Ottoman Empire

Osman I

Founder of the Ottoman Empire and the chief of semi-nomadic Turks

Ottoman Empire

Vast empire built around military conquest and control over land-based and maritime trade routes

Caliph

Rulers also took this title to legitimize rule religiously

Mehmed the Conqueror

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire known for conquering Constantinople in 1453; expanded to Serbia, Greece, Albania, and attacked Italy

Constantinople

The capital of the Byzantine Empire known for its strategic location and religious significance

Bombards

Large cannons used by the Ottomans against Constantinople

Suleiman the Magnificent

Brought Ottomans into the Golden Age; reformed old law, improved education, led campaigns against the Portuguese

Jizya tax

A tax imposed on non-Muslims in Islamic states, allowing them to practice their religion in exchange for protection

Millet system

Allowed religious minorities some autonomy in exchange for the Jizya tax

Tax farmers

Individuals or companies who collected taxes on behalf of the state, often taking some taxes for themselves

Devshirme system

Took talented non-Muslim boys and indoctrinated them with Islam to serve in administrative or military roles within the Ottoman Empire.

Janissaries

Elite slave soldiers from the Devshirme system

Timars

Land grants given to cavalry soldiers in the Ottoman Empire, along with the responsibility to manage land and collect taxes.

Imperial harem

women were kept to provide sexual pleasures to the emperor to supply him with possible heirs

Portuguese-Ottoman Wars

A series of conflicts over trade routes and territorial control in the Indian Ocean

Navigational tools

Developed to pray to Mecca and for trade

Gun technology

Gained from the Balkans; utilized in warfare by the Ottoman Empire, including cannons and firearms

Mecca

Holy Islamic city that Muslims were required to pray in the direction of