Success

When we talk about the Ottoman Empire we usually talk about all the things they did differently than other empires in history. I think some of these things really contributed to its extended success. Something that I find very interesting was their idea of tolerance. At this time period who would think that an empire would come in and take over rule, but not force people to change their ways of life. Not changing their religion may have kept the successful times for the Ottoman Empire. Of course Islam was the first and most powerful religion in this society but they did not force it on Christians and Jews. I also think it is interesting how the Millets worked in society. Each religion had their own courts and depending on who had conflicts a certain religious court was chosen to deal with them. This is extremely groundbreaking, not having the Muslim courts rule over every conflict really helped allow the other religions of the empire to feel they could have an impact on their own lives even though they have been over ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Its really interesting to see the successful things the Ottoman Empire accomplished, and to see other empires make mistakes that they could have learned from other empires before their time.