Absolutist France vs. Ottoman Empire

1
Absolutist France vs. Ottoman Empire

• European monarchy compared with a land-based
  Asian empire

2
Coming to Power

• Bourbon monarchs come to power in 1500s with
  Henry IV
• End of civil wars over religion and absolutism
• Nation-state
• Expansion by Louis XIV to natural boundaries
• Expansion overseas to Americas and India trading
  posts

• Turkic tribe from steppes of Central Asia
• Conquest statetook Constantinople in 1453
• Moved into Balkans
• Moved into North Africa
• Navy almost complete superiority in the
  Mediterranean until end of 1500s

3
Government

• Centralized state with absolute monarch
  (political, religious and military leader
• Control over hereditary monarchs
• Bureaucracy of middle class and nobles of the
  robe
• Powerful and capable chief ministers
• Intendent system
• Tax farming
• Mercantilism
• Louis XIV (1600s to early 1700s)

• Sultan, absolute monarch (political, religious
  and military leader)
• Warrior aristocracy-granted land to be used to
  support themselves and family (land belonged
  emperor)
• Janissariesslave soldiers and administrators
• Islamic scholars and legal experts in bureaucracy
• Vizierchief minister handled day to day
  administration
• Divan-imperial council
• Suleiman the Magnificent (1500s

4
Palace

• Versailles
• 1000s of courtiers and their attendants
• No problems of succession

• Topkapi
• Harem
• Problems of succession

5
Economics

• France
• Agriculture
• Vigorous trade and pro-industrialism
• Encouraged by state which adopted mercantilism
• Dependent on overseas coloniese.i.
• San Dominique, Canada
• Tax farming
• Goods from Americas like coffee, tobacco,
  chocolate

• Ottoman Empire
• Agriculture
• Vigorous trade, but held in low esteem by Ottoman
  elite so in hands of Jews, Christians, foreigners
• Capitulations
• Tax farming
• Began to collect taxes on tradeEuropean
  merchants went around
• Goods from America like coffee and tobacco

6
Culture

• France
• Versailles
• Clothing, furniture, dances, food, etc.
• Ballet
• Opera
• Plays Racine and Moliere
• French Academies-science and the arts

• Ottoman
• Sultan trained in a craft
• Construction of monumental architecture-
  Suleymaniye mosque
• Isnik tiles-synthesis of Chinese and European
  motifspainted floral designs
• Textiles, silver, bookbinding,calligraphy, carpets

7
Dealing with ethnic minorities

• France only had to deal with them in colonies,
  France at home nation state
• Appointed governors to collect tax revenues,
  oversee justice and economic activities
• Slave labor
• Prohibited Protestants from settling in New
  France
• Lost Canada and Indian outpost to English in 7
  years war

• Ottomans have many ethnic and religious
  minorities
• Millet systemtolerated them, but special
  administration and tax system
• Expansion brought wealth to empire
• Later provinces became autonomous like Egypt
• Problems in the Balkans, Greek independence in
  1820s
• Europeans and capitulationslet revenue and trade
  get out of their hands

8
Weaknesses

• France
• Powerful army of 400,000 that added territory to
  Strasburg
• Expense and losses in later yearswar of Spanish
  succession
• Policies towards Huguenots
• Drain on treasury
• Losses overseas to British

• Ottomanremember over 600 years in empire
• At its height, too large to effectively rule
• Loses meant not enough revenue for army and
  bureaucracy
• Many local officials become autonomous
• Decline in quality of sultans (sons are no longer
  trained in provinces), growing harem intrigue
• Resistance of Janisaries to reforms
• Europeans bypass empire in favor of overseas
  trade
• Inflation from influx of American silver, poor
  balance of trade