Evaluate the reasons why the Ottoman army and navy were so s

A detailed Summary of Evaluate the reasons why the Ottoman army and navy were so s

Evaluate the reasons why the Ottoman army and navy were so successful in the period 1451-1529

During the period 1451-1529, the Ottoman Empire flourished and the military was one great reason for and result of this development.

The military were made up of two distinct groups, the Kapti Kullari forces and the local forces. Those in the Devshrime, who were not chosen for palace service or to cater the government, were forced to join the Janissaries who made up the core of the standing army. As these Janissaries had been trained as slaves from a young age, they gave loyal and disciplined support to the sultan, which further established the control of the sultan. The army was well equipped with clothing and armed with swords, bows, spears and later muskets. The slave forces also contained cavalry, armourers, artillerymen and wagon drivers. Secondly, the local forces were called upon in times of war and consisted mainly of cavalry, foot soldiers and raiders. The Sipahis (cavalry) of the local forces were feudal sipahis and were not supported by the state, but instead by the timar system. This meant that they were given land. The land was not owned by sipahis however; they were given the right to earn of it by the sultan. The

have the men carry them many miles over land to the other side. This tactic had never been conceived before and Mehmed's revolutionary ideas and the dedicated men of the Ottoman army and navy epitomised just how far the military had come. It could be said that Mehmed was power hungry and was just looking for the next city for his men to destroy, but the direction of the military under Mehmed was a great thing for the Ottoman Empire.

sultan was repayed in loyal service as the sipahis worked for the government by collecting taxes and enforcing domestic law.

It was this trust, loyalty and fairness exerted by each of the sultans, which was an extremely large contributor to the success of the military over this period of time. Each individual sultan brought their own particular input to the Ottoman army and navy in there respective reigns. Under Mehmed, the Ottoman military encountered its biggest test with the conquest of Constantinople. In 1453, Mehmed freshly crowned sultan, assembled ministers and assured them that the Ottoman Empire would never be safe until Constantinople was under their control. There was no strategic necessity for it's capture, however Mehmed saw it's desirability for expressing the Empire's might to the rest of Europe and the publicity of his position. Constantinople also introduced the Ottoman navy to it's first significant battle encounter. Mehmed gathered a large fleet of galleys and smaller ships totalling 130 vessels altogether. The sultan was detrmined to find a way to gain control of the Golden Horn, the natural harbour, without having to storm the defensive boom, which had been const

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Approximate Word count = 1096
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Category: History