The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600

Front Cover
Phoenix Press, 2000 - History - 257 pages
Born as a military frontier principality at the turn of the Fourteenth century, Turkey developed into the dominant force in Anatolia and the Balkans, growing to become the most powerful Islamic state after 1517 when it incorporated the old Arab lands. This distinctively Eastern culture, with all its detail and intricacies, is explored here by a pre-eminent scholar of Turkish history. He gives a striking picture of the prominence of religion and warfare in everyday life as well as the traditions of statecraft, administration, social values, financial and land policies. The definitive account, this is an indispensable companion to anyone with an interest in Islam, Turkey and the Balkans.

About the author (2000)

A prominent scholar in Middle Eastern history for nearly half a century, Halil Inalcik was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Ankara in 1942. He taught at his alma mater from 1943 to 1972, when he accepted a professorship in Middle Eastern history at the University of Chicago, where he was professor emeritus. An authority on the Ottoman-Turkish period, particularly in the field of social and economic history, Inalcik lectured widely at major universities and international conferences and has written numerous articles and books in both Turkish and English.

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