Janissary Tree Sparknotes

The Janissary Tree The Janissary Tree is a novel written by Jason Goodwin, it is a fictional story that takes place in a real historical setting. I initially thought it would be interesting because I am extremely fascinated with murder mysteries, and the fact that it was set in the Ottoman Empire intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about this Historical time period in a fun and interesting way. The novel had a fictional plot but it helped me understand more about the period of the Ottoman Empire and the rich culture that it had to offer. Goodwin depicted an investigator called Yashim, a castrated or eunuched man, who lived in Istanbul, and lead a quiet life. One day he was summoned under the rule of Mahumut II to investigate the mysterious disappearance of four soldiers from the new guard, one of which was already dead and found in a giant cauldron. As Yashim was investigating he recalled, “The noise of the tinsmiths insistently hammering had melded down the memory of that terrifying sound, ten years ago, of the Janissaries battering on their upturned cauldrons. It was an age old signal
It also made me understand the culture of converting and forcing people into different religions at that time. This book made me realize that so many people have died throughout history and that empires can reach a certain point and then succumb to political anarchy and slowly diminish away. This book made me want to gain more insight into why Empires suddenly perished and how from empire's history developed countries. The Ottoman empire basically enslaved an army for their own protection and in the end there was even more death. This book made me realize that throughout history, there was sabotage, betrayal, and fighting which still happens to this day. The Ottoman Empire is one of the many examples of human nature throughout