The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 [Paperback]

Halil Inalcik (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1842124420 | ISBN-13: 978-1842124420 | Publication Date: December 31, 2001

A preeminent scholar of Turkish history vividly portrays 300 years of this distinctively Eastern culture as it grew from a military principality to the world's most powerful Islamic state. He paints 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. "...masterly...Halil Inalcik is one of the foremost living students of Ottoman history...Read this book..."--Times Literary Supplement.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Halil Inalcik is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Chicago. Born in Istanbul, he was a Professor of Ottoman History at the University of Ankara from 1952 until 1972. He then joined the University of Chicago where he taught until his retirement in 1986. He is currently Professor of Ottoman History at Bilknet University in Ankara.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (December 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842124420
• ISBN-13: 978-1842124420
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > History > Asia > Turkey

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phoenix: The Ottoman Empire: A classical Book, March 30, 2004

By 

"justreviewingit" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 (Paperback)

Prof. Inalcik truly earns the reputation as one of the world's leading historians on the Ottoman Empire. The book explains the history, administration and social life of the Ottoman Empire during this time masterfully in seperate sections. An appendix of terms in Turkish and Ottoman is provided at the back for quick explanations, since the historical matter is rather heavy for a lay person.
A good historical reference book for Middle Eastern History, especially to get a true understanding of the Ottoman's Empire building brilliance between 1300-1600.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, January 12, 2005

By 

Hussain Abdul-Hussain (Washington,DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 (Paperback)

Professor Inalcik is one of the best in documenting the long history of the Ottoman Empire. To many readers, this book might look boring and excessively academic. But to other readers, especially those who are interested in taking a deep look into the history of the Middle East in general and the Ottoman Empire in particular, this is one of the must-read books.
The book is full of details of the Ottoman bureaucracy, the Janissaries (the army), conspiracies among rulers and would sultans, the social status of the different people of the empires and of course the Ottoman political situation and that of its treasury.
For those interested in modern Turkish history, this might not be their best read as it highlights the history of the Ottomans up until the days of the zenith of their rule. The book does not go as far as depicting how the Muslim Ottoman Empire was transformed into the sick Turkish man of Europe.
Overall, the book is highly recommended for readers interested in Middle Eastern affairs.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic work that stands the test of time, September 2, 2009

By 

Mark Klobas (Tempe, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 (Paperback)

For the past several decades, few scholars have been as dominant in their fields as has Halil Inalcik. His half century of scholarship on the Ottoman empire has defined our understanding of it, and the generation of scholars he trained continue to advance our knowledge further still. Though he wrote several books and articles about various aspects of Ottoman history, this book is his best-known work. Originally published in 1973 as part of the Praeger "History of Civilization" series, it offers a sweeping survey of Ottoman imperial development, from its origins as a small frontier principality to his peak as a dominant power spanning three continents.

Inalcik divides this examination into four parts. The first part consists of six chapters chronicling the political history of this period, describing its path of conquest and the numerous struggles - both internal and external - that took place along the way. These provide useful context for the next three sections, as Inalcik then adopts a thematic approach, examining the Ottoman state, its economic and social life, and its religion and culture in the other three sections. Most of these chapters are short, but they are all rich in details about the institutions and practices of the Ottomans.

Despite its age, Inalcik's book remains an essential resource for anyone seeking to learn about the Ottoman empire. Its analysis has never been bettered, and even after the decades of additional scholarship its assessments still hold up well. Readers seeking a more comprehensive narrative history would do better to turn to Caroline Finkel's more recent study, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire, but for those who want a general understanding of how the government, economy, and culture of the Ottoman empire functioned and flourished during its glory days this is a good place to start.