HIST 212 Diversity Before Multiculturalism: The Ottoman World, 1300-1699

With its capital in Europe since 1363 and spanning Europe, Asia and Africa for nearly five centuries the Ottoman Empire was perhaps the most successful and longest enduring experiment in multiculturalism the world has ever known. Multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious Ottoman society and culture were comprised of Muslim, Byzantine Christian, Turkish, Greek, Persian, Mongol, Slavic, Armenian, Arab, African and Jewish cultural elements. Edicts from the Ottoman state were regularly issued in nine languages. One reason for its longevity was its willingness to draw on the diversity of this rich historical and cultural tableau. In this course, we will examine the complex social, cultural and political transformations occurring in the Ottoman Empire from its inception as a small principality in western Anatolia until it reached its zenith when it stretched into modern-day Austria.