Ottoman Empire Study Guide

OTTOMAN EMPIRE:
Devshirme: Every 2 years or so, young Christians were taken and trained and converted to Islam. They would either be janissaries (foot soldiers) but ones with “intellectual promise” went to work in the government. Many became powerful. Some were slaves? Because the enslavement of the Muslims was not allowed. The power was NOT hereditary (like the Chinese). So the sultan surrounded himself with people who did not have families.
Millet System: Each religion had their own leader
-Kept Jews and Christians happy
-But they were still viewed as second-class citizens.
-Everyone in a Millet still had to pay taxes to Empire though.
-The Christians and Jews had to pay a special tax called the Jyzia. Jyzia was expensive tax. It showed favor to the Muslims. If you converted to Islam then you would not have to pay the tax.
-Jews normally had more respect for this system because they never really were respected and had a country
-Muslims regarded the Christians and Jews with a sort of respect because they are all Abrahamic Religions. But they were skeptical of Christianity because of the holy trinity and they believed that that meant they were poly, not monotheistic.
Süleyman: “Suleyman the Magnificent”
-10th Ottoman Sultan
-Had great army
-Warlike
-Enforced the “Law of Fratricide” which was the act of killing all male relatives of the sultans so they would not over take the throne.
-Was married to Hürrem (the smiling one) who was the “head concubine” fell in love with her. This was unusual because by this time it was not necessary for alliances through marriage to be formed.
Selim the Sot: Successor of Suleyman.
-Did not do much. Slacker. Preferred Eunuchs and concubines, and drank a lot
Murad III: Successor to Selim
-Manipulated by mother and wife
-But still had military advances
Mehmet: •Sultan Mehmet II
-Conquered Constantinople
•renamed it Istanbul
•largest city in Europe (700,000+ people)
•architecturally unbelievable (symbolized wealth and power)
-Formed a navy
•enabled Ottomans to conquer Venice and Mediterranean Islands
-Improved Army
•guns + gunpowder + technical advantages
-portable guns Decline of Ottomans: Inflation, created an atmosphere of bribery and corruption. Not able to pay Janissaries so they no longer had complete power. Army became less efficient. Sultans stopped training their sons to rule so they became terrible rulers. So power went to the Janissaries and became a hereditary thing. Empire soon began to be ruled by the military.