HIST 151 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Devşirme, Sipahi, Levant Company
8 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
A tendency towards authoritarian regimes in the middle east. Oriental essentialism doesn"t get us very far in understanding much about the middle east. The ruling class claimed to be descended from oghuz tribe. Christian children (usually from the balkans) were recruited as slaves Slaves had the opportunity to rise to the highest ranks. Sipahi is given timar (attractive land) by sultan. He is permitted to collect taxes from the residents. He must provide soldiers as and when required by the sultan. The incorporation of the ottoman empire into the world economy. Farmers grew cash crops (meant for export) as opposed to subsistence crops (intended for locals) because they were more profitable to sell in europe. Fiscal crisis because farmers try to dodge taxes. Locals begin to compete with ottoman officials for power. Integration with world economy made the empire fragile and brittle.
