Changes

Shortly after the death of Muhammad in 632, his followers divided themselves into factions that sought control over the community of believers of what would become known as Islam. Early Islamic thinkers and leaders believed that under the new religion, the “church” and state should be combined in one government hierarchy, known as a <i>caliphate</i>, and ruled by a single autocratic ruler or <i>caliph</i>. Throughout early Islamic history many despots claimed the status of the caliph, but few of the early dynasties that claimed to be the caliphate fit the criteria of having the majority of the Muslims under its rule and by having control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Scholars generally consider the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties to be the first two caliphates, with the Ottoman Empire being the third great Islamic caliphate. Although the Ottoman rulers usually referred to themselves as sultans instead of caliphs, the Ottoman Empire fit the definition of a true Islamic caliphate: at its height , most of the Islamic world, including the holy cities, were under its rule. A number of factors contributed to the Ottoman Empire becoming the third great Islamic caliphate, which included some traits the Ottomans brought with them to Anatolia and others they developed once they were established. The nomadic nature of the Turks was one of the primary factors that helped the Ottomans defeat their more sedentary and civilized enemies. Once they established a foothold in Anatolia, the Ottoman Turks were willing to accept ideas from all types of people and employed many of these peoples, even non-Muslims, in their government.

The second great Islamic caliphate truly had a more Persian influence and although theologically in line with the Sunni branch of Islam, it was much more tolerant of Shia Islam. <ref> Donner, pgs. 31-32</ref> By the late eleventh century, though, the Abbasid caliphate was effectively challenged by other Islamic dynasties, such as the Fatimid Dynasty in Egypt and the Seljuk Turks. To make matters worse for the Abbasids, the beginning of the Crusades in the late eleventh century brought large European armies into the Middle East, which further challenged Islamic authority. The final blow to the Abbasid caliphate came when the Mongols invaded the region and executed the last Abbasid caliph in 1258. The Mongols followed that act up by sacking Damascus in 1260, sending most of the Islamic world into a protracted state of turmoil. <ref> Denley, Peter. “The Mediterranean in the Age of the Renaissance, 1200-1500.” In <i>The Oxford History of Medieval Europe.</i> Edited by George Holmes. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), p. 245</ref> It would be nearly 100 years before another Islamic dynasty could accurately claim the title of the caliphate.

The manner in which the Ottomans evolved from a minor nomadic Turkish tribe to being the masters of the Islamic world is truly remarkable. The Ottoman Dynasty was named for its founder Osman I (ruled 1299-1324), who led his band of Turks to conquer most of eastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in relatively short order. His successors followed up his battlefield conquests by taking western Anatolia in 1326, Greece in 1345, and Serbia in 1389 at the Battle of Kosovo. <ref> Denley, p. 251</ref>  Mehmed II (ruled 1444-1446 and 1451-1481), often known as Mehmed “the Conqueror,” ushered in the era of the Ottoman Empire’s greatest age. Although Mehmed II used the royal title of “sultan,” he was the first Ottoman ruler to see himself as a caliph because he conquered most of the Islamic world, including the holy cities. In 1453 Mehmed II conquered Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire, which essentially eliminated any major rivals in the region. Mehmed II’s successors conquered the Balkans and other kingdoms in southeast Europe in the early sixteenth century before turning their eyes back toward the Islamic world. Suleiman I (ruled 1520-1566), also known as Suleiman “the Magnificent,” conquered Algiers in 1529 and besieged but failed to take Vienna that same year. By the late fifteenth century , the entire Islamic world west of Persia was under Ottoman control, which included Medina and Mecca. <ref> Lapidus, Ira M. “Sultunates and Gunpowder Empires.” In <i>The Oxford History of Islam.</i> Edited by John L. Esposito. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 374</ref>

Probably the most important factor that led to the Ottomans’ dominance in the Islamic world was their martial background and ideology. Before they ruled a vast empire, the Ottomans were nomadic warriors who were more at home on the steppes than they were in cities , and leading the charges in their battles were fighters known as <i>ghazis</i>. Essentially, ghazis were Turkish warriors who fought on the fringes of the Islamic world against all outsiders, both non-Muslim and Muslim. The wars that the ghazis waged on the outsiders were known as <i>ghaza</i>, which was similar to the Islamic holy war known as <i>jihad</i>.

Another major factor that contributed to the Ottoman Empire becoming the caliphate was its openness to the West. Although the Ottomans conquered many kingdoms in Europe, they were not dedicated to constant jihad against the Christian world the way the Umayyad caliphate was. The Ottomans invited European scholars to their court and non-Turks eventually came to comprise a majority of their bureaucrats. The Ottoman Empire’s geographic location as a halfway point between the Western and Eastern worlds also proved to be quite economically beneficial to the Ottoman rulers who constantly needed funds to keep their ever -growing bureaucracy running. Similar to their other policies, the Ottomans were willing to trade with any people, Muslim or non-Muslim. <ref> Lapidus, pgs. 388-40</ref>