Ottoman Empire

Sultan Suleyman Kanuni I was Selim's successor whom put the Ottoman Empire at an apogee of power or a golden age.

"...the Ottoman Empire reached an apogee of power and success, a classical age, or golden age..."
- The ottoman empire was run in such an un-traditional, unethical, imperialistic manner that it surprised me on it's success. They adpated a spartan like society sending their kids to a millitary school focusing on combat and the religion of Islam. They being forced into slavery forced them to be tough.


"...the Ottoman Empire belonged to the state by right of conquest by the victorious ruling dynasty. The sultan governed the state as a trust from God."
- If the Ottoman Empire belonged to the state, and the sultan governed the state, this givers all of the power to one man. Today this is simply unheard of. The amount of reign and power the sultan had was ten times that of President Obama. 


"As the ruling class of the empire, the sultan's extended household of state servants paid no taxes, serving society and living off its revenues. These state servants were the sultan's slaves, his kuls." 
- Although these slaves were bound and forced to work under the sultan, they did get compensation. This is type of governing remindes me of a spoils system. 


"The ottoman realm was ruled by the sultan as a trust from God that all land belonged to the state, and that the state functioned as an extension of the sultan's household had direct relevance for the operation of the Ottoman economy. Economic activity increased the power and wreath of the state, which acted to distribute it's benefits to all." 
- It is said over and over again that the sultan runs the state, and in a sense is the state. The economic activity increases the power of the state, the sultan. This type of governing favors the sultan as well as his people, prosperity was spread despite the excessive amount of power and prosperity the sultan had.


It interests me how the women played a significant part in the delicate and cruical buisness of preserving the dynasty. On the contrary, it was common in the classical Ottoman system that Sultan's servants were slaves and taken from Christian villages in the Balkans. The children being sold to slavery were forced into this to prove their loyality to the state, mostly the sultan. 


Elite military slavery and an impersitical run-governmeant provided the Otttoman Empire with a Golden Age and extreme prosperity..


The thing that fathams me most about the Ottoman Empire was that, "The highest governing body in the empire was the imperial council, a cabinet-like group of men appointed directly by the Sultan. It directed the political, judicidal, financial, and administrative functions of government..." Even the few men that did hold power in the empire was picked by the sultan. This also remindes me of the spoils system because he's appointing jobs to men he likes or are on his status of riches and power, thus just increasing people already in power.