The Ottomans

Fülszöveg

Wheatcroft brings the succession of palace revolutions, "Byzantine" conspiracies and modernizing coups thrillingly to life a thoroughly good read' - Frederic Raphael in the Sunday Times
For generations, outsiders saw the Ottomans as bloodthirsty savages or as decadent pleasure-seekers, infatuated by their fine J silk robes, unique black tuhps and beautiful slave girls. This book uncovers the reahty of an empire, created by the fifteenth-century warlords of the Anatolian steppes, whose imprint can still be felt throughout the Middle East. Andrew Wheatcroft examines the consolidation of Ottoman power, the dynamic multinational state constrained by hierarchy and protocol (and the constant menace of the executioner's silken cord), and the slow path to reforms based only superficially on Western models. He concludes with some ugly European fantasies about 'the Orient', featuring Lustful and Terrible Turks.
'There is a good amount of detail here about social life, the prerogatives... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Wheatcroft brings the succession of palace revolutions, "Byzantine" conspiracies and modernizing coups thrillingly to life a thoroughly good read' - Frederic Raphael in the Sunday Times
For generations, outsiders saw the Ottomans as bloodthirsty savages or as decadent pleasure-seekers, infatuated by their fine J silk robes, unique black tuhps and beautiful slave girls. This book uncovers the reahty of an empire, created by the fifteenth-century warlords of the Anatolian steppes, whose imprint can still be felt throughout the Middle East. Andrew Wheatcroft examines the consolidation of Ottoman power, the dynamic multinational state constrained by hierarchy and protocol (and the constant menace of the executioner's silken cord), and the slow path to reforms based only superficially on Western models. He concludes with some ugly European fantasies about 'the Orient', featuring Lustful and Terrible Turks.
'There is a good amount of detail here about social life, the prerogatives of the mosque, the sanctuary of the harem and the sinister rule of the janissaries a fine study' - Michael Sheridan in the Independent
'Admirably gripping Andrew Wheatcroft has drawn up a readable and colourful portrait of a complex history' - Kirkus
'Opening with a vivid account of the siege and fall of Constantinople, it includes a good chapter on Istanbul (useful reading for any tourist) and another on the janissaries - who were to play a disruptive role in the later Ottoman period until Sultan Mahmud crushed them in 1826 and opened the way for reform' - Patrick Seale in the Guardian
The front cover shows a detail from The Sultan in Procession leaving the Great Gate of the Yen! Saray, c. 1810; the back cover shows a detail from Janissaries with Their Cool<ing Pots. Both illustrations reproduced by courtesy of the Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum
__________ Vissza