The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs

The Ottoman Empire was a multiethnic, multilingual, and multireligious domain that reached deep into Europe's heart, challenging Western concepts of the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, the Reformation, and sexuality, orientalism, and genocide.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 560 pages
Publication date: 10 November 2022
Publisher: John Murray Press

The Ottoman Empire, often portrayed as the antithesis of the Christian-European West, reveals a different reality. Spanning a multiethnic, multilingual, and multireligious domain, the Ottomans deeply penetrated Europe's heart. With their vast reach and adaptability, the Ottoman rulers considered themselves the modern-day Romans.

Marc David Baer's book, "The Ottomans," delves into the empire's remarkable journey from a frontier principality to a global empire. He explores the Ottoman heritage, including Turkish, Mongolian, Islamic, and Byzantine influences, as well as their strategies for integrating conquered peoples through religious toleration and conversion. In the 19th century, the empire embraced exclusivity, resulting in ethnic cleansing, genocide, and the downfall of the dynasty after World War I.

This groundbreaking account challenges Western notions of the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, the Reformation, and sexuality, orientalism, and genocide. "The Ottomans" offers a magisterial portrayal of a dynastic power and the first to truly capture the cross-fertilization between East and West. It sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of history, challenging our understanding of the world and its complex tapestry of cultures and histories.

Weight: 412g
Dimension: 130 x 199 x 40 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781473695740