What was the millet system in the ottoman empire

In addition to religious law, millets were given freedom to use their own language, develop their own institutions churches, schools, etc , and collect taxes. The Ottoman sultan only exercised control over the millets through their leaders. The millet leaders ultimately reported to the sultan, and if there was a problem with a millet, the sultan would consult that millet leader.

Theoretically, the Muslim population of the Ottoman Empire also constituted a millet, with the Ottoman sultan as the millet leader. The Ottoman Empire lasted from to Throughout most of this history, the millet system provided a system of religious harmony and belonging throughout the empire. As the empire expanded, more millets were organized. Separate millets existed for Armenian, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians, for example, with each sect being divided further into more specific regional churches.

The decrees and church remain in Istanbul today. The millet system did not last until the end of the Ottoman Empire. As the empire weakened in the s and s , European intervention in the empire expanded. When the liberal Tanzimat were passed in the s, the millet system was abolished, in favor of a more European-style secularist government. Oxford: Oxford University Press, The Islamic legal treatment of non-Muslims is symptomatic of the more general challenge of governing a diverse polity.

Istanbul: Risale, The book The administration of the non-Muslim subjects in the Ottoman state discusses the status and the rights of non-Muslims under the Ottoman rule from Tanzimat to the Turkish republic.

As a result, they were often discriminated against by the state. In contrast, other scholars may argue that the position of minorities under the Ottomans was lenient compared to minority treatment elsewhere in the world, such as in certain parts of Europe.

The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam. Indispensable to the Western observer for a full understanding of the complexities of the conflicts in the Middle East, this study analyzes and documents the historical, social, and spiritual realities of the dhimmi peoples—the non-Arab and non-Muslim communities subjected to Muslim domination after the conquest of their territories by Arabs.

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Not a member? Sign up for My OBO. Already a member? Publications Pages Publications Pages. Subscriber sign in You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Username Please enter your Username. Password Please enter your Password. Forgot password? This applies not only to the term but to the millet system as well. The Greek Orthodox Church was the first to be recognized as millet in , as it was the official religion of the conquered Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire.

The amount of authority granted to each millet is especially evident in civil and legal matters. The millet had control over all internal disputes and agreements, such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, other matters of personal status, and the distribution and collection of taxes Bates, Rassam, p. In reality, Muslim courts were commonly used by dhimmis , for the resulting decision was perhaps worth more than conclusions made in millet courts Martin. Thus with respect for the authority of the Sultan and the Empire, dhimmis could generally live in peace.

As the Ottoman Empire declined in the nineteenth century, 17 millets were recognized by the Ottoman state including the Armenian and Assyrian Churches, and Jews officially in Bates, Rassam, p. The millet system continued to work well both socially and economically with some exceptions until the rise of nationalism began to divide the people ethnically instead of religiously Martin and Encarta.

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