Ottoman Empire
Zipporah Daniel
The Ottoman Empire
During the start of the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire was the most powerful empire in the world. It lasted from the 13th century to the early nineteen hundreds. It was a very a organized empire and was dominated by Turkish soldiers.
Social
The Ottoman Empire was divided into 4 social classes. Men of the Pen, Men of the Sword, Men of the Negotiation, and Men of the husbandry. The hierarchy was based on skills. Men of the Pen were people who had more skills and abilities. Men of the Sword were people who were good with weapons and army related affairs. Men of the negotiation were merchants and tax collectors. Men of the husbandry were people who didn't have many skills and wasn't as educated as the other levels.
Political
The Ottoman empire had many military rivalries. Persia was one major rivalry. The Ottoman empire had many empires from the 16th to the 19th. Many of the rivalries were created over different religious beliefs. The Ottoman empire had a very powerful military. It had rivalries with the neighboring empires, the Safavids.
Interaction with Environment
The Ottoman Empire occupied large parts of Europe and the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire soon began to make rivalries. Persia was one of the major enemies that the Ottoman's made along with many other major empires. Many wars were brought upon the Ottoman empire, affecting almost every social class. The Men of Sword were a key concept when planning wars and fighting. The Men of negotiation(slaves, servants, etc.) were also forced to fight in wars if they Ottoman empire was low on soldiers.
Culture
Their religion was Sunni Islam. Everything was established on cultural values. They believed that God was the creator of humanity and nature. The religion wasn't forced on the citizens. But most of the laws were based on Islamic morals. The Ottoman empire was very advanced in technology. It was an empire that was powerful, and always growing.
Economy
Land grants were given for military services. Tax farming was also very big. Muslims were taxed on tithes, and citizen who wasn't Muslims paid taxes through poll tax. Trade was also very important in the Ottoman empire, as it made them gain more money. It also helped spread some of the Ottomans culture and ideas. It gave the opportunity to spread and conquer new land. Gold and silver were very important to the Ottoman empire.