The Ottomans Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs

TheOttoman Empirehaslongbeendepictedasthe Islamic, Asian antithesis of the Christian, European West.But the reality was starkly different:theOttomans'multiethnic, multilingual, and multireligiousdomainreached deep intoEurope'sheart. Indeed, the Ottoman rulers saw themselves asthe new Romans.Recountingthe Ottomans'remarkable risefrom a frontier principalityto a world empire,historian Marc DavidBaertraces theirdebts totheir Turkish, Mongolian, Islamic, and Byzantine heritage.The Ottomans pioneeredreligioustoleration even as they used religious conversion to integrate conquered peoples.But in the nineteenth century, theyembraced exclusivity, leading toethnic cleansing,genocide, and theempire's demiseafterthe First World War.
The Ottomans vividlyrevealsthe dynasty's full history and its enduring impactonEurope and the world.