THE OTTOMANS

1. THE OTTOMANS CHAPTER 18 SECTION 1

2. Turks Warrior people from Anatolia (& before the Asian Steppe). Would attack their neighbors/war on anyone. The Turks create the Ottoman Empire. Decentralized (no centralized power – tribal/clan system – like the Mongols). From these nomadic warriors would arise the Ottomans who would build a vast Empire.

3. Ghazis Anatolian Turks who saw themselves as warriors for Islam. Organized into military units lead by an emir, or chief commander.

4. Osman (of the Ottomans) A very successful Ghazi leader, a.k.a. Othman. His followers became known in the west (by Europeans) as Ottomans. It was from Osman’s small Muslim state in Anatolia from which his successors would create an empire.

5. Sultan A Turkish word meaning “overlord” or “one with power.” Title for the Emperor/King/Monarch of the Ottoman Turks.

6. Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) A Mongol from Samarkand in Central Asia. Attacked the Turks and kept them from expanding, defeating their Sultan at the Battle of Ankara in 1402.

7. Mehmed II Notes also from Mankind Video • Sultan of the Ottoman Turks - Came to power at age 21. Life Dream was to conquer the city of Constantinople & did in 1453. • Used Cannon Technology to bombard the City until its walls crumbled and it was forced to surrender. • Taking the City gave the Ottoman Turks control over the spice trade (pepper) and lots of $$. • THE EFFECT: The Western Europeans are now forced to find a New All WATER route to the Spices of India and Indonesia. This will cause the AGE OF EUROPEAN EXPLORATION. • Hagia Sophia – the greatest Christian Church (Built by Emperor Justinian) is converted into a Mosque (Muslim Church).

8. Historical Source on Fall of Constantinople The Ghazis, entering by force on every side, found a way in through the breaches [holes] in the fortress [walls of Constantinople] made by the guns….Mounting on the tower they destroyed the infidels who were inside and entered the city. They looted and plundered. They seized their [the city inhabitants] money and possessions and made their sons and daughters slaves…. They plundered for three days and after three days plunder was forbidden. From: Oruc – a Muslim historian, quoted in The Muslim Discovery of Europe.

9. Discussion Q How was the fall of Constantinople portrayed in the Mankind Video both different and the same as the source on the previous slide? What do you think could be the reason for the differences?

10. Suleiman the Lawgiver Absolute Monarch: A king with no check on his power. Suleiman (also Suleyman) I – ruled the Ottoman Empire at its height from 1520-1566. Suleyman the Magnificent (western name). Military success: Expanded the Empire conquering the island of Rhodes and dominating the eastern Med. Sea, takes the city of Belgrade. Why “the Lawgiver?” B/C he reworks the code of law, making it simpler and downsizes the bureaucracy (smaller more efficient government – less waste)

11. Devshirme(system) A system of enslavement where Christian boys from conquered Christian territories were taken from their families at age 7. The boys were “educated” in the Islamic tradition, converted to Islam, and trained as soldiers.

12. Devshirme: A Historical Precedent for ISIS? ISIS had set up a program called ‘Cubs of the Islamic State’ to turn Iraqi and Syrian boys into pint-sized terrorists, experts said.

13. Janissaries An elite force of devshirme, 30,000 soldiers strong who were loyal to the Sultan only. Like the Sultan’s personal body guards.

14. 3. By what means did the early Ottomans expand their empire? Conquest. Forming alliances through trade and marriage. Buying land. New Technologies: first military force in the Middle East / Europe to use large scale cannons for attack (Constantinople).

15. 4. Why was Suleiman called the lawgiver? He created a more simplified code of law which made taxation easier with a smaller more efficient bureaucracy.

16. 5. How powerful was the Ottoman Empire compared to other Empires of the Time? It was the most powerful in the Middle Eastern region but worldwide, The Ming Dynasty in China and the Aztec and Inca Empires in the Americas were also large & powerful, dominating their regions as well.

17. 6. Do you think the Ottomans were wise in staffing their military and government with slaves? No: Slaves would be alert for opportunities to rebel, maybe through sabotage or slowing down work, or trying to escape. Yes: Slaves received an excellent education and opportunities to move up in status through talent so they were loyal (besides they were taken away from their families at such a young age they would not remember any other way of life).

18. 7. How did Suleiman’s selection of a successor eventually spell disaster for the Ottoman Empire? He killed his most able son due to political infighting between heirs to the throne (most were ½ brothers due to the Sultan having many consorts). This pattern of killing heirs would repeat throughout the history of the empire. Disaster B/C you end up with a weak (& paranoid) leader.

19. It’s a Boy Scout troop for tiny terrorists. ISIS is recruiting Iraqi and Syrian children and training them to fight in a sick boys’ club called the "Cubs of the Islamic State." ISIS has set up multiple training camps in Iraq and Syria to groom boys ― mostly between 10 and 12 years old, but some as young as 6 ― into fighting terrorists. The two- to four-week boot camp is dubbed the ‘Cubs of the Islamic State.’ After graduation, some boys are forced onto the battle field, sometimes as human shields and suicide bombers, experts said. During the weeks-long program, boys as young as 6 learn how to behead people and shoot AK-47s, Iraqi security officials told NBC News. Once they graduate, some of the boys become human shields or suicide bombers. Others assist the fighters on the frontlines by servicing equipment and manning check points. There’s a cub camp in nearly every region of Syria and Iraq under ISIS’s command, ISIS fighter Abu Dujana told NBC.