Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman EmpireGabor Agoston's book contributes to an emerging strand of military history, that examines organised violence as a challenge to early modern states, their societies and economies. His is the first to examine the weapons technology and armaments industries of the Ottoman Empire, the only Islamic empire that threatened Europe on its own territory in the age of the Gunpowder Revolution. Based on extensive research in the Turkish archives, the book affords much insight regarding the early success and subsequent failure of an Islamic empire against European adversaries. It demonstrates Ottoman flexibility and the existence of an early modern arms market and information exchange across the cultural divide, as well as Ottoman self-sufficiency in weapons and arms production well into the eighteenth century. Challenging the sweeping statements of Eurocentric and Orientalist scholarship, the book disputes the notion of Islamic conservatism, the Ottomans' supposed technological inferiority and the alleged insufficiencies in production capacity. This is a provocative, intelligent and penetrating analysis, which successfully contends traditional perceptions of Ottoman and Islamic history. |
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Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman ... Gábor Ágoston No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
16-karış gun Ágoston akças Baghdad Bakırköy Balkans balyemez baruthane batman Belgrade beylerbeyi Bostan Buda caliber campaign cannon balls cebecis copper culverins darbzens DBŞM DBSM TPH dirhem early modern Efendi eighteenth century Empire's Erdoğan Erzurum Europe European Evliya Çelebi eynek fifteenth firearms fired fortresses galleys Gelibolu Gümüşhane gun 3-okka gunners gunpowder gunpowder mills gunpowder production guns cast Habsburg Hungarian Hungary ibid İnalcık iron Istanbul Izmir Janissaries Kağıthane kalyon kantar Karaman karış Kastamonu kazas lodra major manufacturing Mediterranean Mehmed Mehmed II metric tons mines mortars muskets Name/caliber of piece ocaklık okka ordnance Osmanlı Ottoman artillery Ottoman cannons Ottoman Empire Ottoman military output Pasha percent powder Pravişte projectiles province purchased regarding saçma Safavid şâhî saltpeter saltpeter production sancak şayka Selanik Semendire seventeenth century ships shots siege sipahis sixteenth century sources Spanish sulfur Sultan Table Temesvar Topçu Tophane total number Total weight troops tüfenks Uzunçarşılı Venetian Warfare weapons