Name____________________________________
Date______
Global 9R~ Ms. Hock & Ms. Powers
Period_____
Ottoman Empire
Who were the Ottomans?
The Ottomans were yet another Turkish-speaking nomadic people who had migrated from Central Asia into
northwestern Asia Minor. In the 1300’s, they expanded across Asia and into southeastern Europe. They established
a capital in the Balkan Peninsula.
Fall of Constantinople:
Ottoman expansion threatened the crumbling Byzantine Empire. After several failed attempts to capture
Constantinople, Muhammad II finally succeeded in 1453. In the next 200 years, the Ottoman Empire continued to
expand.
1. Who were the Ottomans? What great city did they capture?
2. Why was this city so important (Review Question: Think back to Byzantine Empire unit)
What made Suleiman the “Magnificent” so magnificent?
The Ottoman Empire enjoyed its golden age under the sultan Suleiman, who ruled from 1520
to 1566. Called “Suleiman the Magnificent” by westerners, he was known to his people as
the “Lawgiver.” A brilliant general, Suleiman modernized the army and conquered many
new lands. The Ottomans ruled the largest, most powerful empire in both Europe and the
Middle East for centuries. Suleiman felt justified in claiming to be the rightful heir of the
Abbassids and caliph of all Muslims. To the title “Emperor,” he added the symbolic name of
“Protector of the Sacred Places” (Mecca and Medina).
Questions:
1. Who was Suleiman?
2. Why would he give himself the name,
“Protector of all Sacred Places”?
3. Looking at this map, answer the
following questions:
a. Describe the extent of the Ottoman
Empire in 1453.
b. Where did Suleiman expand the
Ottoman Empire to under his rule?
Suleiman was a wise and capable ruler. He strengthened the government of the rapidly growing empire and
improved its system of justice. As sultan, Suleiman had absolute power, but he ruled by the help of a grand vizier
and a council. A huge bureaucracy supervised the business of government, and the powerful military kept the
peace. As in other Muslim states, Ottoman law was based on Sharia, supplemented by royal edicts. Government
officials worked closely with religious scholars who interpreted the law.
The arts blossomed under Suleiman, with Ottoman poets adapting Persian and Arab models to produce
works in their own Turkish language. Ottoman painters produced illuminated manuscripts, and great mosques and
palaces.
Let’s take a look at some primary sources to see how Suleiman’s people, as well as westerners (foreigners) viewed him:
Source #1: Europeans saw and were impressed by the grandeur of the court once diplomatic relations were opened
between the Ottomans and Europe~
"Suleiman's daily life in his palace, from levee to couchee, followed a ritual comparable in its detailed
precision to that of the French kings at Versailles. When the Sultan rose from his couch in the morning he
would be clothed by select members of his household in a caftan, a robe which he would wear only once,
with twenty gold ducats in one pocket and a thousand pieces of silver in the other -both robe and unspent
cash becoming the perquisites of his chamberlain at the end of the day. His three daily meals were brought
to him by long train of pages, to be eaten alone from fine porcelain and silver dishes on a low silver table,
with sweetened and perfumed water (seldom wine) to drink, and a doctor standing by his side as a
precaution against possible poisoning."
1. What does this primary source tell us about Suleiman?
2. Based on this primary source, how do you think the Europeans viewed Suleiman?
Source #2: While the Europeans saw him mainly as a conqueror, in his own country he was known as a great
dispenser of justice and law~
"In all that great assembly no single man owed his dignity to anything but his personal merits and bravery;
no one is distinguished from the rest by his birth, and honor is paid to each man according to the nature of
the duty and offices which he discharges. The Sultan himself assigns to all their duties and offices,
and in doing so pays no attention to wealth or the empty claims of rank, and takes no account of
any influence or popularity which a candidate may possess: he only considers merit and
scrutinizes the character, natural ability and disposition of each. Thus each man is rewarded
according to his deserts, and offices are filled by men capable of performing them."
1. What does this primary source tell us about Suleiman?
2. Look at the bolded section, what does this tell us about his values?
You Be the Judge: Does Suleiman deserve to be called “Magnificent”?
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Social Organization in the Ottoman Empire
The Ottomans divided their subjects into four classes, each with its appointed role. At the top were “men of
the pen”-such as scientists, lawyers, judges, and poets-and “men of the sword,” soldiers who guarded the sultan and
defended the state. Below them were “men of negotiation”-such as merchants, tax collectors, and artisans, who
carried out trade and production-and “men of husbandry,” farmers and herders who produced food for the
community.
The Ottomans ruled diverse people who had many religions. The men of the sword and men of the pen were
almost all Muslims, while the other classes included non-Muslims as well. Non-Muslims were organized into
millets, or religious communities. These included Greek Christians, Armenian Christians, and Jews. Each millet
had its own religious leaders who were responsible for education and other religious matters.
1. Create a social hierarchy of the Ottoman empire based on the above passage:
2. Define millet:
Janizaries
Like earlier Muslim empires, the Ottomans recruited officers for the army and government from among the huge
populations of conquered people in their empire. The Ottomans levied a “tax” on Christian families in the Balkans
requiring them to turn over young sons to government. The boys converted to Islam and put into rigorous military
training at the palace school. The best soldiers won a prized place
in the janizaries, the elite force of the Ottoman army.
1. How do you think the Ottomans were able to conquer such a
vast empire?
2. What were the janizaries?