Student Essay on Ottomans

Ottomans

Summary:   The Middle East (also known as the "Near East" by Europeans) is the area of Southwest Asia. The Balkan states (areas near Greece) were once considered to be part of the Ottoman Empire but have since been stripped of their "Middle East" association. The Ottoman Empire touches five major bodies of water, the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean, and Red Seas, as well as the Persian Gulf.

The Middle East (also known as the "Near East" by Europeans) is the area of Southwest Asia. The Balkan states (areas near Greece) were once considered to be part of the Ottoman Empire but have since been stripped of their "Middle East" association. The Ottoman Empire touches five major bodies of water, the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean, and Red Seas, as well as the Persian Gulf.

Most Middle Eastern empires, (the Ottomans were no exception) had the chief parts of their population within a few miles from river valleys. The major rivers in the Middle East are the Nile (in Egypt) and the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers (in present day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq). Most river transport in those times was "one-way." Rivers' currents were generally too strong to sail against. The Nile River was the one exception, which partially explains why the Egyptians were particularly powerful in ancient times.

The desert areas of the Middle Eastern peninsula were generally untouched by the Ottomans. Until the advent and importance of oil, these regions were fairly unimportant economically. Though, drought is a typical state for much of the Middle East, it is important to mention that there are areas (such as Yemen) that get significantly more rainfall than typical cities in the Northeastern United States. Areas by the coast of the Black Sea can get as much as four times the amount of rain as Binghamton, NY does in a year.

What of the Middle East's early history? The Middle East has been a very important region in terms of agricultural and mathematical development. It was here in the Middle East that wheat and the concept of the number zero was invented. Turkey (which contained the capital of the Ottoman Empire) was the most populous and prosperous of the Holy Roman Empire's states. Turkey (also known as Asia Minor) was also the influence for Hellenic ideas. There are still "Greek Ruins" in present day Turkey.

The Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire's successor, controls the lion's share of the Middle East. It follows then that the Middle Eastern people are mostly Greek Orthodox Christian and Greek speaking. There are still a few pagan religions or more correctly animist religions that play a role in society. The animists are famous for their practice of tying ribbons on to trees in an effort to receive favors from the spirits.

Another religion that refused to be completely crushed was the religion of Zoroastrianism. Founded by Zarathushtra, the religion was Monotheistic, a true departure from the time when it was made. Its date of origin is suspect but is likely 600 B.C.E. These are Persian (read Iranian) areas where Persian is spoken. The religion had a profound effect on Judaism and Christianity and is still alive today, followed by (according to www.religioustolerance.org) some 140,000 people. This religious sect put up a monumental fight with the Byzantine Empire. Some historians say that the Iranian Zoroastrians were a constant thorn in the side of the Byzantine Empire and may have been one of the chief causes of the Byzantine collapse.

Where did Islam come from? Muslims believe that Mohammed received revelations from God (or more specifically the Angel Gabriel) from maturity to death. The famous Islamic scripture is called the Koran. Islam is considered a Semitic religion, like Judaism and Christianity. It is a monotheistic belief and Islam, in its purest, original form is considered an extension of Judaism, with Mohammed as the last prophet.

Two important Koranic tenets (that some may find interesting) are religious tolerance and the idea of women's rights. The Koran states that other "people of the book" believe in an incomplete faith but should be respected. It means that Jews and Christians should be as respected in Islamic society as a fellow coreligionist. The Islamic faith allowed women better rights than Judaism or Christianity. It allowed women the right to own property or money and it guaranteed them a percentage of her husband's property upon his death.

How did Islam spread? Mohammed convinced people in Medina, his hometown after being forced out of Mecca, to follow him in war and religion and ended up conquering Mecca. From the 600s to the 700s, things were in unrest as Mohammed and the succeeding caliphs, gathered forces in their sphere of influence. By 750 C.E. Muslim warriors have succeeded in taking over everything from Asia to France. After a brief peak of power, they are forced into Spain. Most Middle Eastern areas stay Arabic speaking and Islamic. Turkey remains Greek Orthodox and Greek speaking, the Europeans revert back to earlier religions and customs.

In 1071, the Turks (in Asia Minor) change from animists to Muslims. Barbarians convert the local populace through limited force and persuasion. The Barbarian/Turk mix then tries to conquer the Byzantine Empire and in 1453 they attempt and succeed in the conquest of Constantinople. Turkish speaking Muslims are now the chief people in Asia Minor. There are still limited pockets of Greeks speaking Christians and Kurds in Turkey left in Asia Minor at the end of the conquest.

What of the origins of the Ottoman Empire? In fact, there was little study of the origins of the Ottoman Empire until the twentieth century. Herbert A. Gibbons, a historian, was the first person to utilize research and thought to make a guess on the origins; his work was published in 1916. He claimed that the Ottoman Empire was really an offshoot of the Byzantine Empire with an Islamic veneer.

The next group of historians to offer a different view was William Langer and Robert Blake in 1932. They argued that it was not Byzantine at all but a more indigenous empire of the Middle East. Pre-Ottoman Islamic states banded together to form the backbone of the empire. Their work put Ottoman study on a more academic level.

In 1934, Fuat Koprulu disagreed in a Turkish historical journal. He claimed that the Ottoman state was purely Turkish. Turkish tribes moved from Asia to the Middle East and took over the areas. This was important as an argument for Turkish nationalism for the young nation. Also in 1934, Paul Wittek offered an explanation as to the start of the Empire. He claimed that the empire was a ghazi state. Ghazi means a holy, Islamic war. Ottoman persons in Anatolia fought for the faith and ended up in making an empire. This theory was particularly embraced by the West.

Colin Heywood--- a student of Paul Wittek--- penned in the 1980's that the intellectual climate while Wittek was growing up in Vienna influenced his writings. The Viennese appreciated the projection of the Ottoman State as warmongering. He suggested that Paul Wittek may have been in someway projecting a fallacy, despite his