This course examines the Ottoman Empire from the upheavals surrounding the regicide of Osman II in 1622 to the start of the Tanzimat reforms of 1839. Traditionally labeled a period of decline, these two centuries now appear as an era of profound transformation. We will explore shifting patterns of political authority, the rise of provincial households, reconfigurations of military and fiscal institutions, and the dynamism of religious, intellectual, and urban life. The course also situates the empire within broader currents of early modern change, including global trade, diplomacy, and technological adaptation. Through analysis of primary sources and recent scholarship, students will analyze how the Ottomans confronted crisis, negotiated reform, and reimagined imperial order, laying crucial foundations for the nineteenth-century restructuring that foregrounds the modern Middle East. No prior knowledge of Ottoman history is required. |