Gerhard Schneider; Osman's Children - A History of the Ottoman Empire
Nader’s invasion of the Ottoman Empire was one of the worst disasters the Ottomans had ever seen. For the first time in centuries, a foreign power had been at the gates of Constantinople, and huge areas of the Empire had been lost on the east. To make matters worse, Sultan Mahmud I’s treaty with the Persians was unpopular with almost every level of Ottoman society. Local notables feared that the central state would be unable to protect them from foreign powers, and that they would lose their power as a result. The Ulema greatly resented the recognition of the Jafari’ Madhab, which they viewed as an insidious innovation and it’s recognition as an acceptance of heresy. Although the amount of manpower that had been lost on the conflict was not catastrophic, the financial demands made on the Ottoman State certainly were, and it was these as much as anything that had broken down the previous system of accommodation based around tax farming between the Sublime Porte in Constantinople and the regional notables.
With their ties to Constantinople weakened, in the years following Nader’s invasion, Ottoman governors began amassing more local power to themselves, with many choosing to enact policies quite different from those seen in Istanbul. Although this trend of decentralisation was already present in the Ottoman Empire, the process now accelerated as local notables seized the reigns of the state in all but name. The Karaosmanoğlu family in Anatolia were an example of these “over mighty notables”, though the most pressing challenges would be in North Africa. Algeria had ceased to be a part of the Ottoman Empire for all intents and purposes in the late 17th century, and this trend was now spreading to Tunisia and Tripoli, with the hereditary Beys removing all but the most tenuous of ties to Constantinople. The most troubling change was seen in Egypt, where the ruling Mamluk Othman Bey now had designs on making his own Vilayet as independent as the other North African regions. The Egyptian Beys had always had to play a delicate balancing act between their own Mamluk soldiery and the Sultan in Constantinople, and the weakening of the latter was seen by Othman as an exceptional opportunity to shore up his own position.
Othman Bey attempted to win the approval of the Mamluks by promising a reduction of taxes, though at this point in time this open rebellion may have been premature. The Ottoman Army was still intact following the deal with Nader Shah, and was sent south to Egypt to crush Othman’s insurrection. Most of the Mamluks abandoned him in order to keep their own positions rather than sacrificing them for an apparently hopeless cause, and to some extent, notables who had ideas of attempting to forge a fully independent path elsewhere in the Empire were dissuaded by the example of Egypt. Nevertheless, the Ottoman Empire had crossed a point, and from now on it would be increasingly difficult for the Sultans to keep a lid on the ambitions of their governors. While there was an increasing desire at the centre for administrative reforms similar to those seen in Persia, the weakness of the central government meant that the Ottoman Empire struggled to put in place the kind of reforms and taxes that were necessary for a modernization of the army and state.
Mahmud I, overwhelmed by the challenges that now faced the Ottoman Empire, died a year before his rival Nader. He left the throne to his brother Osman, a man ill-suited for the enormous challenges that now faced the Empire. He was more known for his aversion to music and his fear of women than for any administrative ability. His five year reign was marked by a continuation of the weakening of the Ottoman government. Regional notables managed to amass more power, unchecked by the central government, and it was only growing tensions in Europe that saved the weakened Ottoman State from the predatory Austrian and Russian Empires. While Osman retreated further into solitude due to his increasingly common episodes of mental instability, his brother Mustafa began to articulate a clearer vision of how he thought the Empire should be governed. As well as writing his ideas in private, he also began to build a cadre of educated men with which he planned to set the Empire on the path to recovery.
This did not go unnoticed amongst the people in the Empire who were opposed to reform, such as the regional notables and a substation portion of the Janissary corps, who now began to plot against Mustafa’s life. Aware of his growing unpopularity among the ruling class, Mustafa in turn attempted to build as much of a coalition of reformers as he could. Most importantly, he secured the allegiance of the Grand Vizier, Koca Ragıp Pasha, who was a fellow believer in the need for a meaningful reform in the Ottoman Empire. Following an assassination attempt which had left him wounded, Mustafa now decided that he would strike against his brother, and managed to unseat Osman and his supporters in a relatively bloodless coup. A few Janissaries had been killed, though many had surrendered in the vain hope that serious reform could be headed off under the new sultan. This was greatly mistaken however, and underestimated the transformation that the Ottoman Empire would begin to undergo in the reign of Mustafa.
“You needs to relax a bit more. The clothes would actually suit you if you into the right state of mind…”
The message the words conveyed seemed to be lost as soon as Hassan heard them. He fidgeted with his robe, not quite achieving the look he was aiming for. He slumped rather awkwardly back onto the couch.
“You should not be nervous if you are thinking about making the right impression on Anisah. She’s a very easy girl to please you know”
Hassan shot Yasser a mortified look.
“No my boy, nothing like that! I’m merely saying that you have the kind of personality that will appeal to her. Trust me, I’ve known her since she was born. And at any rate, her father has probably been filling her ears with your noble deeds”
Hassan’s expression had scarcely changed. He looked rather despondent.
“That’s my worry Yasser. She may have this image of a latter day Rostam in her head, a giant with a sword in one hand and an enemy’s head in the other”
“She isn’t prone to flights of fantasy”
“But she may be disappointed nonetheless”
“Women learn not to have high expectations. She’s an Afghan, she hasn’t exactly met a whole lot of men. You know, we are not like you Persians, where your women have met half the men in the world by the time they’re married”
Hassan shot an annoyed look toward Yasser. But the two men started laughing, and whatever tension was in Hassan’s body melted away.
“Any daughter of Omar’s is likely to be as agreeable as he is. I should stop worrying”
Yasser took a step back and examined Hassan, looking from head to toe.
“You’re not quite Rostam, but I think you’re a bit more dashing than you take yourself credit for. You would pass for a lancer I would think”
“Yes, but in order to do that I’d have to want to emulate you wimps in the first place”
Yasser smirked. “You’re good. But I think it is almost time. Ready to become a married man?”
Hassan nodded his head, and with that, the two men left the chamber.
It was a short walk to Omar’s house, one of the more opulent buildings in the rebuilt Kandahar. Like most Afghan houses, it was austere on the outside, though the courtyard on the inside was clearly well looked after, with flowers growing around a central fountain.
Omar came out of the entrance to the main part of his house to meet Hassan and Yasser. “Salam Aleikum, so glad to see you both”
He turned to Hassan. “Second Khastegāri, don’t worry about it. The first one is the harder one, and you could be meeting far scarier parents than me. Ha! Please, come this way”
In the main sitting room of Omar’s house, the formalities were discussed. Living arrangements, religious considerations and all the other nuts and bolts of married life. After some time had passed, the important part of the ceremony had arrived, as Omar offered tea to his guests. The tea was served by Anisah herself. Hassan’s nervousness returned, and he shifted about in his couch and constantly fidgeted, as if he was unsure of what to do with his hands.
The girl walked into the room, carrying a tray with small cups of chai tea arranged in a circle on it. One by one, she offered the guests a cup, coming face to face with Hassan last. He had avoided her gaze beforehand, and now found that he had to look at her.
She was certainly a great beauty, and bore little resemblance to her father. The most noticeable feature were her large brown eyes, which had a rather unusual effect on those who looked into them. Her thin lips may have been considered unattractive by other men, but Hassan didn’t notice. Hassan was smitten, in love even. He had made the right choice indeed…
