The Decline of the Ottoman Empire

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One of the primary causes blamed for the fall of the Ottoman Empire was the decline of the Sultanate. Originally the Sultanate was a strong institution, in which the Sultan would select a competent successor from among his often numerous sons (some Sultans had over 500 sons).1 Over time, however, the Sultanate weakened. This weakening may have begun late in the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent.2 Although his reign marked the height of the Ottoman Empire's Golden Age, in his later years Suleyman became less actively involved in the affairs of state. In addition, his two most qualified successors plotted against him late in his life, and he had them executed. As a result, Selim II (known by some as "Selim the Drunkard"), became the next Sultan, despite the fact that he had lived a relatively secluded life in the palace and did not have experience in running the government.3 He was overly fond of physical pleasures and did not take seriously his governing responsibilities. After him, the Sultanate continued to decline. One of the causes of this was that the possible successors of the Sultan, such as the Sultan's brothers, were confined in the harem, where they became lazy and incompetent.4 Another cause was the Sultans' desertion of the tradition of training their sons in government and related affairs.5 In the end, the degeneration in the Sultanate played a significant role in the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Among the results of the decline of the Sultanate was the weakening of the central government's control over the empire. Significant sections of the empire began to operate more or less autonomously.6 And the central government itself became fraught with strife and conflict as various parties struggled for power. By 1808 many of the empire's holdings in North Africa were leaning toward independence, and in 1826, Greece started on its way to sovereignty.7
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