Tanzimat
The Tanzimat was a significant period of reform in the Ottoman Empire, occurring from the 1830s to the 1870s, aimed at reversing the empire's decline and modernizing its societal structures. Influenced by Western ideals, particularly from France, these reforms sought to establish a more equitable legal framework and enhance the rights of individuals, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity. The reforms began with the Edict of Gülhane in 1839, which introduced an early version of human rights, securing a pathway to citizenship for all subjects and limiting the arbitrary powers of the sultan.
Changes included the creation of a fair tax system, military conscription reforms that included non-Muslims, and the introduction of modern technologies such as the telegraph. However, the push for reform encountered resistance from traditionalist sultans, culminating in Sultan Abdul Hamid II's suspension of the constitution and centralization of power. Despite these setbacks, the Tanzimat era marked a crucial transition towards modernization in a diverse empire that had historically blended various cultures and religions. The aftermath of these reforms played a role in the eventual fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire following World War I.
Tanzimat
The Tanzimat was a period of societal reforms undertaken by the Ottoman Empire to combat economic decline and the gradual loss of territory. It involved sweeping changes to social structure and human rights, liberating large numbers of people from servitude and opening a path to citizenship for those outside the traditional upper class.
History of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire began around 1300 C.E., when a tribal leader named Osman united several Turkish tribal groups and began to conquer other neighboring tribes. A capital was established at Bursa, which is in modern-day Turkey. After Osman’s death, his son took full control of the empire, establishing a hereditary governmental system similar to a monarchy. The leader of this system was called the sultan.
The empire expanded quickly, with armies led by several of Osman’s sons claiming territories. However, these sons soon began to fight over one another’s land, which led to a multi-way civil war over control of the empire. After several years of difficult battles, Muhammad I successfully reunited the empire.
Muhammad I began the Ottoman Empire’s first period of expansion as a unified people. The Ottomans defeated incoming armies of European crusaders and secured control of their new lands before capturing Constantinople and regions in what is now Transylvania, much of Hungary, parts of Persia, and most of Egypt. The Ottoman Empire reached its largest point under Sultan Suleiman I, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent.
At its peak, the Ottoman Empire had friendly diplomatic relations and large amounts of trade with France and the independent areas of Turkey. However, it had made powerful enemies in Austria and Spain. Constantinople, renamed Istanbul, became one of the most important political cities in the world.
Pre-Tanzimat Ottoman Empire
After Suleiman the Magnificent’s death in 1566 C.E., the Ottoman Empire began a slow decline. The Tanzimat period introduced a series of sweeping reforms intended to halt this decline. Before the Tanzimat era, the Ottoman Empire was a theocracy. The sultan was also considered the caliph, the leader of all Muslims in the world. Additionally, state law within the Ottoman Empire roughly conformed to traditional Islamic law.
In the Ottoman Empire, only a very small number of people could become full citizens, who served as the ruling class. These citizens had to prove total loyalty to the sultan. They also had to be practicing Muslims and follow a complex social and behavioral code called the "Ottoman Way." While membership to this class could be inherited from parents, children were expected to follow these tenets if they were to maintain their status.
A large portion of noncitizens living in the Ottoman Empire were slaves. However, Ottoman slavery was different from European slavery. In many cases, the sultan bought large numbers of slaves. These slaves were educated and trained for work as scribes and civil administrators. They received lodging, food, and clothes and often rose to influential and powerful positions within the government. Slaves also were able to earn their freedom.
Members of other Abrahamic religions, Christians and Jews, were allowed to exist within the Ottoman Empire without becoming slaves. However, they had to pay a special tax to the empire and follow specific rules about when and how they could practice their religion. They also were forbidden from marrying outside their religion.
The Tanzimat Reforms
The Tanzimat reforms changed all of these rules. By the 1840s, the young, upper-class citizens of the Ottoman Empire had been heavily influenced by French thinkers. Many had been educated in France and other Western European nations. These citizens attributed the decline of the empire to an inability to keep up with the times. From 1840 to 1870, the empire passed a large number of laws meant to bring Ottoman society closer to that of France or Great Britain.
Tanzimat reforms began with the Edict of Gulhane in 1939. It created the first version of an Ottoman bill of human rights, removing the ability of the sultan and other slave owners to execute their subjects at will. It gave every citizen, regardless of race or religion, a path to genuine citizenship. It attempted to secularize the government, granting power to an early form of parliament and removing powers from the sultan and caliphate.
Later Tanzimat reforms included a fair tax system with government-paid tax collectors. They also reformed the military conscription system, pulling from non-Muslim populations as well as traditional sources. Lastly, they brought new technology, such as the telegraph, into the empire.
The sultans fought these reforms, since they took away much of their dictatorial power. Eventually, Sultan Abdul Hamid II suspended the Ottoman Empire’s constitution and removed many of the checks and balances contained within it. Hamid II then disbanded the parliament and recentralized most governmental power.
The sultans were secure in their total dominion of the declining empire for as long as it lasted. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany and its allies. Following their defeat, the Ottoman Empire was divided into several smaller, independent nations.
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