MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Nepotism, Ottoman Empire, Janissaries
Janissaries’ new elite status
Evolved into the preeminent political and military elite in the Ottoman
empire
§
Privileged status often accompanied by increasing nepotism and
corruption
Loss of discipline in the rank and file of the corps
□
§
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Provincial Administration—The Timar System
•
Administrative and tax-collecting grants dispensed by the Sultan
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Direct correspondence between rank, revenue, and military responsibility
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Inheritance of timar grants
Theoretically all grants could be revoked by the Sultan
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Eventually system also became susceptible to abuse
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Ethnic and Religious Communities—The Millet System
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Christians and Jews administered their own communities or millah
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Early level of religious tolerance
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With decline also came greater intolerance
Division of (Askeri) ruling class and Reaya (ruled class) by 18th century
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Systemic Crisis Argument
•
End of expansion exposing structural fault-lines in the system
Heavy reliance on the military aristocracy
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Without expansion, insufficient revenue to keep centralized system intact
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Short-term solutions, long-term cancer
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Lecture 8
Monday, April 16, 2018
10:49 AM
Document Summary
Evolved into the preeminent political and military elite in the ottoman empire. Privileged status often accompanied by increasing nepotism and corruption. Loss of discipline in the rank and file of the corps. Administrative and tax-collecting grants dispensed by the sultan. Direct correspondence between rank, revenue, and military responsibility. Theoretically all grants could be revoked by the sultan. Christians and jews administered their own communities or millah. Division of (askeri) ruling class and reaya (ruled class) by 18th century. End of expansion exposing structural fault-lines in the system. Without expansion, insufficient revenue to keep centralized system intact.
