The foundation of the Ottoman Empire
the more daring Turkic tribes to begin making inroads into the Byzantine empire, leading eventually to its collapse in 1453, following the capture of Constantinople. The Ottomans were similarly ‘lucky’ in that there was no major crusade during their most vulnerable period of development. Despite the Pope demanding a crusade in his Bull of 25 th December 1366, the Ottomans met no Christian army and Halil Inalcik argues that ‘ a large crusade fleet or army could have effectively checked Ottoman advances ’ . 7 Overall, it was somewhat of a ‘perfect storm’, as more and more Turks were driven into Anatolia fleeing the Mongols, and the Byzantines became more concerned with their western European problems, allowing them to drive into western Byzantium in a time marked by the absence of any crusade. In conclusion, empires are often complex and multi-faceted, with the combination of internal administration and law enforcement in vassal states requiring high levels of organization and military strength. The Ottomans are an example of a state that took advantage of positive circumstances, but to put their success down to luck would be incorrect. Ottoman power lay in its superior diplomacy and administration when compared with its surrounding states, allowing the Ottomans to establish authority quickly, but more importantly in a way that was satisfactory for its inhabitants. The question of motivation is challenging due mainly to the lack of contemporary sources relating to the peasantry in the 13 th and 14 th centuries. Whether the ordinary Ottoman man was persuaded to attack eastern Europe because of his duty to Islam or simply because he was following orders is almost impossible to know. What is undeniable, however, is that while the Ottomans were devoutly religious, they were openly tolerant of Christianity and Judaism, and it is perhaps this factor that is most important in its success, as it allowed for the Ottomans to add to their military strength and economic power in a less combative and therefore costly manner. Overall, the Ottomans consistently displayed a neglect of the spread of Islam and thus it is hard to argu e that they were driven by the ideology of a ‘holy war’ ; instead they were driven by the hope for a combination of, power, influence, and economic prosperity.
Bibliography
Brittanica. The Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman- Empire. Consulted 12/08/24 Pachymeres, G. (2018) https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/guide-to-byzantine-historical- writing/george-pachymeres/64C5BC34F595409269DB2D361F31723C. Consulted 15/ 08/24 Faroqhi, S. (2006) The Ottoman Empire and the World Around it. London. Guilmartin , J. (1988) ‘The Wars of the Ottoman Empire, 1453 - 1606’. Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 27; 721-747. Inalcik, H. (1954) ‘Ottoman Methods of Conquest’. Studia Islamica. 27: 103-129 (1973) The Ottoman Empire, the Classical Age. London. Pelegro, B (2016) ‘Weapons and Armour of the Mongol Warrior’. Medieval Warfare 7: 19-25 Wigen, E. (2013) ‘Ottoman Concepts of Empire’ . Concepts of empire and imperialism. 23: 44-66
7 Inalcik 1954.
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