General
The General category gathers broad overview articles on Ottoman history — introductory pieces, periodization debates, comparative looks at the empire alongside its contemporaries, and explainers that connect the dots between sultans, wars, institutions, society, and culture. Coverage spans the full arc from Osman Gazi's Söğüt frontier (1299) through the proclamation of the Republic (1923), with attention to how historians have framed Ottoman trajectories: rise and decline narratives, transformation theses, the long nineteenth century, and the legacy that shaped the modern Middle East and Balkans. Articles here are written for readers building first context on the empire before exploring more specialised sections.
Why Was the Abbasid Period the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization?
Discover how Baghdad became a center of science, culture, trade, and translation during the Abbasid period, shaping the golden age of Islamic civilization.
Why Was the Abbasid Period the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization? →
What Was the Karbala Event? The Great Turning Point in Islamic History
What was the Karbala event and why did it happen? Yazid’s succession, the letters from Kufa, the siege of Karbala and what happened on 10 Muharram 61 (680).
What Was the Karbala Event? The Great Turning Point in Islamic History →
What Was the Cülus Bahşişi? Ottoman Enthronement Ceremonies and Their Meaning
What was the cülus bahşişi that a new Ottoman sultan distributed on his accession? The enthronement ceremony at the Gate of Felicity, its recipients, the Janissaries’ demands and the burden it placed on the treasury.
What Was the Cülus Bahşişi? Ottoman Enthronement Ceremonies and Their Meaning →
What Was the Imperial Reform Edict? Equality Debate and Its Effects in the Ottoman Empire
What was the Imperial Reform Edict? The edict of 18 February 1856: its link to the Crimean War and the Treaty of Paris, its provisions, the equality debate it sparked and its effects.
What Was the Imperial Reform Edict? Equality Debate and Its Effects in the Ottoman Empire →
What Was the Tanzimat Edict? The Beginning of Change in the Ottoman Empire
What was the Tanzimat Edict? The Edict of Gülhane, read out on 3 November 1839: the crisis behind it, its provisions, the debate over who prepared it, its implementation and its consequences.
What Was the Tanzimat Edict? The Beginning of Change in the Ottoman Empire →
Why Was the Janissary Corps Abolished? Behind the Auspicious Incident
Explore the abolition of the Janissary Corps, the causes of the Auspicious Incident, Mahmud II's reforms, and the transformation of the Ottoman army.
Why Was the Janissary Corps Abolished? Behind the Auspicious Incident →
Did Palestine Betray the Ottomans?
Did Palestine betray the Ottomans? Who launched the Arab Revolt, how the people of the region acted in the First World War, the loss of Jerusalem and the British Mandate in the light of the documents.
Did Palestine Betray the Ottomans? →
