Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State

Description

Cemal Kafadar offers a much more subtle and complex interpretation of the early Ottoman period than that provided by other historians. His careful analysis of medieval as well as modern historiography from the perspective of a cultural historian demonstrates how ethnic, tribal, linguistic, religious, and political affiliations were all at play in the struggle for power in Anatolia and the Balkans during the late Middle Ages. This highly original look at the rise of the Ottoman empire—the longest-lived political entity in human history—shows the transformation of a tiny frontier enterprise into a centralized imperial state that saw itself as both leader of the world's Muslims and heir to the Eastern Roman Empire. Contents Preface Chronology Regnal Years of Ottoman Begs and Sultans Introduction 1. The Moderns 2. The Sources 3. The Ottomans: The Construction of the Ottoman State Epilogue: The Creation of an Imperial Political Technology and Ideology Abbreviations Notes Preface Introduction 1. The Moderns 2. The Sources 3. The Ottomans Epilogue Selected Bibliography Index