Honored by the Glory of Islam. Conversion and Conquest in Ottoman Europe

44 honored by the glory of islam

what was happening. The guiding economic idea was that the peasants, not

merchants, should produce the wealth and that the sultan would distribute the

surplus. But this was no longer possible by the seventeenth century, when mar-

ket forces became so prevalent and a nouveau riche class came into being. New

cities such as Izmir on the Mediterranean coast emerged illegally and began to

direct trade away from Istanbul as the empire was fl ooded with western Euro-

pean coins, which began to be used as the currency of exchange.^15 Elite writers

were not ready to let go of the primacy of politics in the economy, not ready for

market forces and nonelites to displace them, and not able to recognize or ac-

cept how increased monetization (paying mercenaries) meant that pay and not

patronage was most important. What had become of the Ottoman way?

Karaçelebizade’s plea for a return to the “circle of justice” thus becomes

understandable in this context. He urged the men of state to heed the advice

of this proverb:

You cannot have a king without subjects.

If you do not have subjects you do not have an army.

You cannot have an army if you do not have wealth.

You cannot have wealth unless you have a territory.

There is no territory without subjects.

There are no subjects if there is no justice.

Returning to a Suleimanic model, the author relates the tale of how one day

Suleiman I asked, “Who is the protector of the good fortune of the world?” All

those around him responded in unison: “You are!” But Suleiman I said, “No.

It is the commoners because they cultivate and plow the earth without rest,

feeding us.”^16

In the critical view of Karaçelebizade, Ottoman society faced insurmount-

able woes in the 1 650s. Concerning the military, the navy was headed by cow-

ards “who rather than acquiring praise on the path of ghaza, their gallbladders

burst from fear and they tremble with the terror of anxiety.”^17 The fl eet was

incapable in battle; the Janissaries were out of control and constantly rebelling.

As for the administration, most offi ceholders were corrupt, caring only about

personal profi t at the expense of those below them; it was a free-for-all, as self-

ish men who did not care about the good of the empire took all they could from

it; decent offi cials were dismissed based on slander. The royal household was

little better: there was division among power factions in the palace; the sultan

was nonexistent, hardly a presence as his mother and grandmother were bat-

tling it out; and no one was thinking about the good of the dynasty. One may be

tempted to dismiss these complaints, including the one that religious scholars

(including the author) were mistreated and disrespected, as little more than