The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power

by Colin Imber

This highly-praised and authoritative account surveys the history of the Ottoman Empire from its obscure origins in the fourteenth century, through its rise to world-power status in the sixteenth century, to the troubled times of the seventeenth century. Going beyond a simple narrative of Ottoman achievements and key events, Colin Imber uses original sources and research, as well as the rapidly growing body of modern scholarship on the subject, to show how the Sultans governed their realms and the limits on their authority.

A helpful chronological introduction provides the context, while separate chapters deal with the inner politics of the dynasty, the court and central government, the provinces, the law courts and legal system, and the army and fleet. Revised, updated and expanded, this new edition now also features a separate chapter on the Arab provinces and incorporates the most recent developments in the field throughout.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle East, Islam, Historical, Medieval History

412 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 1994

About the author

Colin Imber was Reader in Turkish at the University of Manchester, UK until his recent retirement.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a portrait of the building of an Empire, how its institutions came into being and how they changed over the course of three centuries. I was particularly struck by what a great job Imber did showing us the gradual centralization of power on the sultan. The sense of inevitable, dangerous, ambiguous isolation was just overwhelming as in chapter after chapter Imber leads us from obscure origins to splendid, thrice gated palaces full of people who can't remember what the outside world looks like. We follow the Empire just to the brink of its collapse in a whirl of infighting, backstabbing and overstretch. It isn't hard to see it coming in every aspect of life.

The opening chapter is a bewildering crash course of names and dates for those who don't have much familiarity with the history of the Ottoman Empire. Again, you won't remember much of it but "War, war, war, war, afternoon tea, war, war, war," but you'll definitely leave with an impression of what building this empire was like. My favorite chapters were the ones on succession, family life, and life in the palace. (Did you know, for example, that most of the sultans were born to non-Turkish slave girls? And that there was a period where the empire was ruled by a succession of queen mothers? Fascinating.) The chapters on the formation of the army/Janissary class and rule in the provinces were also really good.

I will admit that I ended in skimming much of this book, but I think that's okay. I had no hope of remembering all the minutiae of names and dates that this guy was throwing at me anyway, and I think I understood the central point in any case. Recommended to all students of the Ottoman Empire- though real beginners (like me) might seek a source that concentrates on the political history of the Empire in more digestable, more fully discussed chunks. I'm on the look at for a book like that if anyone has recommendations.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-¿Hubo otras Prusias? A veces lo parece-.

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Primero, la formación, desarrollo y cénit de la Sublime Puerta, breve y en orden estrictamente cronológico, y después la descripción de su estructuras de gobierno, justicia y militares, desde un punto de vista eminentemente organizativo y de administración.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-¿Hubo otras Prusias? A veces lo parece-.

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Primero, la formación, desarrollo y cénit de la Sublime Puerta, breve y en orden estrictamente cronológico, y después la descripción de su estructuras de gobierno, justicia y militares, desde un punto de vista eminentemente organizativo y de administración.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-¿Hubo otras Prusias? A veces lo parece-.

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Primero, la formación, desarrollo y cénit de la Sublime Puerta, breve y en orden estrictamente cronológico, y después la descripción de su estructuras de gobierno, justicia y militares, desde un punto de vista eminentemente organizativo y de administración.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Rafał Roman Małek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite essential to any westerner to understand how the Ottoman Empire worked. The best thing is construction. This mini tutorial gives the reader basic understanding, that you have to deepen.

[Victor Gamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Imber’s The Ottoman Empire: 1300-1650: The Structure of Power is a thorough analysis of what made the Ottoman Empire ‘tick.’ This is not merely a retelling of the story of a great people, but a systematic discussion of the infrastructure and complicated apparatus of the Ottoman State. In this work by a leading expert on Ottoman history, the organizations and established customs that allowed the Ottomans to conquer and maintain an empire are described in detail. Imber utilizes a wealth of older as well as recent scholarship to give the reader an in-depth understanding of the empire that was a power on three continents. “To write a general history of the Ottoman Empire is a foolhardy undertaking…” states Imber in the opening line of his book, but despite his self-effacing statement, the work is so detailed that if one were to seek to revive the Ottoman Empire, this book could almost serve as a manual. We even know the length of the imperial council meetings (seven to eight hours). If one wants to answer the question; “What makes a great empire run?” This would be the book to read. Books about great people and events flood the market each year. Many people read them, but they rarely come away with an understanding of how things worked in practice. This book solves that problem.
One of Imber’s purposes was to write a ‘straightforward’ chronology that had hitherto been lacking (pp. xiii-xiv). For this reason, a huge chunk of the book is given over to that purpose. The work therefore opens with a chronology of the period under discussion;1300-1650, the years of the origins and rise of the Ottomans to status of a great power. A semi-barbarous Anatolian tribe became an empire greater in size than Rome and had to learn how to run it. While relating this process, Imber details the various crises the Ottomans encountered and how they overcame them. The chronology ends in the first half of the 17th century, during which time the Ottomans suffered a period known as the ‘time of troubles.’ This was a period of financial difficulties, exhaustion and increased political-social disorder and unrest. One symptom of trouble was that the office of vizier changed rapidly and became an exceedingly precarious institution (there were 45 grand viziers between 1589 and 1651). The last major events in Imber's chronology, the failure to capture Vienna and the permanent loss of Hungary, signaled the lengthy retreat of Ottoman power. Although rich in detail, Imber's study might be somewhat overwhelming to the beginner with its disorienting number of names and events, most of which will likely be lost to memory. On the other hand, due to the richness of its mult-lingual sources, the book will probably hold some new information even for specialists.
After the chronology, Imber employs a topical approach, moving in his discussion from one prominent institution and practice employed by the Ottomans to the next. As the title indicates, the focus is on those institutions that enforced and maintained Ottoman rule and how they developed. In fact, details of politics and administration are so thoroughly dealt with that many chapters could probably find a place as a resource for a course in political science. The Ottomans employed various methods which evolved over time that served well during their period of great power.
The heart of the Ottoman state was, of course, the ruling dynasty. Many Ottoman customs related to dynastic concerns may seem very strange to us. It helps to keep in mind that the reproductive and family life of the sultan was uniquely designed as an instrument of political power. If a consort of the sultan bore a male child she would never again have conjugal relations with her husband the sultan. Also, each male child was brought up separately. The mother then took a dominant role in the upbringing of the child. Being a member of the ruling dynasty of course brought tremendous privilege but also danger. The violence surrounding the greatest center of power is reported matter-of-factly and in detail. One quickly loses count of the executions, massacres and pitched battles related to fighting over the sultanate. A major cause of conflict was that no official heir was designated by the sultan. Each son of the sultan at the moment of birth was considered eligible for the throne. Once out of their minority princes began the process of plotting to take power. For this reason civil wars between various offspring of the sultan were frequent, often leading to massive fratricide and extended military campaigns. Sometimes the sons did not wait for the death of their father to begin the battle for succession and father’s themselves were not safe from their own sons. For example, Bayezid II, in the midst of the struggle for the throne amongst his sons, was forced off the throne by his son Selim and died soon after, most likely of poisoning. Despite the dangers, the power of the sultan was enormous. Although the palace was his official residence, if he happened to travel, governing power followed him. He was the government. The sultans ruled with an imperial council but were not required to heed their advice. They controlled the empire through appointments. The sultan ruled through his court as much as through formal organs of government and many directives were taken without being written down. For this reason it is often difficult to trace the origin of many political decisions. Other elements of Ottoman infrastructure analyzed by Imber include recruitment, both for administrative and military purposes, palace administration, the government and role of the provinces, law, and finally the all-important place and organization of the army and navy.
Legitimacy flowed from a variety of sources. The moment the sultan actually physically took the throne marked the start of his rule. Immediately thereafter, at least throughout much of the first centuries of the Ottoman rise to power, the sultan was expected to be a war-leader first and foremost. His success in war was an essential pillar of his right to rule. Failure to personally lead a campaign could result in severe criticism. Religious sanction for many military excursions was provided by the teaching of Holy War against the infidel as the sultan led his armies against Christian opponents. The sultan became a ghazi, or holy warrior in Islamic law. This title was used by sultans as late as 1876. This also sanctioned the possession of Christian lands. According to law, the lands of non-believers were to pass to the Muslim ruler. This device also justified war against fellow Muslims. In those cases, Muslim enemies of the sultan were declared as preventing the true Holy War against Christians by the trouble they were causing. For example Murad I, got the support of the ulama to attack Muslims on his eastern border to forestall their attack on him. He received religious sanction for this because it was keeping him from waging war on Christians in the west. Genealogies, which traced the Ottomans back to Japheth, son of Noah, provided further validation. The Ottomans could not be accused of slackness in utilizing any legitimizing tool available for in addition to the above, the capture of Constantinople allowed the sultans to appropriate the title of ‘Roman Emperor’ the true successor of the antique imperial power taken from the dead hands of the last Byzantine emperor, the title of caliph and that of ‘chosroes’ a name of ancient rulers of Iran. Suleyman I added this title after defeating the Safavid shahs.
The student of financial management may find in a flaw in the fact that there is no separate treatment of how the Empire was financed. Imber felt inadequate to deal with the intricacies of finance, but scattered throughout the text there are details of how various officers received pay. For example, land allocation in the form of fiefs, the smallest of which was called a timar, was widespread. These land holdings were a way for the sultan to maintain a large cavalry force. A Cavalryman holding a fief, for instance, could collect taxes from his peasants. Registers and law books were used to keep track of the different types of fiefs, who owned what and what obligations were owed to the sultan. The sultan needed to know many things, for example the exact number of troops available and who had an obligation to provide horses or other supplies and equipment. Sources of revenue were assigned to other administrators by the sultan.
Imber’s book is also about change. Few institutions remain permanently static, and the Ottomans were no exception. In one instance, provincial government was quite different in the mid-seventeenth century, where Imber’s chronology ends, than it was just a century earlier. The timars had declined in number and had changed in nature. They were now assigned more to non-military candidates as opposed to cavalrymen, which had been standard practice earlier. Provincial governors were also no longer military generals. The ultimate result was a loss of authority on the part of the provincial governors as they could no longer effectively oversee timar holders or command them in war time.
This book is well researched, even for the specialist. The bibliography is up to date, including many sources which appear to have been recently translated or published. For example, Elizabeth Zachariadou’s editing of the proceedings of the international symposium of the program of Turkish studies of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies called The Kapudan Pasha and his Domain, Rethymno was published in 2002 in the same year as Imber’s book. Imber cited it as ‘forthcoming’ in his bibliography. Dr. Imber has certainly set a high standard for all subsequently related works. A fine example of Imber’s historical reasoning occurs on page 199. Imber argues that the Ottomans borrowed the system of keeping registers from the Ilkhans. His evidence is that the language of Ottoman registers, and most treasury documents, is in Persian. The cipher script is the same as that used in Ilkhanid accounts, and they feature some of the same fiscal practices. Bayezid I had conquered and annexed former Seljuk and Ilkhan territory and had then probably discovered and adopted their accounting methods.
Despite it analytical nature, Imber retains a very accessible narrative style. This is a user-friendly, easy to read reference work due to the clear delineation of topics. The book does not suffer from the dry pedantic style of many scholarly works. Rather, the writing style is clear and easily grasped by the non-specialist. Nor is the book flowery or sensational. It would not be recommended as entertainment but as a thorough and efficient purveyor of knowledge enabling the reader to grasp key elements of the Ottoman state. Imber’s purpose is not to tantalize the reader but to provide an in depth understanding of political, economic, military and social structures and how they worked. It is a rational investigation devoid of nationalistic or deterministic explanations. In his introduction Imber states his purpose: to write a general overview of Ottoman history that would "serve to introduce the non-specialist to the field, and to provide a context which makes it possible to read the specialist's works." Imbers achieved his purpose admirably.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

For decades, readers seeking an introduction to the Ottoman empire have turned to Halil Inalcik’s seminal work The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600. Written by the dean of Ottoman history, it provided an overview of its history and an examination of its components that has stood the test of time. Over the three and a half decades since its publication, however, a wealth of new scholarship has emerged that has refined and developed our knowledge. The fruits of this can be seen in Colin Imber’s study, one that treads much of the same ground as Inalcik but does so with the benefit of an additional generation of study.

The layout of Imber’s book is similar to that of Inalcik’s (which Imber helped translate); an initial section chronicling the political and military history of the period followed by chapters providing an analytical overview of various aspects of the empire. But whereas Inalcik’s book provided a broad ranging survey that included its cultural and religious elements, Imber focuses more narrowly on the institutions of state: the palace, the bureaucracy, and the military. This allows him to provide a more detailed examination of the military state, one that describes its development and shows how it both conquered and governed the lands of three continents.

Clearly written and well grounded in the literature of the field, Imber’s book is a detailed and up-to-date account of the factors underpinning Ottoman power in the first centuries of its existence. Anyone seeking an introduction to the Ottoman empire would do well to start with it. With its concentration on imperial institutions and its closer examination of such things as the Ottoman navy (which has received far more scholarly attention in recent decades than it had when Inalcik wrote his book), it complements rather than replaces Inalcik’s longstanding survey, providing readers with a good foundation for exploring in more detail the last and greatest of the Muslim empires.

[Anand Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the early and classical Ottoman period (1300-1650). The book begins with a useful chronological overview (though sometimes with numbing detail of battles, palace intrigue, and executions), followed by thematic chapters that can be more or less read independently of each other: the palace, the provinces, recruitment (e.g., the collection of slaves), taxation, etc. This is top-down history, so don't expect any detail on what Ottoman subjects thought or how they lived, but instead you will get an thorough overview of Ottoman institutions of power. All this makes the book more valuable as a reference volume than as something to read straight through.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Imber pulls no punches in his introduction to The Ottoman Empire, claiming that another survey of its eponymous topic might not be necessary, but that he intends to provide something updated and accessible for the non-specialist. His candid style – admitting, for example, that he left taxation out of the work because it is not his forte – and his brevity – the introduction is only two pages long – sets him on good footing towards that goal, while his focus remains on summarizing secondary sources, rather than attempting to contribute new research. Additionally, he concentrates on the period prior to the alleged “decline” in Ottoman history (although he does touch upon it) by ending his study at (roughly) 1650, thus limiting his narrative to a more manageable span.

The book is divided into eight sections, of which the first, “Chronology”, is the lengthiest, taking up about a quarter of the volume. The narrative offers no new revelations for anyone familiar with the history, but goes into considerable, albeit not excessive, detail of developments in the Empire over three and a half centuries. In this sense, it is primarily a military history, chronicling the expansion (and the beginning of the contraction) of Ottoman domains, the ways in which the sultans conquered their territories, and the alliances and betrayals that characterized the era’s politics. The second section, “The Dynasty”, focuses more on individual personalities and, between the sultans, allies, children, and marriages, it can be easy to get lost in the litany of names and end up glazing over the details in the text. This is something that is characteristic of many chapters, although it is most noticeable in this one, perhaps due to the sheer amount of content. If any of these sections is of less interest to someone as a reader, however, it is easy to get lost in those chapters as well.

Section three, “Recruitment”, is the shortest and the only one to contain no subsections. It is, in essence, an overview of the various systems of slavery that were tied to the government within the Empire. The next three chapters review the structures of government in the Empire, beginning with “The Palace”, which, during this period, was based on a strongly centralized model, albeit one that was not always controlled by the Sultan. The subject of the next section, “The Provinces”, therefore, was less organized and drew its legitimacy from the sultan and his retinue. While governorships of the provinces played an important role, they were rarely, if ever, independent sources of power.

Section six, “The Law”, comes the closest to engaging Ottoman society, as it dedicates about half of its content to the influence of religion over the legal system. While it does not get overly detailed, it does convey a broad sense of what religious life was like in the Empire, even if it does not engage the more day-to-day matters. The final two chapters focus on the military, including structure and recruitment, which brings the volume roughly full circle, as it delves into more depths about the campaigns that dominated the overall “chronology” narrative.

Having the book come full circle is important, as Imber does not present an overarching thesis for his work, which is not surprising given his stated aims. This can make it difficult for someone reading the work cover to cover, although he does make somewhat of an attempt to tie everything together in his brief conclusion. This work, however, is probably better suited to topical reading, given the clearly distinguishable and focused sections, rather than a complete readthrough. If one is not piqued by the absence of an economic analysis, which would likely have bogged down the text, then the only significant omission seems to be that of “everyday life” in the Empire. While both the period that he is writing about and the contemporary state of secondary sources on the topic in 2002 make this understandable, it did feel as if this topic merited at least a little attention. Overall, The Ottoman Empire, for the most part, meets it goal of being accessible to the non-specialist, although it would likely wear on non-academics quite quickly. I cannot think of anyone that I would recommend this book to directly, but I certainly would not discourage anyone from reading it if they were interested or needed a refresher on some of the basics of Ottoman history.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelar jg nih buku setelah 3 hari. Fiuuuhhh!!!!

Saya agak kecewa dgn isi buku ini krn secara garis besar isinya cuma statistik angka² melulu dan sama sekali tidak menyentuh substansialnya.

Bagian bab pertama adalah Kronologi, yg merupakan kronologi sejarah terpanjang yg pertama saya baca. Bayangkan nyaris 120 hlm hanya utk membahas pembunuhan antar anggota kerajaan layaknya Games of the Throne versi Ottoman Turki abad Pertengahan. Tokoh² yg terlampau banyak dan banyak nama² yg mirip di beda generasi makin membuat pembaca awam spt saya kebingungan. Oya, ini juga buku sejarah lumayan aneh krn tidak ada silsilah kerajaan ataupun daftar masa pemerintahannya. Walhasil saya membaca sambil mengira-ngira sajalah.

Bab² selanjutnya hanya menceritakan harem (mungkin ini sub bab paling menarik), istana, hukum, angkatan perang dan armada yg isinya kebanyakan spt akuntansi sejarah yg mencatat angka² melulu. Sayang sekali author tidak menyentuh sosial politik setiap masa sultan yg berkuasa secara runut dan lebih kronologis ketimbang pencatatan jumlah gaji tiap pekerjaan pd masa tsb.

Yg paling mencengangkan saya sebenarnya adalah kekejaman para sultan yg akan berkuasa, dimana mereka selalu membunuh para rival termasuk saudara sendiri yg dianggap memiliki bibit utk mendongkel kekuasaan mereka, tidak peduli bersalah atau tidak. Ayah membunuh anaknya, saudara membunuh saudara²nya dll sptnya terlihat lazim dlm sejarah Ottoman ini. Li Sai Man (nama sblm mjd Kaisar Tang Tai Zong dari Dinasti Tang di Cina abad ke 8 - yg membunuh saudara²nya yg berniat membunuh dirinya) yg mengguncangkan ayahnya dan seluruh jagat sejarah Cina kuno tampaknya tidak ada apa²nya dibandingkan sejarah pembunuhan antar saudara di Kerajaan Ottoman ini, lebih banyak kolusi dan konspirasi yg penuh kebusukan.

[HANNA Tepes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo dobry początek i koniec, jednak środek książki zdecydowanie zawodzi. Jeśli ktoś interesuje się czasami Sulejmana lub po prostu nie chce wczytywać się w skromne i mało znane źródła z innych okresów, niech nie pisze ksiązki o czasach od 1300 roku do 1650. Ja wiem, że historia Osmanów nie jest oczywista, źródeł jest mało i przecza same sobie, jednak porównywanie wszytkiego do czasów Sulejmana fałszuje obraz maszyny, którą było Imperium Osmańskie.
Doceniam streszczenie historii i rozdział o flocie. Dla nich warto zajrzeć do tej pozycji. Mapy również są przydatne. Jednak dla laika, ta książka jest zbyt trudna (brak tłumaczeń podstawowych pojeć, zatrzęsienie imion i nowych informacji) dla osoby zainteresowanej tematem, ta pozycja jest chaotyczna i płytka (np. autor porusza temat haremu, ale więcej o jego funkcjonowaniu można znaleźć na kaznałach historycznych na YT, dane pojecia zostają rzucone i nikt do nich nie wraca). świetny pomysł, niestety zbyt chaotycznie napisany i zupełnie nie pogłębiony. Nie wiem do kogo jest skierowana ta książka. Nie jestem ani laikiem ani ekspertem od Osmanów, lekttura była dla mnie jak słuchanie o Osmanie I z perspektywy Sulejmana Wspaniałego. Innymi słowy, przerost ambicji nad treścią.

[Mandy Galileo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into the growth of the Turkish Empire.

[Lindsiria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative but quite dry. Didn't contain as much new information as I would have liked.

[Eti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sangat menarik, dengan informasi yang detail dan referensi yang luas, walaupun sebagai karya ilmiah, buku ini cukup membosankan untuk dibaca.
Mengenai Kerajaan (Kekaisaran) Ottoman sendiri, saya hanya dapat berkomentar: luar biasa. Ini kerajaan yang luar biasa yang pernah ada. Kerajaan dengan karakter militer yang sangat kuat, walaupun di akhir masa kejayaannya, karakter ini semakin luntur. Kerajaan yang agung, namun mengerikan (bagian paling mengerikan adalah tentang suksesi yang melibatkan pembunuhan (atau pembantaian) antarsaudara). 2 hal yang mungkin menggerogoti kedigdayaannya (dan membawa pada kehancurannya) berasal dari dalam dan dari luar, pertama praktik KKN, dan kedua munculnya Revolusi Industri di Eropa.
Yang jelas, buku ini membuat saya ingin membaca lebih lanjut mengenai Kerajaan Ottoman, terutama masa-masa keruntuhannya dan berdirinya Republik Turki, dan tentu saja membuat saya bermimpi pergi ke Turki untuk melihat sisa-sisa kejayaannya.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was assigned as a main textbook for a course I am taking on the Ottoman Empire. Overall it was quite interesting, but the chronology portion of the book (about the first 1/3) was really chunky and clunky, throwing names and dates everywhere without providing much context. The portions of the book following that, however, were fantastic and riddled with great details as well as the context to make sense of them.

[Emrah Emir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book in the summer of my penultimate year at university, I had a general but clouded understanding of Turkish history. This book broke me in to academically assessed and argued opinions regarding the focal years of Ottoman history. Most notably, it taught me that my own lineage descends from Turks who defied the Ottomans. Mind blowing.

[Luke Thomas Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about the Ottoman Empire at its height, it had great information on history, culture, and overall society and was a very useful book for learning about this subject. Although it was written in a very organized and easy to read manner, there wasn’t much outside of the informative side of the book.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history on the formation and growth of the Ottomans. Strong dynastic rule tying everything to the Sultan doesn't leave a lot of room for real nation building, so it's easy to see how the Empire will unravel as time marches forward.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this book as a study guide for a history group while studying the Ottoman empire. Fine for that purpose, but quite dull otherwise.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book... extremely well researched and written. Lots of very useful details of administration, taxation and the underpinning of how the Ottoman empire functioned.