The Advent of the Ottomans

The growing importance of Türkiye in international affairs has sparked a current boomlet of interest in Ottoman studies. At the start of the 14th century (c. 1300 CE), Anatolia was a patchwork of semi-independent “beyliks” ruled by Turkic chieftains, often owing nominal allegiance to the distant and declining Mongol Ilkhans of Persia. A Turkic warlord named Osman, (or Othman) founded one of the world’s great empires, giving his name to the Ottoman dynasty. It eventually ruled a vast swath of the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa until the early 20th century. The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (last stronghold of the faded “Byzantine” empire) in 1453 is remembered as a key turning point in world history.

The success and endurance of the Ottoman empire was rooted in some peculiar institutions. Under the devsirme (Turkish for “collecting”) system, young boys were taken from Christian families, converted to Islam, and trained as professional soldiers, the fearsome janissaries. Until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517, a majority of Ottoman subjects were Christian. The harem system enabled the sultan to father many sons from multiple women, but it became customary for a new Sultan upon his accession to have his brothers and half-brothers strangled, to reduce the risk of civil war. The Ottomans were early adopters of gunpowder weapons, and developed a powerful naval fleet and artillery corps. But the greatest advantage the Ottomans enjoyed was the chronic disunity of Europe’s ruling class, preoccupied with their own dynastic squabbles, although constantly badgered by the Popes to undertake crusades against the Turks.

Crescent Dawn covers the years from (roughly) 1299 to 1598. The book consists of eleven chapters and a brief Conclusion section:

1. Origins to First Kosovo and Nicopolis

2. Varna, Second Kosovo, and Constantinople

3. First Belgrade, First Rhodes, and Otranto

4. Persia and the Fall of the Mamluks

5. Suleiman: Second Belgrade, Second Rhodes, and Mohács

6. Suleiman: Vienna

7. Suleiman: Kingmaker

8. The Mediterranean: Tunis, Preveza and Algiers

9. The Mediterranean: Malta, Cyprus and Lepanto

10. The East: From Red Sea to Persian Gulf to Indian Ocean

11. Africa: In Search of Prester John

Crescent Dawn is a highly readable and well researched military and political history of the Ottoman empire during its rise. The book is illustrated with eight clear maps, several family trees, and a section of 32 well-chosen color images. Every named location referenced in the text can be found on one of the maps, a clear indication of meticulous professional editing that is all too rare in academic publishing these days. Readers with an interest in medieval and early modern warfare will learn much from Crescent Dawn. The author, with a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins, teaches political science and international relation at Long Island University.

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada, Ancient Rome: Infographics, Byzantium and the Crusades, A Short History of the Byzantine Empire, Theoderic the Great, The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Battle for the Island Kingdom, Vandal Heaven, The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World, Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen, Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint, Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, Polis: A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State, At the Gates of Rome: The Battle for a Dying Empire, Roman Emperors in Context, After 1177 B.C., Cyrus the Great, and Barbarians and Romans: The Birth Struggle of Europe, A.D. 400–700.

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Note: Crescent Dawn is also available in e-editions.

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