Origin Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire - Research Paper Example

Origin Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire is one of the most prolific ruling regimes that can be traced in modern times. It was a governance rule that lasted for over multiple centuries. It had number of traits and characteristics to it that made it one of the most prolific Empires of modern times. Origin of the Empire: The originators of this Empire were the Oghuz whose existence could be stretched to the days of Seljuk (İnalcık, 2000¸p. 273). They had to confront number of minnow forces against whom they were engage in initial battles and later on they established their supremacy towards the middle of 14th century. By the start of 15th century they had already consolidated their power and the regions of Anatolia and Constantinople were already under their influence and control. The annexation and control of Constantinople by 1453 marked the zenith of the Ottoman Empire and this would last on till the late 17th century (Hansen & Curtis, 2008, p. 406). The leads of that era were the Suleiman the Magnificent. Good administrative setup, bureaucratic setup marked by efficiency and other similar features characterized the domestic functioning of the Ottoman Empire. Their existence and rise to power was characterized by the presence of rich values, respect and adoration for art and architecture, and other feats of historic achievements that made this Empire one of the richest in quality and wealth. It had large number of areas under its influence. The other advantage and unique aspect of this Empire was its control and domination over the different subjects. It was not only limited to the Muslim subjects protection; rather it had the Christians as direct subjects as well. The protection and guardianship towards Holy places was another feature of the Ottoman Empire that made it more significant with regard to its working and standing (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2012. P. 47). The regions under their control ranged from areas in Egypt to Constantinople on one side and Caucasus on other. It also covered for parts of the Eastern Africa and bulk of the European region. The zenith was enjoyed till 1683. It was only at this point when the first blood was drawn. It was when the Ottoman Empire aimed at annexing the likes of Poland, Austria and was faced with the first defeat. The course of struggle and political interests within: The decline of Ottoman Empire was not just a result of single activity. Rather it came about as a result of large number of events and incidents. Some of these incidents pertained to the domestic turbulences; the others pertained to external maneuvers. Since the defeat in 1683 at the Battle of Vienna the blood flow never found solace and kept flowing out in one form or the other. The journey forward: Since that point on, the Porte kept facing various kinds of obstacles. On occasions it was the resentment and hostility coming from the governors designated; on others it was the case of subjects’ protections, along with their historic and religious places custody, on others it was the influence of the major powers of the Europe. All these made it difficult for the Porte and Turkey to live peacefully and work effectively. The strategic location of various places also resulted in the resentment and discontent amongst the members. For example the Black sea was of high interest and priority towards the Russians and other mighty powers of Europe such as Great Britain and France. Each wanted their share and influence. The area was directly under the influence of the Porte and as a result his decisions were subjected to influences and biases from each side. The case of ambitious governors: The governors designated in different parts were ambitious in their nature. One of them was Mehmat Ali of Egypt. He was an Albanian and had recently shown interest regarding the Pashaliks of Egypt and Syria. The case of Holy Shrine and other Different Subjects: The Porte’s region of influence and territory control contained areas that were of significance to the Christian as well as the Muslim Subjects. The custody of the Bethlehem and places such as Jerusalem where each subject group claimed its religious affiliations resulted in dispute and demand regarding the custody of these places. The decision regarding the custody between the Catholic Christian subjects and the Protestants was another issue of discontent between the two. The Russians had their sympathies with the Protestants while the states like France and Austria had their sympathies towards the Catholics. As a result of this, the Porte found himself in a tight spot and was pressurized by each group with regard to the decision making. Through its existence and the overall decay and disintegration process the Porte went to war with the number of states. The Labyrinth and Eastern Question: As a result of the complicated nature of the overall activities in Europe and the continuous weakening of the Porte and the Ottoman Empire the entire situation was referred to as the Eastern Question. Since all the major stakeholders failed to find a consolidating answer to it, as a result it was dubbed as a question pertaining to the Eastern sphere of Europe on account of the weakening influence of the Porte with the passage of time. The case of Subjects: The subjects came about in form of Muslims, and Christians. These subjects were spread across different parts of its protectorate namely Austria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and various others. Through the passage of time, each of these aimed at gaining independence from the Ottoman Empire and recently number of events had unfolded that did little justice and favor to the peace process and reconciliation between the Porte and the subjects. The number of Balkan Wars that were fought towards the early part of 20th century (1912 and 1913) were one of the decisive moments which more or less declared and defined the subject states denial to living under the Porte any more. On occasions he had to fight his own subject as was the case during the Egypt Turko war towards 1833 (Hodge, 2008, p. 466). The war with Russia that was fought towards 1876 was another affair that spoke of the hostility it suffered from different corners. All in all the Porte was faced with various troubles. The case of Crimean War was another major event that spoke of the hostile and fragile situation that was faced by the Porte. The final nail in the coffin came about through the starting of the First World War which would ultimately lead to the termination of the perhaps last major Empire of the modern times. Towards the First World War, when the Porte decided to side with the Central Powers which included the Germans, it more or less sealed the fate of the Ottoman Empire. Since the Germans were defeated by the end of the war and the Allies were vindictive in their approach, they resorted to eliminating the Ottoman Empire once for all and creating a Republic in the form of Turkey. It was through different treaties that the Porte was made to agree from surrendering his influence and authority over his people and declaring a Republic. Mustafa Kamal Ataturk (Sheehan, 2004, p. 27) went on to become the first President of the Turkish Republic. It was not just the external influence that forced the Porte to surrender from his authority but the internal state of affairs in form of the non allegiance calls by the subjects, the economic conditions and overall global circumstances in the post First World War One scenario made it difficult for the Ottoman Empire to stay existent. References: Goldschmidt, A., & Davidson, L. (2012). A Concise History of the Middle East. Westview Press. Hansen, V., & Curtis, K. (2008). Voyages in World History, Volume 1. Cengage Learning. Hodge, C. C. (2008). Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800-1914. Greenwood Publishing Group. Inalcık, H. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Phoenix Press. Sheehan, S. (2004). Turkey. Marshall Cavendish. Read More