Today you are learning about the Ottoman Empire which can be considered a “gunpowder empire:

What might the expression "gunpowder empire" mean?

It refers to an empire in which people know how to use guns and

gunpowder. They may correctly infer that a gunpowder empire is

established through military force.

Background  The earliest form of gunpowder was called black

powder. Black powder was a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. Most historians believe that the Chinese invented

black powder in the 800s. Its early uses were for fireworks and signals. It was not long, however, before gunpowder was used in such weapons as cannons and bombs. Some scholars believe that

the Arabs invented black powder. By about 1300, the Arabs had invented the first gun—a

bamboo tube reinforced with iron, which used a charge of black powder to fire an arrow.

Science and Technology: Janissaries

The Ottoman Empire was a “gunpowder empire.” Its success in conquering neighboring

regions was largely due to its mastery of gunpowder weapons, from large cannons to hand-held firearms. By understanding how

mastery of a technology can create a superior military force, you can better understand how a

nation or empire can establish and expand its power.

BackgroundBy the fourteenth century, the Ottomans had successfully

used siege cannons and early firearms to expand their empire. The earliest firearms did

not have triggers; they had to be held under the arm and required two people as it was

difficult to aim and fire one of these cumbersome and inaccurate weapons. In the fifteenth

century, however, two new inventions paved the way for the first mechanical firearms. First came

the “slow match”—a cord soaked in a combustible solution and then dried. Next came the

matchlock mechanism, a mechanical trigger device that used a slow match to ignite gunpowder

and set off a gun’s explosive.

Early Spread of Ottoman Control

Strong militaryMastery of firearmsSpread into Balkans

Discussion

How do you think the janissaries would compare with elite

armed troops today?

Today's troops are much more formidable.

Expansion into Europe, Western Asia, and Africa

Siege of Constantinople and end of Byzantium

Expansion into Asia, Africa, and Europe

Repulses at Vienna and Lepanto

Discussion 

What difficulties might the Ottomans have had in

governing their empire?

The empire covered vast expanses of land and included people with

different languages, religions, and ways of life.

Turks

Turks is a general term that refers to various peoples of different ethnic

groups that speak Turkic languages. Throughout the modern era, most Turks have lived in Asia

and have been Muslim.

Sultan Heads Ottoman Government

Sultan as supreme political and military authority

Members of Ottoman bureaucracy

Discussion 

Why might the sultans have become isolated from their people as the complexity of their government

increased?

With so many government officials helping him, a sultan probably would

not have dealt directly with the people very often.

Dynasties

In many dynasties—including the Ottoman dynasty—a ruler's son

usually became the new ruler after the ruler's death. However,

conflicts often arose when a ruler had more than one son.

Discussion 

Why might merchants have been a privileged class in Ottoman

society?

Merchants increased the empire's wealth by trading outside the

empire.