Societal Structure of the Ottoman Empire :: World History

social Structure of the poof empire By the 16th century, the vast and mighty empire of the blows hadr to each unityed the zenith of its power. The lands under queer rule stretchedfrom the heart of Central europium to the deserts of Arabia. In nearly e realrespect, the Ottoman Empire was salutary and well-organized. As such, itcomes as no surprise that the people under Ottoman rule were organized ina neat power expression as well. From the royal grand Turk to the villagers inthe rayyah class, the people of the Empire each had a unique position inOttoman society. At the very top of the pyramidal societal structure was the Sultan,absolute commander of all, and executor of decisions concerning political sympathiesand pass on wealth (for the purposes of serving the states interests). Astep below the Sultan were a small group of wealthy, esteemed leaders, whowere ascribed special status because they were basically the Sultansslaves. The main duties of this select little group were to protect andenlarge the financial assets of the state for the benefit of the Sultanand the Empire. These leaders also ruled and defended the far-flungOttoman Empire. While the Sultan invested wealth and the leaders protected it, the absolute majority of commoners, the rayyahs, had the task of actually producing thewealth. The rayyahs had to pay part of their profits from industry,commerce, and farming to the state in the form of taxes. Townsfolk,villagers, and pastoral peoples made up the eclectic strut of the rayyahclass. The word rayyah literally translates into the protected flock ofthe Sultan. While Ottoman society was clearly divided into distinct social classes,these classes were neither closed(a) nor confining, meaning that with theproper attributes and luck, a man could raise his social status. Forexample, to be a member of the small ruling class below the Sultan, onehad to possess the following three qualities- deep-rooted patriotism and loyalty for the Empire an d the Sultan. -acceptance and practice of Islam, which was integrated into the Ottomanlifestyle. - knowledge and practice of the Ottoman Way, which consisted ofcomplex customs, behavior, and language.If a rayyah possessed these qualities, he had a chance of sightly one ofthe numbered leaders. On the other hand, if a leader appeared to be lack one or more of these qualities, he could just as well be removedfrom his position and sink to being a rayyah again. The cause forcebehind the Ottoman Empire was most definitely the trust of Islam. As aresult, religion became a foremost guiding ingredient in peoples lives.