Cemal Kafadar offers a much more subtle and complex interpretation of the early Ottoman period than that provided by other historians. His careful analysis of medieval as well as modern historiography from the perspective of a cultural historian demonstrates how ethnic, tribal, linguistic, religious, and political affiliations were all at play in the struggle for power in Anatolia and the Balkans during the late Middle Ages.
This highly original look at the rise of the Ottoman empire—the longest-lived political entity in human history—shows the transformation of a tiny frontier enterprise into a centralized imperial state that saw itself as both leader of the world's Muslims and heir to the Eastern Roman Empire.
Between Two Worlds The Construction of the Ottoman State
About the Book
Table of Contents
PREFACE
CHRONOLOGY
Introduction
Background and Overview
Identity and Influence in the History of Nations
The Moderns
The Rise of the Ottoman State in Modern
Historiography
The Wittek Thesis and Its Critics
2
The Sources
Gaza and Gazis in the Frontier Narratives of
Medieval Anatolia
The Chronicles of the House of Osman and Their
Flavor: Onion or Garlic?
3
The Ottomans: The Construction of the Ottoman State
Strategizing for Alliances and Conflicts:
The Early Beglik
Into the Limelight and the Rise of Tensions
Epilogue: The Creation of an Imperial Political
Technology and Ideology
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
NOTES
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
Awards
- 1996 M. Fuat Köprülü Award, Turkish Studies Association