Southeastern Europe Under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804

A History of East Central Europe #5

by Peter F. Sugar

"Southeastern Europe under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804" provides an over-all picture of the least studied and most obscured part of Balkan history, the Ottoman period. This book begins with the early history of the Ottomans and with their establishment in Europe, describing the basic Muslim and Turkish features of the Ottoman state. The author goes on in subsequent sections to show how these features influenced every aspect of life in the European lands administered directly by the Ottomans (the 'core' provinces) and left a permanent mark on states that were vassals of or paid tribute to the empire. Whether dealing with the 'core' provinces of Rumelia or with the vassal and tribute-paying states (Moldavia, Wallachia, Transylvania, and Dubrovik), the author offers fresh insights and new interpretations, as well as a wealth of information on Balkan political, economic, and social history not available elsewhere. The appendixes include lists of dynasties and rulers with whom the Ottomans dealt, as well as data for the House of Osman and some of the grand viziers; a chronology of major military campaigns, peace treaties, and territory gained and lost by the Ottoman Empire in Europe from 1354 to 1804; and, glossaries of geographical names and foreign terms.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History

378 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1977

Reviews

[Chris Wares · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the history of Europe under Ottoman rule which is often covered in broad brush strokes or virtually ignored in books describing the national histories of these countries.

I found the chapters on the vassal states (Wallachia & Moldavia, Transylvania and Ragusa) particularly interesting.

For a novice like me Sugar's repeated use of Turkic terms for types of people and land use was a bit confusing. It would have helped if he gave the terms an English equivalent but I can see that perhaps there would be good reasons for leaving them untranslated.