Societal Structure of the Ottoman Empire :: World History

Societal Structure of the Ottoman imperium By the 16th century, the vast and mighty empire of the Ottomans hadreached the zenith of its power. The lands under Ottoman tower stretchedfrom the heart of Central Europe to the deserts of Arabia. In nearly everyrespect, the Ottoman Empire was strong and well-organized. As such, itcomes as no surprise that the people under Ottoman rule were organized ina neat power structure as well. From the royal Sultan to the villagers inthe rayyah layer, the people of the Empire each had a unique position inOttoman society. At the very top of the pyramidal societal structure was the Sultan,absolute commander of all, and executor of decisions concerning political scienceand state wealth (for the purposes of serving the states interests). Astep below the Sultan were a small group of wealthy, esteemed leaders, whowere ascribed special status because they were essentially the Sultansslaves. The main(prenominal) duties of this select little group were to protect andenlarge the financial assets of the state for the benefit of the Sultanand the Empire. These leaders also ruled and defended the far-flungOttoman Empire. small-arm the Sultan invested wealth and the leaders protected it, themajority of commoners, the rayyahs, had the task of actually producing thewealth. The rayyahs had to pay part of their profits from industry,commerce, and farming to the state in the form of taxes. Townsfolk,villagers, and idyl peoples made up the eclectic mix of the rayyahclass. The word rayyah literally translates into the protected flock ofthe Sultan. While Ottoman society was clearly divided into translucent social classes,these classes were neither closed nor confining, meaning that with theproper attributes and luck, a man could raise his social status. Forexample, to be a member of the small ruling class below the Sultan, onehad to possess the following three qualities- deep-rooted patriotism and loyalty for the Empire and the Sultan. -ac ceptance and exercising of Islam, which was integrated into the Ottomanlifestyle. - knowledge and practice of the Ottoman Way, which consisted ofcomplex customs, behavior, and language.If a rayyah possessed these qualities, he had a chance of becoming one ofthe numbered leaders. On the other hand, if a leader appeared to be scatty one or more of these qualities, he could just as easily be removedfrom his position and sink to being a rayyah again. The shaping stickbehind the Ottoman Empire was most definitely the religion of Islam. As aresult, religion became a foremost guiding factor in peoples lives.