The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power

small octavo paperback xiv + 405pp., maps, bibliog.,and Index, with a section of 5 b/w maps. Fine history of the Ottoman rise from 14th Century obscurity to a world power in 200 years. The Ottoman Empire, 1300~1650 surveys the history of the Ottoman Empire from its obscure origins in the fourteenth century, through its rise to world~power status in the sixteenth century, to the troubled times of the seventeenth century. Going beyond a simple narrative of Ottoman achievements and key events, Colin Imber uses original sources and research, as well as the rapidly expanding body of modern scholarship on the subject, to show how this complex state worked in practice. Imber focuses on the fascinating internal structure and politics of the Ottoman Empire, analysing the various institutions through which the Ottoman Sultan projected his power: the dynasty, and the means of recruitment to dynastic service; the palace, court and central government; provincial government; the law; the army and the fleet. Imber charts the growth and development of these Institutlons over three~and~a~half centuries, until a period of crisis in the 16005 curbed the Empire's expansion and caused significant structural changes. Fresh and dynamic, The Ottoman Empire, 1300~1650 presents an unprejudiced view of one of the most important but, at the same time, most misunderstood empires of the pre~modern age. It is essential reading for all those with an interest not only in the Ottomans but also in the late medieval and early modern history of Western Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. S