WH OTTOMANS

Anatolian Peninsula

Modern day Turkey in Southwest Asia between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea connecting the East and West.

Byzantine Empire

(330-1453) The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire at the end of the 5th century C.E. Its capital was Constantinople, named after the Emperor Constantine. It fell to the Ottomans.

Ottoman Empire

Innovative and multicultural Empire lasting over 600 years.

Five Pillars of Islam

Declaration of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage.

Islamic law

Legal system based on Islamic principles, part of Ottoman governance.

Mecca and Medina

Holiest places of Islam, controlled by the Ottomans under Selim.

Sultan

Secular title of the Ottoman ruler.

Osman

Founder of the Ottoman dynasty around 1300 C.E.

Topkapi Palace

Residence of Ottoman sultans and administrative center.

Harem

The women's quarters in a home or palace.

Royal fratricide

Practice of killing brothers to prevent civil wars and rebellions.

Gazis

Early Ottoman soldiers who saw themselves as warriors for Islam.

Devshirme

Periodic levy on Christian communities for boys to serve in Ottoman institutions.

Janissary

Elite army filled through the devshirme levy on Christian boys taken from the Balkans.

Millet

Community of non-Muslims within the Ottoman Empire organized by religion and/or ethnicity, with some autonomy in governance and education.

Grand Vizier

Executive minister of the Ottoman sultan and a member of the imperial council.

Ulema

The Islamic religious hierarchy in the Ottoman Empire, comprising the educational staff in medreses, religious staff in mosques, and judges.

Medrese

An Islamic school focusing on theology and law.

Reign of Mehmet the Conqueror

1444-46, 1451-81 - Period of rule by Mehmet the Conqueror, known for conquering and rebuilding Constantinople in 1453.

Golden Age

Period of Ottoman history from the conquest of Constantinople to Suleyman's reign.

Suleyman the Magnificent

Ottoman ruler who led the Empire to its greatest geographical expansion from 1520-1566.

Selim I

Came to power as Sultan in 1512 and greatly expanded the Ottoman Empire.

Coffeehouses

Venues where men gathered to drink coffee, smoke, trade news, and be entertained by storytellers or musicians; World's first coffeehouse opened in Constantinople in 1551.

Grand Bazaar

Historic market in Istanbul, one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world.

Ottoman Decline

The gradual weakening of the Ottoman Empire, attributed to various factors such as institutional corruption and failure to keep pace with European economic and military advancements.

Sick man of Europe

A phrase used to refer to the Ottoman Empire by Western Europeans in the late nineteenth century, highlighting the Ottomans' relative weakness compared to industrializing countries.