--- title: The Ottoman Empire description: The Ottoman Empire ruled much of southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for six centuries. You will learn its origins, the conquest of Constantinople, imperial institutions, its long transformation and its collapse after the First World War. category: humanities subcategory: history difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/the-ottoman-empire --- # The Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire ruled much of southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for six centuries. You will learn its origins, the conquest of Constantinople, imperial institutions, its long transformation and its collapse after the First World War. ## Available Resources 4 Books ## Podcasts ### 1. In Our Time: Constantinople Siege and Fall **Author:** Melvyn Bragg, with Roger Crowley, Judith Herrin and Colin Imber A 45-minute BBC Radio 4 discussion of Mehmed II's siege and capture of Constantinople in 1453. It covers the city's strategic position, the conduct of the siege, and what the conquest meant for the Ottoman state and the end of Byzantium. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038xbd **Tags:** fall of constantinople, mehmed ii, siege of 1453, byzantine empire, ottoman empire ## Books ### 1. The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East **Author:** Eugene Rogan A history of the Ottoman Empire's First World War, from its entry into the war through Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, the Arab Revolt and the Palestine front. It ends with the postwar partition that dismantled the empire and redrew the Middle East. The best-sourced account of the empire's collapse, and it is readable enough for beginners. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465097421?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** ottoman empire, world war i, gallipoli, arab revolt, middle east history ### 2. The Ottoman Empire, 1700–1922 (2nd edition) **Author:** Donald Quataert A thematic textbook on the empire's last two centuries. It covers military and political change, the Tanzimat reforms, the economy, daily life, gender, and the treatment of non-Muslim communities, and argues against the decline narrative. Includes maps, short biographies and a bibliography. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521547822?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** ottoman empire, tanzimat, late ottoman history, ottoman economy, decline thesis ### 3. Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State **Author:** Cemal Kafadar A historiographical study of how the Ottoman polity emerged in fourteenth-century Anatolia. It re-examines the gazi thesis and frontier society, and weighs how tribal, religious and political loyalties shaped the move from principality to centralized state. The deepest treatment of the 'origins' part of the topic, for readers moving past the surveys. It is a short academic monograph, so the difficulty is advanced. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0520206002?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** ottoman origins, gazi thesis, medieval anatolia, state formation, historiography ### 4. The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 **Author:** Halil Inalcik A concise study of the empire's formative centuries by the founder of modern Ottoman historiography. Separate chapters cover political history, the palace and central government, land tenure and the timar system, economy, religion and culture. The best short treatment of how imperial institutions actually worked. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1842124420?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** ottoman empire, classical age, timar system, ottoman institutions, early modern history --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/the-ottoman-empire