Concluding+Classification

The Ottoman Empire: a vast, swallowing empire that spread from about 1400 A.D. until about 1700 A.D. Fear and gunpowder no doubt assisted in this rise, and as a result, a powerful empire emerged that lasted for nearly five centuries. This group also treasured highly their manufacturing, producing products such as pottery, rugs, silk, jewelry, and other goods. With the legacy of Mehmed II, a thriving economy, relentless military campaigns, and a seemingly endless expansion of territory, the Ottomans certainly have quite a significance in history. It is odd however that students are not as familiarized with it as, for example, they are with Rome. By understanding the status of the empire and where it fits in historical rank, importance, and description, perhaps it would be best to determine the type of society is truly was. In this research, there are three general choices for the Ottomans to be categorized as. First is the simple culture. In a simple culture, societies often appear to be the most primitive, lacking writing, unique and developed culture, a population, and some form of government with perhaps some global relations. In complex cultures, societies certainly possess a developing culture, developing government, a developing or developed economy, global relations, some trade, developing or developed government, and at least minor scientific/technological advancements. Finally, civilizations are the fully developed state of these cultures, and this is the ideal society every group of people aim for at one point or another. This classification requires mostly a well-developed state for each category with perhaps an occasional slack in one or two categories. It must possess effective and developed government, a developed economy, global relations through trade and military campaigns, unique and developed culture (for example religion, art, architecture, etc.), and the most debatable requirement, writing. Many disagree on how important writing and language is to distinguish between a civilization and a complex culture. Lack of universal language and writing is why the "Native Americans" often lose chapters in history textbooks, evidenced by their being grouped into one class called the "Native Americans." Obviously, the classification of the Ottoman empire is extremely important to continuing its legacy as just a lack of one aspect can break a remarkable, unprecedented people group. To begin, first analyze the Ottoman's government. The question that must be posed is "did the Ottomans possess an orderly system of government that had the ability to control and develop the empire?" The solution is incredibly simple as the Ottomans' expansion and power was created mainly by the rulers. First and foremost is the incredible Mehmed II. This leader sparked the expansion of the Ottomans as he led his military to victory over the Byzantine Empire in 1453, " and during the reign (1451–81) of (Mehmed) II they ended all other local Turkish dynasties" ("Turkish"). With a foothold in Constantinople and clear dominance of the area, its obvious already that the government of the Ottomans at this point fit the criteria of a civilization. To better prove this however, their government continued to dominate enemies through rulers such as Sulayman I, Sultan Selim I (who captured Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt), and others eventually created a strong empire governed through the strong powers of the Sultan, head of both government and military. Their position was militarized after the death of the sultan Suleyman in 1566 and formed into a bureaucracy. The strength of the Ottoman's military came from their "gunpowder empire" technique. Individual outside rulers conquered regions into unification which was then added to the Ottoman empire, however the "...empire's success was largely based on its mastery of the technology of firearms" (Spielvogel). Obviously, the forces of the Ottomans were strong as they were originally intertwined with the powerful government. Next is the global relations and trade. The Ottomans' relations were, as evidenced by their constant offensive moves in expansion, not exactly always the most peaceful. Of course trade cannot be forgotten. The substantial trade efforts of the Ottomans help meet the criteria of a civilization in both global relations and trade. Because of Mehmed II, trade became a fixture in the Ottoman empire. Bursa, Constantinople, and Adrianople were molded into strong commercial centers of business. They also possessed a highly prized geographical position, nestled between the Eastern and Western markets. Many famous routes such as Marco Polo's spice route were controlled by the Ottomans, thus in essence they controlled the trade between Asia and Europe for centuries. Also well dominated were the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean with age old trading routes. Clearly, their international and domestic trade markets created ideal trade and fantastic, powerful, influential global relations. Finally, to wrap up the reasoning behind a civilization classification of the Ottoman empire lies in their unique qualities in culture, and a writing system. Indeed such a vast land area would enable a diverse culture to exist within one empire. It is for this reason that the Ottomans easily meet the requirement of a "unique and developed culture." The Sultans rooted their empire into religion as they possessed the title of Caliph in the Muslim world, however tolerance of non-muslims existed in the empire as well. In the Ottoman world, Christians and Muslims coexisted. Truly this is a unique idea considering the harsh crusades a few centuries earlier and the radical reformation movements happening during the time in Europe. The Sultans also found great love of the arts and ensured the empire produced textiles such as rugs as well as support of artists by decorating the palaces with silks, pottery, and other pieces. The mosques of the Ottomans were truly a pinnacle of their architectural success. The root of the styles fluctuated between eras in the empire, but in the beginning, strong influence came from Persian, Byzantine, and Islamic styles. Yet soon enough, during another major era the styles shifted to base off of the European Baroque styles. A famed architect known as Sinan created eighty-one mosques in his life. "Under the Ottomans, the silk industry resurfaced," thus providing them with a peerless Western market in this industry. As for writing and language, the Ottomans no doubt possessed one of their own. While it was based off of Arabic script, it still today influences lives daily. At left is a piece written as it might have appeared around the 1540s. This script was actively used until the downfall of the Ottoman empire in 1922. After this, many countries and governments began to institute language reform, resulting the Turkish language being based off of this Ottoman language. To conclude, it hopefully is clear by now that the case for the classification of the Ottoman Empire as a civilization is certainly a substantial one, backed with all the simple yet distinct and powerful proof above. It fits this category because it possessed all the necessary requirements, those being an influential and developed government and military, strong global relations and trade, unique, developed culture, and finally, a writing/language system. Every aspect being checked, scholars today should find no hesitation in classifying the Ottoman Empire as an esteemed civilization to be celebrated and studied, and in the process it shall receive its due praise throughout textbooks Of course there are those who wonder why anybody should research and prove the legitimacy of the Ottoman's civilization rank. History is not meant to be just studied, but also understood. Because this classification helps people understand where in history the Ottomans ranked and how they were seen in their day, a better understanding of the world is gained. Now when studying the reasons for Cristabol Columbus's explorations, the Ottomans can be remembered. He was sent on this search in order to discover a new route to the Asian continent. Spain funded these expeditions because land trade was blocked by the Ottomans who controlled the routes east, and because they were a civilization at their peak, provoking this massive giant could quickly and easily bring deadly consequences upon Spain. This giant was not simply a complex culture or simple culture, but a full civilization, and the Spanish rulers recognized them as such. Their strong military government and ideal geographical position gave the Ottomans a clear advantage over any that attempted to test them. It is for the benefit of understanding that such analyses are created. By understanding how the Ottoman empire was a civilization in its time, today students can better understand the collaborative scope of history as those within the world relate to one another. __Works Cited__ Spielvogel, Jackson J., PH.D. "Section 1 The Ottoman Empire." //World History//. New York, New York: Glencoe, 2008. 486. Print.
 * Simple, Complex, and Civilization? ** ﻿How Should the Ottomans be Classified?  H.H.

"Turkish Studies - Ottoman Empire: Brief History." //University of Michigan//. Web. 24 May 2011. . __Works Consulted__ "Ottoman Empire." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 May. 2011. Web. 25 May. 2011. "Ottoman Turkish language." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 May. 2011. Web. 25 May. 2011. Spielvogel, Jackson J., PH.D. "Section 1 The Ottoman Empire." //World History//. New York, New York: Glencoe, 2008. 486. Print.

"Turkish Studies - Ottoman Empire: Brief History." //University of Michigan//. Web. 24 May 2011. .