The Ottoman Period Part 1 of 3: The Emergence of the Ottoman Empire (Fall 2023)

The early Ottoman beylic (principality) emerged in a world of competing regional powers. The region had seen the emergence of the Seljuks and Mamluks, the Crusades, and the devastating Mongol invasions that destroyed much of the Muslim power structures. Constantinople was still under the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Balkans, known as Rumeli in Ottoman, was predominantly a configuration of Christian states constantly competing. It was in this environment that the Ottomans emerged. First, as a small beylic, the Ottomans swiftly expanded west into the Balkans, then eastwards towards Anatolia, before being defeated by Tamerlane at the Battle of Ankara. After Timur’s death, the Ottomans emerged again, this time stronger, and managed to capture the ‘Red Apple’ – Constantinople to be also named as Istanbul. Under Selim I, they would emerge as a Caliphate and be known in history as one of the most powerful Empires in the World. This course shall chart how these transitions occurred in the Ottoman Empire. We shall examine the emergence of Ottoman political authority and how the Devsirme and, subsequently, the Janissary Corps emerge. We shall examine the notion of state fratricide and slavery and the emergence of a new legal system known as the Kanun. The course will also expose the student to the current debates in the field of Ottoman studies, but also challenges a host of tropes and notions. The idea of the course is to educate Muslims on how Ottoman History is part of their Islamic past. This 8-week course shall be two hours a week online, with reading material and two essays shall be given. This course is part of a three-part course that will chart the whole Ottoman Empire's history.