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Baron Patrick Balfour Kinross

Ottoman Centuries Paperback – August 1, 1979

by Lord Kinross (Author)

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The Ottoman Empire began in 1300 under the almost legendary Osman I, reached its apogee in the sixteenth century under Suleiman the Magnificent, whose forces threatened the gates of Vienna, and gradually diminished thereafter until Mehmed VI was sent into exile by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk).

In this definitive history of the Ottoman Empire, Lord Kinross, painstaking historian and superb writer, never loses sight of the larger issues, economic, political, and social. At the same time he delineates his characters with obvious zest, displaying them in all their extravagance, audacity and, sometimes, ruthlessness.

Print length

640 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date

August 1, 1979
Dimensions

5.94 x 1.6 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0688080936
ISBN-13

978-0688080938
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; 10th Printing edition (August 1, 1979)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 640 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688080936
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688080938
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.51 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.94 x 1.6 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #493,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #239 in Turkey History (Books)
- #9,994 in European History (Books)
- #18,918 in World History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
164 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		17%
3 star		6%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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L Samma

Liked it, but a little dry and dense at parts

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020

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I love books about history and am fascinated by this part of the world. I actually picked out this book as I tend to enjoy books that are thick with detail, but with this one I honestly found the language to be a little antiquated, so it was hard to take in much at a time. Boring is probably too strong a word - there were funny descriptions of some of the crazy personalities and there were parts of the book that I flew through with interest. I felt it began to stall nearer to the end of the book - lots of descriptions of battles and troop movements which can be dull to read about, especially without accompanying maps. I often had to pull out my phone and look up supporting information myself.

In all, not my favorite but there were good moments and tougher ones.

Helpful

Larry N. Stout

For the intellectually curious non-specialist

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2013

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I like this book because I like the history of Turkey, from prehistory on, because, in my opinion, no other geographical region -- India, Egypt, and China included -- has aggregated a comparably diverse and rich history (and prehistory). The six centuries and more of Ottoman history, itself embracing the great geographical span of the empire beyond Anatolia and present-day Turkey in Europe, obviously is essential to any attempt at comprehension of such a vast sweep of time, centered during the reign of the Ottomans in Constaninople-cum-Istanbul. I am not qualified to criticize this book from a scholarly vantage, but it is apparent that there is a great deal of chronic disputation in Ottoman historiography, much of it prejudiced by Orientalism, anti-Orientalism, reactionary chauvinism. In other examples, Ottoman history is a mere exercise in euphuism, or an exhibition of inadequate research. Part of the problem with Ottoman historiography (or so I have read) is that Ottoman archival materials have long been sequestered and not available to scholars, particularly Western scholars. To sum up about "Ottoman Centuries", I will echo another reviewer in saying that this, in the apparent absence of much else, is a beginning for the educated general reader, at least sufficient to dispel gross ignorance, errors of omission and commission -- whatever those may be -- notwithstanding.

8 people found this helpful

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Mark Nadja

Everything any normal person could ever want to know about the Ottoman Empire...

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2008

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Unless you're an absolute Ottomaniac, this one-volume history of the great Turkish Empire should suffice to fill in the blank space where knowledge of this fascinating and important culture should be. Rivaling, if not surpassing, the Roman Empire in magnificence, domination, accomplishment, corruption, and bizarre characters, the Ottoman Empire is far less known to the average person inasmuch as it was basically an Eastern/Islamic culture. But at a time when Europe was a disunited shambles, the Ottoman Turks were pretty much the pinnacle of human culture and from 1300-1920 were an important factor in world history.

There are no doubt other, more scholarly books written on the Ottoman Empire, filled with more statistics and sociopolitical detail than *The Ottoman Centuries* but for conciseness and readability I'd bet there are few than can match it. The interested reader can use *The Ottoman Centuries* as a springboard for further study if something here catches his fancy; while for those seeking primarily an informative overview of the Ottomans from their rise to their fall, this book should do the truck. To expect Kinross to cover 600 years in 600 pages in any more depth than he has in *The Ottoman Centuries* would be unrealistic. A sultan such as Suleiman, for instance, could--no less than a Julius Caesar--easily be the sole subject of a 600-page book all by himself.

For me, as I suppose for a great many other readers, *The Ottoman Centuries* will serve to satisfactorily answer the great historical "huh?" that an education biased towards European history has left us asking when coming across mention of the Ottoman Empire. No, it's not a kingdom of footrests, although the sultan did have an important council over which he presided while lounging on a kind of low couch. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

11 people found this helpful

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N/A

Origins Perhaps ?

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2019

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Islam is the result of a long history of centuries of internal and external aggressions . The Babylonians and Assyrians established Empires . The Persian empire under Cyrus the Great conquered much of the middle east . The Greek empire of Alexander the Great & his Generals invaded the Asian Middle East . The Roman Empire conquered a major part of the middle East known as the Levant . These hostilities over many centuries in my opinion gave birth to Islam .

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Rod Jetton

Amazingly comprehensive one volume account of the Ottoman's

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017

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Very detailed one volume history of this forgotten empire. Easy to read and well written. Covers a lot of ground quickly and pointed out so many interesting topics that I would like to explore further. Didn't sugarcoat anything and pointed out the good and the bad over the centuries. Also helped me better understand today's conflicts in this region and how the past has effected them.

5 people found this helpful

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D. McNally

A Masterpiece of History and Writing

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2014

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Though not a quick read - the book is over 600 pages - this encyclopedic history of the Ottoman empire reflects masterful organization of a (literally) byzantine mass of historical information into a narrative that flows seamlessly and is beautifully written by Lord Kinross. It covers the arts, culture, politics and governmental structure of the empire as well as the wars and military campaigns. This book is a must for anyone interested in Middle East history and, indeed, in understanding the origins of what is going on today in the Balkans and Ukraine.

3 people found this helpful

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jinha

.

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book if you're looking at the overall rule of each Sultan and the personalities and general events that happen during each Sultan's reign. Trade, diplomatic climate, treaties, ministers, edicts and so on are all covered for each sultan.

The military side of things isn't as introspective though, as it only gives a few insights on the account of the fighting nor does it elaborate much on the military tactics used at each battle.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Well written, hard to put down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2020

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I'm not one that gives 5 stars too often, but this book deserved it. It's really well written, and it captivated my imagination quite often.

The book is showing to be a bit outdated with some facts written by Lord Kinross, but i can't really blame him for it, since that would be unfair; it's not a book from 2020, so you shouldn't expect everything to be inside as we know about it today (some uncritical thinking about some lesser known Sultans etc...).

If you want an overview for the Ottomans, it's a great book to start. Good ratio of politics, military and internal affairs, while not getting bogged down in any one of them.

Recommended

Pdon

Very informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I knew absolutely nothing about the history of the Ottoman Empire. This book is a well written account both for an academic and an armature historian. I can commend it as an informative but not difficult read. A little short on detail at the end but nevertheless informative.

2 people found this helpful

N.G.Habsburg

Good coverage of the European sentiments of the times, would have been nice to get some understanding of Ottoman life

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2009

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I think, that as with any author that attempts a task on the scale of this book, you have to give them a celebratory hand simply for attempting such a feat. Such books by necessity make important reading, providing a structural framework as they do for understanding the geopolitical regions over the entire periods of the book.

Likewise, authors have to make certain choices: what to include, and into what depth to go. It is my contention, that given how recent much of Ottoman history is, much greater depth could have been visited upon interesting aspects of their civilization away from the political chambers of the elites, and the battlefields of the armies they control. In the latter half of the book, Lord Kinross certainly seems to come more into his element, doubtlessly because he gained more detailed sources.

So, certainly buy it and read it: if, like me, you are a lunch-time historian, then I expect you will gain a great deal from it. But don't be too surprised if it takes some time to get through the first half.

4 people found this helpful

D. N. Pinder

A concise appraisal of the key events.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2021

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There is nothing much to dislike here. The author captures the rise and critical turning points in the gradual decline of one of the greatest Empires the world has ever seen.

lesharris

Hard work, but worthwhile

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2011

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This is a long book, covering a huge expanse of history - perhaps too much for a single book. The early stages are fascinating but, after Suleiman the Magnificent, when the decine begins, it becomes a bit of a drudge, following largely ridiculously incompetent and irrational Sultans, with the occasional bright spark to arrest the tide. Nevertheless, the story is intriguing and Lord Kinross does well to keep it in context in relation to the rise of the West. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read. Major drawbacks are the inadequacies of the maps, particularly as many of the names of places and regions are no longer in use.

One person found this helpful

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