Tuesday, November 9, 2010

State Organization

The Imperial Harem
The state organization of the Ottoman Empire consisted of the military administration and the civil administration. It was a very simple system. The highest position belonged to me, the Sultan. Furthermore, the state had complete control over the clergy.  The state’s main task was to protect and expand the Muslim land and also to ensure safety and agreement within the borders. The central government was the House of Osman, which consisted of the servants of the Sultan, the Imperial Harem, and the Palace School.  The mother of the sultan held supreme power over the Harem. Therefore, she had a very powerful position in the court. Also, the palace school was made to create support for a successor by surrounding him by the ruling elite. The viziers of the Divan were the influential advisors and ministers of the Sultan. Most of them were nobles, but their jobs were essentially to be servants for the sultan. The Minister controlled the Ministry, which were a government department that were a vital part of the Ottoman system of government.  In the civil administration, there were millets and elders. The millets were self-governing communities that the major religious groups were allowed to establish.  Each millet was allowed to keep its own religious customs, and they were led by religious chiefs. The councils of the Elder had the duty of representing the people of their region. In some places, they became a type of nobility. There were also many vassal states. They paid taxes and gave troops to the sultan. The state organization of the Ottoman Empire was highly advanced and effective.

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