How The Ottoman Policy Concerning The Religious Practices Of Conquered People

Q u e s t i o n s 1. Describe the Ottoman policy concerning the religious practices of conquered people. What were the advantages of this policy for the Ottomans? Explain. After the sultan Mehmet the second captured the city of Constantinople, he wanted to ensure that he had the support of the Christian religious leaders. More specifically, he wanted to make sure that the Greek Orthodox Church would remain separated and not combine with the Roman Catholic Church. The sultan therefore established the millet system of government where the religious leaders are autonomous as well as self-governing. He extended this beyond the Greek Orthodox Church and gave the same rights to the Armenians, the Jews and all the other non-Muslim minorities. In essence, the Ottoman ruler allows the
Some millets had to pay taxes to the government and keep their selves secure. They were also responsible for administering themselves using a counsel. The leaders made sure the religion and culture of the individual communities stayed alive and were not engulfed in vast Ottoman empire that surrounded it. There were advantageous for this system for the Ottomans. The minority religious leaders were less likely to rebel against the government because they were allowed to practice their religion and govern themselves. The minority religious leaders were actually given more authority and power under the Ottoman rule as compared to the previous Christian rulers. The Ottomans save money by not having to administrate the foreign communities and also obtain some money from the taxes that the millets had to pay the government. The Ottomans also got loyalty from the religious leaders and the sultan got their support in various ventures. 2. What kind of administrative, political and military steps did Mehmet II take before and after he captured Constantinople? Please explain the reasoning behind these