Deleted member 67076
Ottoman rule over Italy was an interesting endeavor. Rumeli took great care of her possessions and it showed. Roads were rebuilt, cities lavishly restored and great artists, engineers and playwrights patronized. It was, all things considered, rather lenient, with noticeable examples of Ottoman benevolence including lowering taxes (sans the Jizya) and the pockets of serfdom in Ottoman Italy being abolished. This, combined with the superior Ottoman administration, immigration of Rumelians, expansion of trade and the consolidation of most of the lands of Italy into one major state, led to an unprecedented economic and cultural boom. The wealth of Italy, already vast by European spanders, exploded into a splendor never before seen.
This boom, known as the Renaissance to the Italians, was a period of unrivaled marvel in Italy, well regarded as a golden age by later historians, that really cemented Ottoman Rule over the presence. At first, it was fear and might that held Italy together, with the Ottoman military having to crush 4 major revolts in the first 30 years of conquest. But eventually, like during Ostrogothic kingdom before them, the conquered Italian populace eventually saw the Ottomans as a better deal than their predecessors and began to passively accept Turkish rule. This was made significantly easier by the trend of Romanization that occurred as time went by, where Suleyman’s successors attempted to pander to the Italian and Greek populace by embracing their Roman heritage, binding their customs and appointing minority groups to high ranking positions. And finally, after decades of conquest, it was simple inertia and (relatively) excellent living standards of Italy that allowed the Ottomans to rule with a fairly easy yoke on the populace.
But initially, Suleyman did not do much to Italy outside the necessary. His victory was astounding, but holding these vast new domains had was the major concern for him. The Kayser viewed this as his life's work, and thus spent the remainder of his reign ensuring that Ottoman control over Italia would be not slip from the grasp of his empire, not in his reign or the next, or God willing, all who seat on the Kayser’s throne.
What instead followed was several decades of excellent administration and wealth accumulation. Suleymans reign, after its initial waves of conquest, was one of peace and prosperity. Not much really occurred military wise,.a few revolts nonwithstandings. Mimicking his predecessor Orhan, the Kayser instead worked on cementing his legacy, strengthening his realm, and molding the state to his Romanophililc ideal, promulgating a new series of laws, partially modeled on the civil law left by Justinian (among other Byzantine laws) and Islamic law, along with Turkish law to form a new legal code for the Ottomans. It is for this he is often known as the “The Lawgiver” in Rumelia. [1] Living up to the ideas of the philosopher king as espoused by Marcus Aurelius and the Caliph Umar, Suleyman worked hard to clamp down on corruption, champion justice and bind the lands of his predecessors togehter. As well, the kayser most noticeably spent his time restoring both Rome’s to their former glory. in the East, Suleyman oversaw the repopulation of Constantinople, the repairing of its it old facilities, including the Hippodrome, the Hagia Sophia, the baths, and the installation of the Constantinopolitan arsenal, modeled after the Venetian one. By the end of his reign in the 1460s, it is estimated Constantinople was once against a bustling city of 250 thousand souls and growing ever more daily. Similarly, the first Rome was rebuilt, repaired and repopulated, and by 1460s boasted a population of 60,000. Perhaps most noticeably, in a gesture fitting his rank, the Kayser lavishly spent on the restoration of aqueducts, along with the Coliseum and the Forum.
Suleyman would once again set the tradition of wealthy aristocrats patronizing a city via buildings, infrastructure development and sponsorships to many an artist.
In 1467, the Kayser finally died, leaving a vast realm to his son, Orhan. It is thought (although this is most probably a fabrication by later writers) that on his deathbed, Suleyman boasted that, like Augustus, he once again “Found Rome a city of bricks and turned it into a city of Marble.“ We must note however, that for all of the noticeable restoration of Rome, the most developed region of the Ottoman Italy was the south, especially around Bari. Bari was the closest to Rumelia proper, and the vital artery that allowed continued control over Italy. Thus it was of immense strategic value to the Ottomans and would be treated with intense care.
In retrospect, the Kayser certainly earned his title. He is, without a doubt, a worthy successor to the Throne of Augustus, and if the old Romans could see him upon his death they would be pleased that he brought at his success and the honor he brought to the Roman Empire. One of the few philosopher kings, he is honored by modern Rumelians as an ideal of a just and fair ruler, who brought glory to his domains. The fact his portrait is often found in legal houses today as a testament to how his is viewd.
And now, in 1467, the Ottoman Empire would be in the hands of Suleyman’s capable son Orhan. Who, if Suleyman is the Augustus, Orhan is most certainly the Trajan, depsite the man thinking of himself as the modern Justinian. Nonetheless, upon Orhan’s ascension, the Renovatii Imperii continued as scheduled.
[1]: I couldn’t help myself. It was just too good. On another note, I figured this would be a logical outcome following the conquest of such a large and, well, different (both ethnically, culturally and religious) land. The Ottomans are likely, IMO to lay down a law code that can apply to everyone in their empire, and serves as nice callback to the old Romans, which fits their propaganda nicely.
This boom, known as the Renaissance to the Italians, was a period of unrivaled marvel in Italy, well regarded as a golden age by later historians, that really cemented Ottoman Rule over the presence. At first, it was fear and might that held Italy together, with the Ottoman military having to crush 4 major revolts in the first 30 years of conquest. But eventually, like during Ostrogothic kingdom before them, the conquered Italian populace eventually saw the Ottomans as a better deal than their predecessors and began to passively accept Turkish rule. This was made significantly easier by the trend of Romanization that occurred as time went by, where Suleyman’s successors attempted to pander to the Italian and Greek populace by embracing their Roman heritage, binding their customs and appointing minority groups to high ranking positions. And finally, after decades of conquest, it was simple inertia and (relatively) excellent living standards of Italy that allowed the Ottomans to rule with a fairly easy yoke on the populace.
But initially, Suleyman did not do much to Italy outside the necessary. His victory was astounding, but holding these vast new domains had was the major concern for him. The Kayser viewed this as his life's work, and thus spent the remainder of his reign ensuring that Ottoman control over Italia would be not slip from the grasp of his empire, not in his reign or the next, or God willing, all who seat on the Kayser’s throne.
What instead followed was several decades of excellent administration and wealth accumulation. Suleymans reign, after its initial waves of conquest, was one of peace and prosperity. Not much really occurred military wise,.a few revolts nonwithstandings. Mimicking his predecessor Orhan, the Kayser instead worked on cementing his legacy, strengthening his realm, and molding the state to his Romanophililc ideal, promulgating a new series of laws, partially modeled on the civil law left by Justinian (among other Byzantine laws) and Islamic law, along with Turkish law to form a new legal code for the Ottomans. It is for this he is often known as the “The Lawgiver” in Rumelia. [1] Living up to the ideas of the philosopher king as espoused by Marcus Aurelius and the Caliph Umar, Suleyman worked hard to clamp down on corruption, champion justice and bind the lands of his predecessors togehter. As well, the kayser most noticeably spent his time restoring both Rome’s to their former glory. in the East, Suleyman oversaw the repopulation of Constantinople, the repairing of its it old facilities, including the Hippodrome, the Hagia Sophia, the baths, and the installation of the Constantinopolitan arsenal, modeled after the Venetian one. By the end of his reign in the 1460s, it is estimated Constantinople was once against a bustling city of 250 thousand souls and growing ever more daily. Similarly, the first Rome was rebuilt, repaired and repopulated, and by 1460s boasted a population of 60,000. Perhaps most noticeably, in a gesture fitting his rank, the Kayser lavishly spent on the restoration of aqueducts, along with the Coliseum and the Forum.
Suleyman would once again set the tradition of wealthy aristocrats patronizing a city via buildings, infrastructure development and sponsorships to many an artist.
In 1467, the Kayser finally died, leaving a vast realm to his son, Orhan. It is thought (although this is most probably a fabrication by later writers) that on his deathbed, Suleyman boasted that, like Augustus, he once again “Found Rome a city of bricks and turned it into a city of Marble.“ We must note however, that for all of the noticeable restoration of Rome, the most developed region of the Ottoman Italy was the south, especially around Bari. Bari was the closest to Rumelia proper, and the vital artery that allowed continued control over Italy. Thus it was of immense strategic value to the Ottomans and would be treated with intense care.
In retrospect, the Kayser certainly earned his title. He is, without a doubt, a worthy successor to the Throne of Augustus, and if the old Romans could see him upon his death they would be pleased that he brought at his success and the honor he brought to the Roman Empire. One of the few philosopher kings, he is honored by modern Rumelians as an ideal of a just and fair ruler, who brought glory to his domains. The fact his portrait is often found in legal houses today as a testament to how his is viewd.
And now, in 1467, the Ottoman Empire would be in the hands of Suleyman’s capable son Orhan. Who, if Suleyman is the Augustus, Orhan is most certainly the Trajan, depsite the man thinking of himself as the modern Justinian. Nonetheless, upon Orhan’s ascension, the Renovatii Imperii continued as scheduled.
[1]: I couldn’t help myself. It was just too good. On another note, I figured this would be a logical outcome following the conquest of such a large and, well, different (both ethnically, culturally and religious) land. The Ottomans are likely, IMO to lay down a law code that can apply to everyone in their empire, and serves as nice callback to the old Romans, which fits their propaganda nicely.