Centralized Power In The Ottoman Empire

With a diverse population, centralized power, and an imperialist regime, the Ottoman Empire’s effect on Europe and the Middle East from the 15th to the 17th century was profound. However, the Ottoman’s rise to being recognized as a prominent player on the world stage was not as notable as usually portrayed. For Instance, the Ottomans asserted their dominance during a somewhat dormant era in Europe. In Short, the Ottoman Empire did not go through the same transformations as Europe did during the enlightenment and Renaissance period, thus the Ottoman Empire was, hypothetically speaking, on track toward disintegration. The Ottoman Empire was initially run through strong centralized power in the Sultanate, a diverse population, and an imperialist regime. Consequently, the Empire gained a lot of notoriety among its surrounding nations. This, however, was not eternal. In fact, the death of …show more content…
However, before the erosion of power can be understood, it is important to understand the how the Sultans position was originally viewed. First, the early Sultans were notorious at building strong militaries. Their system was “quite original in using these slaves to the exclusion of free Moslems” . The Sultan’s creation of the devshirme, and their role in the empire was vital to the Empire’s success because it allowed the diversity of the Empire to become one of the Empire’s strengths. In addition, the sultans controlled the military in almost all aspects, in fact, the Sultan even lead the Ottoman armed forces himself. Furthermore, the Sultans were also illustrated as a prominent aspect of Ottoman politics and culture. For instance, the sultans had the authority to make laws and impose regulations completely on their own. The early Sultan were seen as figureheads of the Empire, and this allowed the empire to be prosperous until this changed with the passing of