Okay, first of all, I know several people have been coming to this site actually reading. However, I have not received a single comment for a while. Now, if you have even the slightest thoughts about what you read, or even the dumbest question, tell me. Don't be shy or selffish. If you have some random thouhgt, tell me, if you have anything, tell me anything you have. Anyeay, here is a history post.
One empire that we rarely hear abou is the Ottoman empire. In short, it was an empire of Tursks centered in Anatolia. For hundreds of years it expanded into the Middle East and Europe, and became the dominant Islamic power. It was rather like the western frontier of Islam. The Ottomans conquered its main religion's holiest, most historic, and most powerful cities. It also took a city that was considered unconquerable, Constantinople. For the first time since the Byzantines nearly 1000 years ago, and for the last time, it united the Balkans under one rule. It's primary rivals on land eventually became the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary, on land only the Venetians and Genoans of Italy posed a real threat in the early Rennaissance times. It mastered gunpowder technology and sent its armies away to dominate most of the Eastern Meditteranean. Because it controlled several major trade routes, its wealth expanded enormously. Foreigners were awed by its splendor and wealth, many also feared it. The Europeans actually tried several crusades against them, to little avail. Eventually though, its power was dimnished as the Industrial Age progressed and Western Civilization rose to its peak. In a last ditch effort to maintain its glory, it supported the Central powers in World War I, where it was defeated. Turbulence and unrest followed, as the several European powers tried to occupy it. Eventually a revolution based in Ankara succeeded and overthrew the Emperor in 1924.
The Ottomans were the last great Islamic Imperial power, they were the last breath of Imperial Islam.
4 comments:
Hi Scriptor,
I’m here and I’m still reading your informative posts. I particularly like your post about the Ottoman Empire. It’s very interesting and I know that many of my Turkish friends would enjoy reading what you have written. The Turks are naturally proud of their heritage.
Few people realise it but the Ottomans weren’t the barbaric people that western civilization would have us believe. The Ottomans embraced many cultures and religions within its frontiers, including Greeks, Romanians and Georgians. They were the first nation to extend protection to the Jews. They positively encouraged Jewish merchants to settle in Istanbul and offered them sanctuary against the persecution of Catholic Europe.
After the First World War, the Ottoman Empire became the sick man of the Middle East. It was during this time that a young Turkish general called Attaturk came to power. Attaturk was an able administrator and under his auspices he brought Turkey into the 20th century. He fought off British and French attempts to carve up what was left of the old Ottoman Empire, changed the Turkish language to make it more accessible to the outside world and brought education to the masses.
Attaturk was also responsible for removing Islam as a state religion, the first country in the Islamic world to do so. He made attempts to reconcile Turkey’s differences with Britain and France after the First World War by building a monument to honour the Allied dead at Gallipoli. There is a wonderful inscription on the monument, which escapes me at the moment. I will try to get one of my Turkish friends to send me a correct translation of the inscription.
In the west we tend to look at our politicians as being the leaders and statesman of the world. But of all the world’s politicians of the 20th century, Attaturk stands out as a consummate statesman building for the future. He effectively pulled from the ashes of destruction the wreckage of the old Ottoman Empire and turned it into a vibrant and healthy nation allied to the West.
Had it not been for the efforts of Attaturk in bringing Turkey into the 20th century, the Soviet Union would not have been contained.
Kind regards
Hi Scriptor,
I’m here and I’m still reading your informative posts. I particularly like your post about the Ottoman Empire. It’s very interesting and I know that many of my Turkish friends would enjoy reading what you have written. The Turks are naturally proud of their heritage.
Few people realise it but the Ottomans weren’t the barbaric people that western civilization would have us believe. The Ottomans embraced many cultures and religions within their borders, inclu
Hi Scriptor,
I'm having terrible problems posting comments to your site. I'm not sure whether it is my ineptitude or just a glitch on the blogspot.
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