Ottoman Social Structure and Nation System

The Ottomans managed to maintain their unity and integrity in three continents by establishing and administering one of the longest-lived states in the world, in a geography known as the old world continents. It would be a wrong approach to base this success only on military power. Because the Ottoman Empire was able to maintain its existence for about three more centuries after losing its military power. So, to understand this, “How did the Ottomans provide peace and prosperity in the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus, where turmoil is dominant today?” The answer to the question must be sought. Thus, it will be possible to find clues on how to improve the relations of societies with different cultures and beliefs with each other and how to achieve peace.
The Ottoman State showed the sensitivity of managing the beliefs and values ​​of its people with different origins, beliefs and cultural characteristics, rather than interfering and preventing them. The most important aim of the state was to ensure peace and tranquility through the society's coexistence within the framework of mutual respect. For this reason, he developed a management model called the "Ottoman Nation System" and accepted different religions as interlocutors before the newly established religious institutions and leaders to represent them. The Ottoman State connected the Orthodox Christian people and especially other Christian elements in the Balkans to the Fener Greek Patriarchate, the Armenian people to the Armenian Patriarchate, and the Jewish people to the religious leader known as the Chief Rabbi and ruled through them. According to this, the leader of each congregation was obliged to collect the tax that his congregation had to pay, to deliver it to the treasury and to ensure that the members of the congregation comply with the laws set by the state. On the other hand, the state did not interfere with the religious and cultural lives of the communities by leaving them free in their own internal order.