Ottoman Empire Quiz 1

Mehmed II (the Conqueror)

Ottoman Sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453.

Selim I

Ottoman Sultan who added Mecca and Medina to the Ottoman realm after defeating the Mamluks in 1517.

Osman I

The progenitor and founder of the Ottoman Empire in 1299.

Conquest of Constantinople (1453)

A major turning point in Ottoman history after which the empire began to define its own identity and culture.

Safavid Conflict

The Shi’a vs. Sunni conflict with the Safavids that motivated the Ottoman Empire to define its Muslim identity.

Ottoman Code of Law

A legal system primarily focused on maintaining hierarchy and social order.

Mamluks

Former slave soldiers who ruled Egypt, were Sunni Muslims, and were defeated by the Ottomans in 1517.

Beylik

A nomadic, transhumant, small principality that represented the Ottomans’ earlier state before becoming an empire.

Major Turning Points in Ottoman History

Includes the 1299 founding, 1453 Fall of Constantinople, 1517 Conquest of Mamluk Egypt/Mecca/Medina, and 16th c. Safavid conflicts shaping Sunni identity.

Devşirme

A child levy system used to recruit viziers and other officials, who grew up alongside the Sultan but were still considered slaves.

Viziers

High-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire, often recruited via devşirme, who had close but subordinate relationships with the Sultan.

Ottoman Historiography

Early Western scholarship often relied only upon European sources, leading to a biased view, which the author argues should include pre-Ottoman and Islamic history.

Ottoman Periodization

Revised scholarship views the post-16th century as a period of continuous transformation and adaptation rather than a simple decline, moving from principality to an institutionalized empire between the late 13th/early 14th to late 16th centuries.

Ottoman Turkish

A dead vernacular synthesized from Turkish, Persian, and Arabic, required for studying primary source documents.

Ottoman Flexibility

Attributed as a key reason for the empire's longevity and success in governing vast territories and diverse peoples.

Turkic Origins

Turkic tribal confederations (Tu-chiieh) originating in Central Asia, with migrations leading them westward.

Abbasid Dynasty

A Sunni Islamic dynasty (r. 750–1258) ruling from Baghdad, which inherited Persian cultural influence and valued knowledge and commerce.

Seljuk Turks

Having converted to Sunni Islam, they established a vast empire, influenced later Ottomans with their state organization, bureaucracy, legal models (iqta), and religious institutions (madrasas).

Osman's Emirate (Beylik)

The Ottoman principality founded by Osman at the turn of the 14th century, a small principality on the Byzantine/Seljuk frontier in Anatolia.

Gazi Thesis

A debated motivation for early Ottoman expansion, suggesting holy war, though early conquests also involved shifting, cross-religious alliances for plunder and booty.

Osman's Dream

A semi-mythical narrative used to legitimate early Ottoman rule, symbolizing the grant of imperial office.

Murad I (r. 1362–89)

An early Ottoman ruler under whom the Ottomans rapidly expanded into Anatolia and the Balkans, making Edirne a second capital.

Bayezid I (r. 1389–1402)

An Ottoman ruler who oversaw rapid expansion but was eventually defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara.

Tug

Turkic symbols of sovereignty, like horsetail standards, used by Ottomans to assert their right to rule.

Open Succession

Based on Turco-Mongol custom, where all sons in the dynastic patriarchal line were eligible to rule, often leading to fratricidal conflict for the throne.

Vilayets/Beylerbeyliks

Provinces into which the Ottoman Empire was divided, such as Rumelia and Anatolia, overseen by an administrative hierarchy.

Sipahis

The core Ottoman mounted cavalry, supported by timars in exchange for military service.

Timar

A land grant that provided revenue based on cadastral surveys to sipahi cavalrymen in exchange for military service, adapted from earlier Seljuk iqta practices.

Kapikulu

"Slaves of the Porte"; a state system that drew military and administrative forces from non-tribal sources loyal solely to the Sultan.

Devsirme System

A formalized method, evolving from the pencik levy, involving a regular draft of young Christian boys, often from the Balkans, who were converted to Islam and rigorously educated for administrative or military positions.

Janissaries

The elite imperial infantry and guard corps, originally recruited through the devsirme system, known for fierce discipline.

Ottoman Interregnum (1402-1413)

A critical crisis triggered by the defeat and capture of Sultan Bayezid I by Timur, leading to a civil war among Bayezid's sons until Mehmed I emerged victorious.

Mehmed II (The Conqueror)

Ascended the throne (r. 1444-46, 1451-81) with an ambitious imperial vision, conquered Constantinople in 1453, and centralized the empire.

Conquest of Constantinople (1453)

Achieved by Mehmed II using massive cannons, the city was renamed Kostantiniyye (later Istanbul) and rebuilt as the Ottoman capital, symbolizing the shift to a Muslim world empire.

Kuls

Slave servants formalized by Mehmed II for high government positions, creating a polyglot ruling elite no longer dominated by entrenched Muslim-born families.

Kanunname of Mehmed II

A legal code that officially enshrined fratricide as dynastic law and formalized court protocol, such as the Sultan no longer dining with his ministers.

Topkapı Palace

Construction began around 1458/9, its layout mirrored the major reorganization toward a centralized, bureaucratic state under Mehmed II.

Siirgiin

Forced resettlement of populations, used by Mehmed II to repopulate Istanbul and ensure economic growth and stability, creating a multiethnic, multiconfessional community.

Capitulations (İmtiyazat)

Commercial privileges granted by the sultan to foreign traders, initially from a position of strength, but later becoming an economic liability.

Voivodes

Local Christian leaders used as vassals by the Ottomans in contested border areas like Wallachia for pragmatic territorial management.

Wagenburg Tactic

A wagon defense circle (tabur) effectively employed by the Ottoman military in field artillery battles after adopting gunpowder technology.

Ottoman Naval Development

The state evolved into an amphibious power, recognizing the need for sea power to control straits and trade routes, stationing forces at key points like Gallipoli, Alexandria, and Suez.

Safavid Dynasty

A Shi'ite dynasty in Persia (founded c. 1500) that posed a major ideological and territorial challenge to the Ottomans.

Kızılbaş

"Redheads"; Turkic tribesmen in eastern Anatolia adhering to esoteric Shi’ite Islam, loyal to the Safavids.

Battle of Çaldıran (1514)

A decisive victory where Sultan Selim I defeated the Safavids, led by Shah Ismail.

Conquest of the Mamluks (1517)

Selim I's army defeated the Mamluks, conquering Cairo and extending the empire into the Arab lands, securing control of Red Sea trade and holy cities.

Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512)

His reign was plagued by a succession struggle with his brother Cem and used diplomacy to exploit rivalries among Christian states.

Süleyman I (The Magnificent/Kanuni)

Reigned for 46 years (r. 1520–66) during a period of imperial consolidation and expansion, known in the West as "the Magnificent" and in the Muslim world as "the Lawgiver."

Battle of Mohacs (1526)

A key campaign under Süleyman I, resulting in a decisive victory over the Hungarian nobility, leading to Hungary's incorporation into the empire in 1541.

Shaykhulislam Ebussuud Efendi

Chief jurisprudent under Süleyman I who orchestrated major legal reforms to reconcile secular dynastic laws (kanuns) with Islamic law (seriat).

Kanun

Secular dynastic laws that were codified and reconciled with Islamic law (seriat) under Süleyman I.

Ottoman "Provisioning Organism"

A concept defining the empire's imperial image due to its adaptive ability to mobilize resources across its vast territory, projected by Süleyman I.

Roxelana (Hürrem Sultan)

Broke with succession tradition by marrying Süleyman and remaining in the capital, influencing the later shift away from provincial postings for princes.

Mimar Koca Sinan

The master architect of the Ottoman Empire, a prominent elite who was a product of the devsirme system.

Mukataa

A form of tax farming representing revenue from commodities.

Iltizam

A system for the collection of tax revenues, expanded during the centralization of the 16th century.

Osman Gazi

Eponymous founder of the Ottoman principality (beylik), whose approximate rise was around 1300 CE.

Mehmed I (r. 1413–21)

The ruler who emerged victorious from the Interregnum civil war, consolidating power after Bayezid I's defeat.

Selim I (The Grim)

Ottoman Sultan (r. 1512–20) who defeated the Safavids at Çaldıran (1514) and conquered the Mamluks/Egypt (1517).

askeri

The imperial ruling class, usually military or administrative elites who were exempt from taxes.

re’aya

All tax-paying subjects of the empire, the 'flock' guided by the ruler.

kanunname

Ottoman (Persian) legal code or lawbook defining governance and customs, supplementing Islamic seriat law.

Battle of Manzikert (1071 CE)

An important historical event prior to the Ottoman rise.

First Siege of Vienna (1529)

An initial but unsuccessful siege by Süleyman I during his reign of imperial expansion.

Incorporation of Hungary (1541)

The official integration of Hungary into the Ottoman Empire following the victory at the Battle of Mohacs.