The Sublime State - An Ottoman AAR

[unmerged(59077)]

Wow, those are excellent advisors. And they must be costing you appropriately....

 

[unmerged(87106)]

Hopefully you are entering an age of peace that will only bring more prosperity...

 

[unmerged(136527)]

why are you spreading your research effort?

 

[Enewald]

Why so many diplomats?
Abuse them!

 

[daemonofdecay]

You only have roughly 330 years to go, so it shouldn't take you more than 4.5years to finish!

*cries softly*

Wow, those are excellent advisors. And they must be costing you appropriately....

Yes, but I think good advisors are worth the cost for the research bonus. Not to mention that delicious stability or prestige increase.

Hopefully you are entering an age of peace that will only bring more prosperity...

Knock on wood.

why are you spreading your research effort?

I think it was because I was already far ahead in land and government tech, so I decided to bring up the others as well.

It wouldn't do to have my "state-of-the-art" galleys fighting two-deckers in the 1600s. I don't want to loose the arms race!

Why so many diplomats?
Abuse them!

I use them often enough. The only problem is that very few people want to talk to me as I work off some of that extra bad boy.

 

[phargle]

That's Rome. Fool them once, shame on them; fool them twice, shame on the Swiss.

 

[unmerged(136527)]

I think it was because I was already far ahead in land and government tech, so I decided to bring up the others as well.

If that is the case shouldn't you be researching only the one tech you want to bring up first? that way you will get the bonuses earlier

 

[daemonofdecay]

__________________________________________________________________________________________​

Herr von Steuben,

I have so far been unable to make contact with Herr Yılmaz. I waited all day for him to arrive at the arranged spot but he never did show up. I am going to try tomorrow in case he has been delayed; I know firsthand how bad the weather has been as of late.

Well the good news is that I was able to spend my time waiting for Herr Yılmaz on my manuscript, and being in a large city now provides me with access to much improved mail couriers. And give your wife a happy birthday from me, lest she think I have forgotten.

Sincerely,

Johannes Krieger
September 28, 1854​

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Part Twenty-five
Early Religious Conversions in Greece

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The freedoms afforded to religious and ethnic minorities within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire were unheard of at the time. In Europe Jews could find themselves in the middle of a pogrom without warning while in states with multiple religions there was a trend towards forcibly homogenizing the region. The crusades of the Teutonic Knights against pagan Lithuania were still fresh in the minds of Eastern Europeans while Spain was still involved in its Reconquista and employed the Spanish Inquisition against non-Christians with zeal.

Thus the Ottoman policy of trying to peaceably incorporate other faiths into its Empire was not the standard practice. The most lenient of Christian nations charged fines and forced minorities to wear certain clothing or dwell in designated areas of towns. In the Ottoman Empire these restrictions were much looser as different groups were given a certain level of autonomy in areas such as tax collection: as long as the government received its payment it would let the minorities act much as they pleased.

One of the outcomes of this policy was continued cultural development in non-Muslim religious groups. A good example of this would be the first printed Cyrillic book Oktoih, the first voice. This Serbian Book of Psalms illustrates perfectly how the Ottoman Empire valued progress and technological achievements; in most other nations such a dangerous thing as a printing press in the hands of a minority group would be perceived as a threat.

Sultan Bayezid II was interested by the new invention and ordered one purchased and installed in Constantinople, but his curiousity soon faded and the device was only used a handful of times before being dismantled sometime in the early 1500s. Eventually the Ottomans would embrace the printing press and the opportunities it presented but due to royal indifference it would not be utilized for some time yet.

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While the Ottoman Empire did give greater levels of freedom to religious minorities in the interest of national stability the spread of the Muslim faith was also seen as a duty of the Empire. Most of these efforts were done through economic and political coercion: Muslims paid a much lower tax and had more opportunities for employment within the Ottoman state. Even the recruitment policies of the Janissaries were seen in a favorable light by the Muslims, despite its opposition amongst those whose children were taken.

Most of the efforts of Muslim missionaries and wandering Imam’s were centered on the Greek, the largest non-Turkish ethnicity within the Empire. The Greeks had been favored by the Ottomans for the devşirme due to their perceived superiority as bureaucrats and soldiers over other Christian groups, many of whom were still dependencies or vassals of the Empire. Yet by encouraging non-forced conversion through subtler means the Turks found great success in spreading the Muslim faith. By the turn of the century it is estimated that one in nine Greeks was a Muslim.

The Greek areas nearest the capital were the most successfully converted in the early years due to the demographic shift as Muslim Turks moved from Anatolia to the new seat of Imperial power. Christians were frequently displaced by Muslim soldiers who were being paid for their services with a piece of land. Those that remained normally converted to preserve their own lands from being given to a stranger.

Much credit for these growths must be given to local Greek Muslims who were given positions of authority within Greek communities. As their wealth grew many ambitious Greek merchants and skilled tradesmen saw a chance to improve their lot in life by converting. These voluntary conversions were almost always amongst the growing middle classes while the forced conversions of the devşirme system was targeted more on the peasants and lower classes, an imbalance that would cause problems for the Ottomans later on.

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Yet because the conversions were most successful amongst the wealthier classes the religious transformation of Greece was almost entirely centered on larger towns and cities. The more isolated villages and farming communities were mostly left to their own devices, where they continued to practice Christianity without much fuss as Imam's mostly ignored such small, tight knit groups. The region of Morea was a very fruitful area for Muslim conversion, something that has surprised many historians of the period. Indeed Morea was one of the more recent additions to the Ottoman Empire by the time of Bayezid II and veterans of that conflict were still alive in the 1490s. The successes here are explained by a strange mix of economic, social, and biological forces that all came together in the latter half of the 15th century.

The Despotate of Morea had, like many regions of Greece, suffered terribly during the slow collapse and eventual defeat of the Byzantine Empire. In the aftermath of their conquest by the Ottomans a series of natural events decimated the population as Morea was struck with a succession of famines and plagues. These occurrences were mercifully brief but left the region with a drained population and little wealth. Some of the Greeks sought safety in other lands and moved away, a void that was filled by enterprising Turks who were not interested in moving to the crowded and retiring soldiers given a plot of land to farm.

The regions depleted coffers made a conversion to Islam and the lower taxes an appealing idea for those that remained, leading to a rapid growth in the Muslim population. With conversions within the Greek middle-class and an influx of Turks Morea was rapidly changing its demographics. A 1498 census of Mystras found one fourth of the population to be Muslim, when only a generation before it had been almost absolutely Christian. But Morea was a special case; it saw a fairly even growth of a Muslim middle-class and amongst the peasantry compared to the more lopsided conversions elsewhere. Thus when other regions would see peasant revolts amongst the Christian Greeks versus their wealthier Muslim neighbors, Morea would remain fairly stable and free of the spreading conflicts.

- Johannes Krieger, The Sublime State: A History of The Ottoman Empire; vol. 1

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[unmerged(59077)]

A good explanation for what happens when the game does conversions.

I didn't know about MMP printing press events, actually.

 

[unmerged(87106)]

Time will tell whether or not a common faith will stop Greek ethnic nationalism...

 

[Milites]

Those darn printing presses. I know that feeling far too well. You go out of your way to get one and after a week or so you lose interest.

 

[Stuyvesant]

Nice explanation of the game-mechanic-induced push to convert the populace, even though the Ottomans were historically fairly tolerant (and all the more successful as conquerors because of it).

As far as Krieger goes, it's worrisome that he was unable to meet his contact. After all, his pursuers are not far behind him, so any dawdling plays into their hands. Still, as the Doctor clearly ends up publishing his book (you quote from it extensively, after all ), I have faith in a good outcome.

 

[daemonofdecay]

Well first the cop out - school has been getting down to the wire and I havn't had as much time as I would like to do anything but finish up papers and start studying for finals.

But this should all be over with in about a week or two, and then I will have plenty of free time to write!

. . . mainly because it will be tought for me to find a summer job in the current economy.

That's Rome. Fool them once, shame on them; fool them twice, shame on the Swiss.

Damn Swiss. . . always cheating me on my cheese purchases. I'm not willing to pay for air!

If that is the case shouldn't you be researching only the one tech you want to bring up first? that way you will get the bonuses earlier

Probably. But then again, I'm lazy and I despise fiddling with the sliders more than I have to.

Which is probably why I'm not always the best player around, eh?

A good explanation for what happens when the game does conversions.

I didn't know about MMP printing press events, actually.

Thank you! I was, how you say, intrigued by the posibilities of explaining such basic game components.

Time will tell whether or not a common faith will stop Greek ethnic nationalism...

SPOILER. . . It won't. At least, not all the way.

But don't except an independent Greece anytime soon. Or ever.

Those darn printing presses. I know that feeling far too well. You go out of your way to get one and after a week or so you lose interest.

They get out dated so fast too. The iPress Gutenburg-edition can print in color now. In color!

Nice explanation of the game-mechanic-induced push to convert the populace, even though the Ottomans were historically fairly tolerant (and all the more successful as conquerors because of it).

As far as Krieger goes, it's worrisome that he was unable to meet his contact. After all, his pursuers are not far behind him, so any dawdling plays into their hands. Still, as the Doctor clearly ends up publishing his book (you quote from it extensively, after all ), I have faith in a good outcome.

It could be printed posthumously.

And the parts about the conversions were based on what I have read. For instance historically the Turks kicked out alot of Greeks from Constantinople and then foribly repopulated it with large numbers of Turks. So I imagined what if colonization and conversions were encouraged by the government, but kept from being violent 'conversion by the sword' or a massive forced displacement of people.

To be frank here, the Ottomans definetly value peace and stability over homogenization. Morea was a special case due to its depopulated state; most of the other conquered Ottoman lands will take much longer to convert (if ever).

 

[Enewald]

The religion, that has been guarding Balkans from the scourge of east, is beginning to fade... The last Roman province turning Muslim...
But as said, you are the Third Rome.
First Rome was pagan, Second Rome was Christian, Third Rome is Islamic... The fourth one might appear one day...

 

[unmerged(59077)]

First Rome was pagan, Second Rome was Christian, Third Rome is Islamic... The fourth one might appear one day...

I can just see it. The Scientologist Empire - Rise of the Fourth Rome!

 

[daemonofdecay]

The religion, that has been guarding Balkans from the scourge of east, is beginning to fade... The last Roman province turning Muslim...
But as said, you are the Third Rome.
First Rome was pagan, Second Rome was Christian, Third Rome is Islamic... The fourth one might appear one day...

I believe that sorry bunch of Russians claims to possess the Third Rome. Trying to steal my thunder, they are.

I can just see it. The Scientologist Empire - Rise of the Fourth Rome!

Padishah Xenu I

:rofl:

 

[daemonofdecay]

__________________________________________________________________________________________​

Herr von Steuben,

Herr Yılmaz did not meet me at all again today. Having already spent enough time here I have arranged a carriage for my travelling companion and myself to leave early tomorrow morning. I am worried about Herr Yilmaz; when I saw him last his old wounds had been plaguing him to a terrible degree. I feel a bit perverse and guilty for thinking it, but at the time I was relieved that the pain kept him from leading me through another unbearable retelling of just how he had obtained every one of his aches and scars.

A second day spent waiting, a second day catching up on my writing. I’ve been able to get down a few chapters and want to mail this one to you while I still can. The Ottoman mail service is fairly efficient, but the terrain it has to contend with and the continuing troubles further north mean that it might be significantly delayed the further I get from major towns.

And this is no Prussia, either. Perhaps it’s the length of history they have behind them, but I often get the impression that the officials and other government functionaries have a lackadaisical attitude towards their jobs. It will get there, but it might take time.

Sincerely,

Johannes Krieger
September 29, 1854​

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Part Twenty-six
Barbarossa the Corsair

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The relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary pirates had been a fairly simple and straightforward agreement based upon mutual aid: the Turks would help finance the pirates, and in exchange would receive a portion of the loot. The Sultans gained an effective weapon against their Christian enemies that also doubled as a convenient source of profit. Barbary Corsairs were rightfully feared by all the Christian nations, creating havoc amongst the merchant routes not under the “protection” of the Ottoman Empire.

Yet while this arrangement helped enrich both parties, troubles could still form between the distant nations. Corsairs often resented having to pay tribute to the Sultan whom they felt was not earning his fee. Generally such disagreements were handled quietly by reminding the Barbary States that the Ottomans were the only nation powerful enough to guarantee their independence from Catholic Spain; the threat of the Reconquista making its way into North Africa was a real one in the late 1400s. If this wasn’t enough to settle the matter then things could rapidly escalate into a violent confrontation.

There were numerous such clashes between the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary Corsairs during the 15th and 16th centuries, every one amounting to nothing more than a few minor raids on outlying Ottoman settlements or weaker merchant vessels that did little more than superficial damage to the Ottoman state. These were instead part of a wider game of politics as the Bey’s sought greater influence over their rivals and in negotiations with the Sultan over adjusting the percentage of tribute sent back to Constantinople. Yet when a brash Corsair went too far or a Sultan needed to make an example out of one of them, the Ottoman Empire was quick to respond with a show of force to demonstrate who was the true power.

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At the end of the 1490s there arose such a disagreement between the Ottoman’s and the Bey of Tunisia, who allowed a few of his ships to strike against the Turkish coast to try and break the stalemate at the negotiating table. The attacks were larger in scope than what any of the Corsair’s had previously attempted, forcing Sultan Bayezid II to react lest he lose face. A punitive force of Ottoman ships was quickly dispatched to North African waters, where they captured a handful of Tunisian vessels and executed each crew before delivering the heads to the Bey personally. Furious at the act the Bey severed most links he had to the Ottomans, nearly beheading the Sultan’s own emissary in his rage. This falling out would only be a temporary situation as the Corsair’s rivals quickly exploited his weakness and had him deposed less than a year later, returning things to the Status Quo and sending a portion of his accumulated wealth to the Sultan as a gift.

The obviously fickle nature of the alliance between the Barbary States and the Ottoman Empire was a cause of concern for Bayezid, who decided that he needed to have a more loyal cadre of privateers that would not be beholden to local politics that didn’t concern the Empire. A number of Turkish captains were given ships and carte blanche to attack Christian shipping as they saw fit, acting as a second force of Muslim pirates on the sea. Of these individuals the most infamous was Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, a name that would be synonymous with piracy for decades.

- Painting of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, 16th century.​

Barbarossa, meaning Red Beard, was born Yakupoğlu Hızır and was one of four brothers who all became privateers under the Ottoman flag. But Barbarossa would surpass his siblings to quickly become one of the most successful pirates of all time. His ships would strike swiftly and inflict terrible damage before departing with holds full of gems, precious metals, trade goods and slaves. His daring and feats of renown would earn him the personal attention of the Sultan himself, who would bestow the honorary name of Hayreddin, meaning ‘Goodness of the Religion’, and the title of Pasha upon him. Barbarossa would attack ports the Corsairs had deemed impregnable and succeed, each attack only adding to his reputation.

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For the Empire, Barbarossa was an amazing stroke of luck. The wealth he obtained on his voyages were always lucrative and worth incredible sums of wealth. Later privateers such as England’s Sir Francis Drake and Sir Béthencourt of Calais would also capture massive sums by raiding Spanish treasure galleons and other tempting targets, easily surpassing the total monetary value of Barbarossa’s gains. Yet two facts must be considered by every scholar when trying to judge his successes as a pirate.

The first is how dreaded Barbarossa would become throughout the Christian world; no other pirate has ever come close to having the same effect on so many different nations and peoples. Barbarossa’s name alone was enough to swing negotiations in favor of the Ottomans, and many Christian merchants paid handsome sums to the Turks to ensure their ships would be spared.

The second is that, while Drake and Béthencourt were each able to surpass Barbarossa in the sheer values accumulated, they were also attacking the Spanish treasure fleets loaded with the gold and silver of the New World. Each man only captured a handful of vessels during their careers, yet that was enough to fill England’s coffers. In contrast Barbarossa captured many hundreds of vessels and pillaged dozens of towns during his career to create a record that stands today. It is indeed an interesting notion to ponder how the Ottoman Empire would have developed without Barbarossa; it was his exploits that helped fund the Sultan’s forces as they fought the Mamluk at the turn of the century, which open the way for Ottoman expansion to the south and eventual dominion over the Arab world.

- Johannes Krieger, The Sublime State: A History of The Ottoman Empire; vol. 1

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[Enewald]

Hail Barbarossa, better than the german Barbarossa!

 

[unmerged(59077)]

Just don't besiege St.Elmo and all will be fine.

I'm surprised at the amount of loot he generates, to be honest. 50-60 gold?

 

[unmerged(136527)]

are those pirate events from the mod or the original game?