- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (26 Oct 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140168796
- ISBN-13: 978-0140168792
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 2.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,084,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
The Ottoman Empire was a "mystery wrapped inside the enigma". This book aims to unravel the mystery in two ways. Firstly, it looks at the Ottomans and their world in terms relevant to an eastern Islamic society, with its own principles and practices that seemed merely barbaric to the West. The book also comes to terms with the West's expectations of the Ottomans. The author's aim is both to tell the story and offer some explanation. The book interprets the Ottomans, to make sense of a society that to Western eyes seemed feckless and utterly corrupt, cruel and craven by turns. It was frequently all of these things but not without reason or cause.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
Andrew Wheatcroft's 1993 book, The Ottomans, is one of the best books I've read on the subject, even if it's far from perfect. The book basically takes a look at the society and culture of the Ottoman Empire, with a heavy emphasis on how the Ottomans were viewed by their Western neighbours (i.e the Europeans and Americans). As you can imagine, the Westerners didn't have a high opinion of their traditional eastern enemy, but Wheatcroft attempts to counter balance these negative perceptions. The result is a bit of a hit and miss. Wheatcroft devotes many pages to wading through Western propaganda concerning the Ottomans, although at times he tends to excuse and overlook some of the negative aspects of the Ottomans. For instance when discussing the Greek War of Independence, he attempts to excuse Ottoman murders by pointing out that the Greeks massacred Turkish civilians in the Morea, although I can't see how two wrongs can make a right.
The book also follows some events from Ottoman history, with a heavy emphasis on the reforms and the changes that took place in the 19th Century. As a matter of fact a good portion of the book follows the outlines of the 'Auspicious Event' - that is the downfall of the Janissaries; as well as Sultan Abdul Hamid's policy of reforms. The earlier parts of the book also looks at the conquest of Constantinople in 1453; as well as the Golden Age of Suleiman the Lawgiver. Other highlights include a look at Constantinople, which despite the beautiful paintings of the period, was actually more like dirty slum than a city of shining palaces.
The book is wonderfully written by Wheatcroft and I found his writing to be erudite and easy to follow. It's quite possibly the easiest book to read on this subject since Lord Kinross' masterful 'The Ottoman Centuries'. This book also has the benefit of being a lot shorter than Kinross's work, although it's not quite as poetic, and not nearly as detailed. As I mentioned earlier the main emphasis is on the 19th century, while Kinross's work spans the entirety of Ottoman history, so if you want a narrative history of the period, it might be worth checking out Kinross's book.
Overall this is a very good book, even if Wheatcroft's cultural relativism and his tendency to excuse and defend the Ottomans at every turn can be overbearing at times. It makes up for it by being well written, informative and interesting, as well as having a few fascinating illustrations and photographs of the world of the Ottomans. Highly recommended!
The book also follows some events from Ottoman history, with a heavy emphasis on the reforms and the changes that took place in the 19th Century. As a matter of fact a good portion of the book follows the outlines of the 'Auspicious Event' - that is the downfall of the Janissaries; as well as Sultan Abdul Hamid's policy of reforms. The earlier parts of the book also looks at the conquest of Constantinople in 1453; as well as the Golden Age of Suleiman the Lawgiver. Other highlights include a look at Constantinople, which despite the beautiful paintings of the period, was actually more like dirty slum than a city of shining palaces.
The book is wonderfully written by Wheatcroft and I found his writing to be erudite and easy to follow. It's quite possibly the easiest book to read on this subject since Lord Kinross' masterful 'The Ottoman Centuries'. This book also has the benefit of being a lot shorter than Kinross's work, although it's not quite as poetic, and not nearly as detailed. As I mentioned earlier the main emphasis is on the 19th century, while Kinross's work spans the entirety of Ottoman history, so if you want a narrative history of the period, it might be worth checking out Kinross's book.
Overall this is a very good book, even if Wheatcroft's cultural relativism and his tendency to excuse and defend the Ottomans at every turn can be overbearing at times. It makes up for it by being well written, informative and interesting, as well as having a few fascinating illustrations and photographs of the world of the Ottomans. Highly recommended!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
15 reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful trees, but not the forest
5 Dec 2000
Format:Paperback
Andrew Wheatcroft opens his book by saying that he does not wish to write a full-blown history of the Ottoman Empire, as these already exist, mentioning Lord Kinross' book ["The Ottoman Centuries"] as an example. Indeed that is a first-class history. Rather, Wheatcroft continues, he wants to write about `the idea of the Ottomans and how in the West that idea became so completely divorced from the reality". I am not sure that THE OTTOMANS represents a successful attempt at doing that, but it is a very interesting book, well-worth reading for anyone with a desire to spend some hours thinking about the Turkish past.
The two last chapters, on `the lustful Turk' and `the terrible Turk', truly delve into the construction and propagation of these commonly-held European images of the Ottomans, images that have not yet quite died off. Elsewhere, Wheatcroft occasionally remarks on or talks briefly about such images as they grew, but his work is more like a very interesting tour of some aspects of Ottoman life and history. His fine descriptions of battles and sieges---the initial siege and fall of Constantinople, the battle of Mohacs, the sieges of Vienna in 1529 and 1683---do not really fit into his theme. The full chapter spent on telling how the proud, corrupt and troublesome janissaries were finally destroyed provide a fascinating story, but are not about `the idea of the Ottomans'. While describing Ottoman institutions like the harem or army and the city of Stamboul itself, we can look through European eyes to some extent, thus coming closer to the theme, and the process of change, discussed in Chapter 6, called "Dreams from the Rose Pavilion: the Meandering Path of Reform", also involves European interpretations of the need for reforms and European estimations of their success. One of the highlights of THE OTTOMANS is the fine collection of pictures done by European artists---definitely a European view of the Turkish past. Not as much is made of these as could be: they might have been the center of the whole book.
I liked Wheatcroft's constant attempt to make readers consider the exaggerations of the past, to make Western readers realize that the Ottoman Empire, despite its faults, was one of the major political entities of the world for over 400 years. For much of that time it had institutions that rivalled or outshone those of the West. Even when the Industrial Revolution and the concomitant rise of modern warfare tilted the scales of power towards the West, many European opinions of Turkish cruelty, corruption, or lack of cleanliness neglected European shortcomings in identical areas. If Westerners are ever going to accept Turkey as a member of the European community or merely as an equal ally and partner, a realization of these centuries of propaganda is a must. If you are looking for an academically useful book on the Ottoman Empire, this is probably not it. If, on the other hand, you just want a fascinating, well-illustrated book that is clearly-written and lucid, giving you details of a fascinating sweep of history, you will enjoy THE OTTOMANS. It could be the jumping off place for wider readings in Ottoman history and culture. And it helps set the record straight.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
a short overview of the ottoman empire
1 Jan 2001
Format:Paperback
I liked this book by Andrew Wheatcroft. In the introduction, he made it certain to the readerwhat he wasn't going to do, which was the entire history of the Ottaman Empire. What he does is clear up some misconceptions about the old Turkish Empire, and how they related to developments in Western Europe. If you want a defininitive book on the Turkish Empire, you should read Lord Kinross's The Ottoman Centuries or Palmer's book. Wheatcroft relates the images of the Lustful Turk, and discards those images into the trash can. What emerges is a very conservative Islamic society trying to cope with the West and not being very successful at it. The Sick Man of Europe did indeed die, but for the after effects read David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Colorful Look Inside the Empire
1 Aug 1999
Format:Paperback
Wheatcroft's book fills a niche on the shelf. It is not a dry recitation of dates and historical facts, nor is it a complex analysis of causes and effects in the Ottoman empire. Instead it is a brief and fascinating look at certain specific scenes: the fall of Constantinople, the harem, the janissaries, Abdul Hamid "The Red Sultan", the seige of Vienna. Using these elements as jumping off points, Wheatcroft exposes western myths about the Ottomans and with broad strokes traces the rise and fall of the empire. This book may not provide enough grist for committed scholars but it is wonderfully readable, well-researched, and colorful. It is an excellent first or second book on the subject for those interested in a vivid and balanced overview of the Ottoman empire.
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