HISTORY HOMEWORK

1. Describe the achievements of Osman and Mehmet.

Answer. Osman earned his first major success in 1302, against a
Byzantine force sent to quash his expansion. Osman led a force of 5,000
men to meet the Byzantines at the Plain of Bapheus on the outskirts of the
Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine forces were vastly outnumbered, and
they were soundly beaten.

2. Why were the Ottomans so effective at gaining and controlling a

large empire?
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman Empire entered a period of
expansion. The Empire prospered under the rule of a line of committed
and effective Sultans. It also flourished economically due to its control of
the major overland trade routes between Europe and Asia.

3. How did the Ottomans choose who would be sultan? What was the
first thing the sultan did to maintain his power?
Answer. Sultan was selected primarily through divine kut. The Ottomans
maintained power in the usual ways - an army which usually ensured the
continuation of law and order; a bureaucracy which meant that meaningful
orders came from the center, that is, from the sultan; an educational system
that aimed at supplying personnel for the bureaucracy and the religious
order

4. How was the empire organized?

The Ottoman Empire developed over the centuries a complex
organization of government with the Sultan as the supreme ruler of a
centralized government that had an effective control of its provinces,
officials and inhabitants. Wealth and rank could be inherited but were just
as often earned.

5. Explain the meritocracy. How is it similar to the civil service exams

used to select government officials in China
Answer. The Ottoman bureaucracy was a merit-based system. Most
officials gained office based on their abilities, not their social position. Such
a system is called a meritocracy. 
6. Who were the Janissaries? How were they chosen?
Answer: They were the elite fighting force of the Sultan and the best
soldiers in the world. The brightest and most capable captives were
groomed for government offices.
7. How did the ottomons treated people of other religions?
Ottomons treated people of other religions well. They were quite tolerant
towards other religions. Christians and Jews were free to practice their
religion.

8. How did the battle of Lepant o and the losses in Austria lead to
empire into a period of decline?
At the Battle of Lepanto, pitted the Ottoman navy against a combined
European fleet. The Europeans dealt the Ottomans a stinging defeat, their
first major loss in battle. The Ottomans recovered and even conquered
more lands. But they were dealt another harsh blow in 1683, when they
again failed to take Vienna, the capital of Austria’s Hapsburg Empire. By
this time, the Ottoman’s image of invincibility had been shattered.

9. How did weak Sultans contribute to the decline of the empire?

A series of increasingly weak and corrupt sultans led the Ottoman Empire
in its final centuries. One reason for this weakness may have been the
Ottoman policy of imprisoning possible heirs to the throne, which included
the sons of the reigning sultan. As prisoners, these contenders to the
throne did not receive the education or training they needed to rule the
empire. Those who eventually rose to power mismanaged the empire, and
the central government lost power and authority.

10. How did economic issues contribute to the decline of the empire?
The Ottoman rulers took steps to modernize in the late 1700s. The sultans
and their ministers adopted reforms in an effort to strengthen the economy
and government. But by this time the empire was shrinking. At the same
time, Europe was growing more powerful. The Ottoman Empire survived
until the early 1900s, but was finally dissolved in 1923, after World War I.