The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire

Studies in Environment and History

by Sam White

The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire explores the serious and far-reaching impacts of Little Ice Age climate fluctuations in Ottoman lands. This study demonstrates how imperial systems of provisioning and settlement that defined Ottoman power in the 1500s came unraveled in the face of ecological pressures and extreme cold and drought, leading to the outbreak of the destructive Celali Rebellion (1595–1610). This rebellion marked a turning point in Ottoman fortunes, as a combination of ongoing Little Ice Age climate events, nomad incursions, and rural disorder postponed Ottoman recovery over the following century, with enduring impacts on the region's population, land use, and economy.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Nature, Middle East

376 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2011

About the author

Sam White is a professor of history at the Ohio State University, where he teaches courses on climate and society, environmental change, and Big History. He has written numerous articles and chapters for academic journals and textbooks, and pieces for newspapers, magazines, and popular blogs. His first book, The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire (Cambridge University Press: 2011) tells the story of how ecological pressures, climatic change, and human mistakes drove the once powerful Ottoman Empire into economic and political crisis, with profound consequences for the history of the Middle East. It won book prizes from the Middle East Studies Association, Turkish Studies Associations, and British-Kuwaiti Friendship Society. His second book, A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe's Encounter with North America (Harvard University Press: 2017) explores the forgotten first century of Spanish, French, and English expeditions across the Atlantic, drawing on a vast array of historical sources in seven languages and new insights from archaeology and climatology. It received book awards from Ohio Academy of History and the Sixteenth Century Society, and was a finalist for the Cundill Prize.
The author lives with his wife, daughter, and cat in Columbus, Ohio.

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, multidisciplinary history as it should be done. White crafts a fine intersection of factors (Ottoman provisioning practices, the Little Ice Age and late 16th century drought, and social dysfunction) to discuss the Celali rebellions of the Empire. Nowhere else will you find mention of Janissary forest rangers alongside mind-blowing examinations of the distribution of sheep populations in the Empire and their subsequent evisceration. There is a section called "Let Them Eat Goat"...

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable contrast with Karen Barkey’s Bandits and Bureaucrats!

[Semih · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eyeopening study about environmental affects on politics.

[Baris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yazar Osmanlı Devleti’nin çağdaşlarının gerisinde kalmasına savaşlar ve genel siyaset dışında farklı bir perspektif (iklim krizini) sunuyor.

Kitapta,

- 16. yüzyılın sonunda yaşanan kuraklık dönemlerinin Osmanlı Devleti’nin iaşecilik sistemine verdiği zarar,

- Üretim araçları üzerinde oluşan baskının yarattığı ekonomik buhran,

- Merkezi idarenin otoritesinin zayıflamasıyla, hiziplerin, kişisel orduların özellikle Orta ve Doğu Anadolu’da giriştikleri eşkiyalık faaliyetler,

- Asayişin bozulması sonucu şehirlere göç, şehirlerdeki altyapı yetersizlikleri sebebiyle yaşanan salgınlar ve tarım arazilerinin boş kalması sebebiyle ortaya çıkan gıda güvenliği sorunu mercek altına alınıyor.

Osmanlı tarihine ilgi duyanların kaçırmaması gereken bir araştırma.

[Okan Ergul · Rating 5 out of 5]

İklimsel veriler merkezli çok kapsamlı bir çalışma... 17. yüzyıldaki Küçük Buz Çağı'nın Osmanlı Devleti'ne, özellikle Celali İsyanları'na etkisini inceliyor. Bunu yaparken olayları sadece iklime endekslememekle birlikte, kırılma noktaları ile kuraklık ve sert kışların bağlantısını kuruyor. Hem Osmanlı tarihi, hem iklimsel tarih, hem de dünya tarihi açısından ufuk açıcı ve bilgilendirici başarılı bir kitap...