Home Region:  Anatolia-Caucasus (Southwest Asia)

Ottoman Empire III

1683 CE 1839 CE
EQ 2020  tr_ottoman_emp_3 / TrOttm4
Preceding Entity: Add one more here.
1517 CE 1683 CE Ottoman Empire II (tr_ottoman_emp_2)    [continuity]

Succeeding Entity:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Displayed:



Learn more about polity border choices.
Hit enter after changing the year or setting the play rate.


  General Description  
The Ottoman Empire during the period between 1683 and 1839 CE was at its most powerful, but was frequently beset by revolts that threatened to break it apart, particularly in Egypt. However, the dynasts in Istanbul successfully retained power behind a protective veil of elite slaves, acquired by tribute from conquered provinces and raised and educated to run the government and military. The Ottoman ’slave-elite’ differed from that of the Mamluk Sultanate in that the Ottoman slaves could never achieve the position of sultan, which remained the hereditary property of the Osman dynasty. Although this failed to prevent palace intrigues or succession crises, the sultans of this period made progress toward greater unification of the empire’s dense patchwork of languages and ethnicities. Trading on their successful military conquests, the Ottoman sultans claimed the title of ’caliph of all the Muslims in the world’. [1]
Population and political organization
The Ottoman Empire was a hereditary dynasty under the rule of an Ottoman Sultan. [2] The Ottoman ’slave-elite’ differed from that of the Mamluk Sultanate in that the Ottoman slaves could never achieve the position of sultan, which remained the hereditary property of the Osman dynasty. With its capital in Istanbul, the main organ of state power was the ’elaborate court, palace, and household government’. [3] Policy-making was weakly institutionalized: in theory, all decisions were made by the sultan himself, and so Ottoman policies were shaped by the sultan’s personal character and by the ’individuals or factions who had his ear’. [4] The sultans appointed their own staff and paid them with a wage or (increasingly after 1600 CE) a fief. [5] State funding came in large part from money raised by fief holders until Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha Kulliyesi introduced a property tax around 1718 CE. [6]
The administrative and military officials around the sultan were slaves educated in palace schools. [7] The source of this non-Turkish administrative class was the devsirme tribute, which began in 1438 CE; by the 16th century about 1,000 boys were taken per year per recruiting province in the Balkans and non-Muslim communities in Anatolia. The system divided these slaves into those who would serve the bureaucracy and those who would form the elite military corps known as janissaries. In 1582 CE, recruits of non-devsirme origin, including free Muslims, were permitted to join the janissaries and after 1648 CE the devsirme system was no longer used to recruit for the janissaries. [8] The imperial household together with its armies and administrative officials was truly vast, numbering about 100,000 people by the 17th century. [3]
Ottoman sultans issued decrees to their approximately 24 million subjects through an imperial council (divan) [4] and the chief executive power below the sultan, the grand vizier. [9] Although certain regions (Egypt, for example) may have differed slightly in their governing structure, Ottoman regional government typically involved governors (beylerbeyi) [10] whose provinces were split into districts (sanjaks) under district governors (sanjak beyi). [11] The sanjak beyi also was a military commander. [12] Fief-holding soldiers were responsible for local law and order within their districts. [13] By the late 16th century, the lowest level of this system had transformed into a system of tax farms or fiefs given to non-military administrators. [14] In 1695 CE, these tax farms were ’sold as life tenures (malikane)’, and later shares in tax farms were sold to the public. [15]
Ottoman law was divided into religious - Islamic sharia - and secular kanun law. [16] Kanun law essentially served to fill the gaps left by the religious legal tradition, regulating ’areas where the provisions of the sacred law were either missing or too much at at odds with reality to be applicable’. [16] In the Ottoman Empire, this included aspects of criminal law, land tenure and taxation; kanun law drew its legitimacy from precedent and custom. [16] Military judges (kadi’asker) were the heads of the empire’s judiciary and heard cases brought before the imperial council. [17]

[1]: (Inalcik and Quataert 1997, 20) Halil Inalcik and Donald Quataert. 1997. ’General Introduction’, in An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, Volume One: 1300-1600, edited by Halil Inalcik with Donald Quataert, 1-8. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[2]: (Imber 2002, 87) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[3]: (Lapidus 2012, 437) Ira M. Lapidus. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[4]: (Imber 2002, 154) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[5]: (Imber 2002, 171) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[6]: (Palmer 1992) Alan Palmer. 1992. The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire. London: John Murray.

[7]: (Nicolle 1983, 10) David Nicolle. 1983. Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

[8]: (Nicolle 1983, 9-11, 20) David Nicolle. 1983. Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

[9]: (Imber 2002, 156) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[10]: (Imber 2002, 177-78) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[11]: (Imber 2002, 184) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[12]: (Imber 2002, 189) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[13]: (Imber 2002, 194) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[14]: (Imber 2002, 209, 215) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[15]: (Lapidus 2012, 473) Ira M. Lapidus. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[16]: (Imber 2002, 244) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[17]: (Imber 2002, 157) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.
Religion Variables Coding in Progress.
Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3) was in:
 (1683 CE 1798 CE) Crete   /   Upper Egypt   /   Southern Mesopotamia   /   Konya Plain
 (1798 CE 1838 CE) Crete   /   Southern Mesopotamia   /   Konya Plain
Home NGA: Konya Plain

General Variables
Identity and Location Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Utm Zone 35 T 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Original Name Ottoman Empire III 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Capital 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternative Name 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternative Name 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternative Name 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Temporal Bounds Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Peak Years
Loading...
Duration [1683 CE ➜ 1839 CE]
Loading...
Political and Cultural Relations Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Supracultural Entity Turkish 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Succeeding Entity Ottoman Empire IV 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Relationship to Preceding Entity continuity 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Preceding Entity
1517 CE 1683 CE
Ottoman Empire II (tr_ottoman_emp_2)   [continuity] 
Loading...
Degree of Centralization unitary state 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Language Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Linguistic Family Turkic 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Language 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Religion Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Religion Genus Islam 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Religion Family Sunni 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Religion Hanafi 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternate Religion Genus Islam 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternate Religion Family Sufi 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Alternate Religion Uncoded Undecided 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Population of the Largest Settlement 1700 CE
Loading...
Population of the Largest Settlement 1800 CE
Loading...
Polity Territory 1700 CE
Loading...
Polity Territory 1718 CE
Loading...
Polity Population 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Hierarchical Complexity Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Settlement Hierarchy 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Religious Level 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Military Level 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Administrative Level 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Professions Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Soldier 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Professional Priesthood 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Professional Military Officer 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Occupational Complexity 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Bureaucracy Characteristics Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Government Building 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Merit Promotion 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Full Time Bureaucrat 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Examination System 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Law Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Professional Lawyer 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Judge 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
1683 CE  1839 CE
Court 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Specialized Buildings: polity owned Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Market 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Irrigation System 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Food Storage Site 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Drinking Water Supply System 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Transport Infrastructure Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Road 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Port 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Canal 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Bridge 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Special-purpose Sites Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Mines or Quarry Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Information / Writing System Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Written Record Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Script 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Phonetic Alphabetic Writing Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Nonwritten Record Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Mnemonic Device Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Information / Kinds of Written Documents Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Scientific Literature 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Sacred Text 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Religious Literature 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Practical Literature 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Philosophy 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Lists Tables and Classification 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
History 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Fiction 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Calendar 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Information / Money Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Precious Metal Unknown Suspected 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Paper Currency Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Indigenous Coin 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Foreign Coin 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Article 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Information / Postal System Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Postal Station 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
General Postal Service 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Courier Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Information / Measurement System Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wooden Palisade 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Stone Walls Non Mortared Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Stone Walls Mortared Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Settlements in a Defensive Position Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Modern Fortification Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Fortified Camp 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Earth Rampart Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Ditch 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Complex Fortification Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Military use of Metals Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Steel Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Iron Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Copper Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Bronze Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Projectiles Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Sling 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Self Bow Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Javelin 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Handheld Firearm 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Gunpowder Siege Artillery 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Crossbow 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Composite Bow 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Atlatl Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Handheld weapons Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
War Club 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Sword 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Spear 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Polearm Unknown 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Dagger 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Battle Axe 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Animals used in warfare Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Horse 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Elephant Absent 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Donkey 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Dog Unknown Suspected 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Camel 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Armor Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Wood Bark Etc Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Shield Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Scaled Armor Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Plate Armor 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Limb Protection Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Leather Cloth 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Laminar Armor Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Helmet Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Chainmail Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Breastplate Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Naval technology Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Specialized Military Vessel 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Small Vessels Canoes Etc Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)
Religion Variables
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement in This Life 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites Present 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Moralizing Enforcement is Certain 1683 CE  1839 CE
Loading...
Human Sacrifice Ottoman Empire III (tr_ottoman_emp_3)
Variable Coded Value / Certainty Tags Year(s) See More
Instability Data
Power Transitions