Chapter 8 Matching Exercise

From the word gaza, meaning going to war for the faith. Used especially by early Ottoman sultans to refer to their Muslim soldiers and is akin to the popular meaning of mujahideen or holy warriors.

(slaves of the Porte, Sublime Porte): In the Ottoman Empire, these were slaves captured in battle or purchased outright by the Ottoman government. The slaves were then converted to Islam (if they were not already Muslim), trained, and taught the Ottoman way. Most of them would then fill the ranks of the Janissary corps and some went to work in the bureaucracy.

Credibility

Land grants in return for service to the Ottoman Empire.

Originally a moral authority, but came to denote a Muslim sovereign.

Assets that are donated or bequeathed for a charitable cause.

Ottoman cavalry.

Literally meaning “a gathering or levying of youths,” this was an Ottoman system of collecting and recruiting Christian children, usually between the ages of eight and thirteen, from within the empire (mostly in the Balkans), converting them to Islam and training them as soldiers and bureaucrats.

A large territorial subdivision of the Ottoman Empire, the equivalent of a province, led by a provincial governor known as beylerbey. A province has also been termed vilayet, and if using this reference, the governor is called the vali.

Government of the Ottoman sultan.

This was the top administrative body in the Ottoman Empire composed of leading government ministers, led by the sultan—and in his absence, the grand vezir (or sadr al-azam).

Meaning “nations,” these were horizontal divisions of the Ottoman Empire based upon religious affiliation. Typically, those in an official millet, such as Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, or Jewish would look to their own courts and officials in family and religious affairs. Islam itself was not a millet since it was the state religion.