. The expansion of rights to Jews AND Christians was not one of the later missions of the Young Turks, who were most interested in a constitution for a new secular Turkey. Religious tensions did exist though within Bulgaria between the Turks (Muslims) and Christians which did result in genocides during the 1880’s. Analyze and