Societal Structure of the Ottoman Empire

Societal Structure of the Ottoman Empire

By the 16th century, the vast and mighty empire of the Ottomans had

reached the zenith of its power. The lands under Ottoman rule stretched

from the heart of Central Europe to the deserts of Arabia. In nearly every

respect, the Ottoman Empire was strong and well-organized. As such, it

comes as no surprise that the people under Ottoman rule were organized in

a neat power structure as well. From the royal Sultan to the villagers in

the rayyah class, the people of the Empire each had a unique position in

Ottoman society.

At the very top of the pyramidal societal structure was the Sultan,

absolute commander of all, and executor of decisions concerning politics

and state wealth (for the purposes of serving the state's interests). A

step below the Sultan were a small group of wealthy, esteemed leaders, who

were ascribed special status because they were essentially the Sultan's

"slaves". The main duties of this select little group were to protect and

enlarge the financial assets of the state for the benefit of the Sultan

and the Empire. These leaders also ruled and defended the far-flung

Ottoman Empire.

While the Sultan invested wealth and the leaders protected it, the

majority of commoners, the rayyahs, had the task of actually producing the

wealth. 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 mix of the rayyah

class. The word "rayyah" literally translates into "the protected flock of

the Sultan".

While Ottoman society was clearly divided into distinct social classes,

these classes were neither closed nor confining, meaning that with the

proper attributes and luck, a man could raise his social status. For

example, to be a member of the small ruling class below the Sultan, one

had to possess the following three qualities:

- deep-rooted patriotism and loyalty for the Empire and the Sultan. -

acceptance and practice of Islam, which was integrated into the Ottoman

lifestyle. - knowledge and practice of the Ottoman Way, which consisted of

complex customs, behavior, and language.

If a rayyah possessed these qualities, he had a chance of becoming one of

the numbered leaders. On the other hand, if a leader appeared to be

lacking one or more of these qualities, he could just as easily be removed

from his position and sink to being a rayyah again. The shaping force

behind the Ottoman Empire was most definitely the religion of Islam. As a

result, religion became a foremost guiding factor in people's lives.