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Title: The Ottoman Empire
Author: The Great Courses
Narrator: Professor Kenneth W. Harl
Format: Original Recording
Length: 18 hrs and 43 mins
Language: English
Release date: 05-26-17
Publisher: The Great Courses
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 207 votes
Genres: History, World
Publisher's Summary:
By understanding the dramatic story of the Ottoman Empire - from its early years as a collection of raiders and conquerors to its undeniable power in the 15th and 16th centuries to its catastrophic collapse in the wreckage of the First World War - one can better grasp the current complexities of the Middle East.
Over the course of these 36 enlightening lectures, investigate over 600 years of history that covers the nature of Ottoman identity, the achievements of the Sultan's court, and stories of confrontation and cooperation with the West.
Befitting a story of such epic scope and grandeur, every lecture is a treasure trove of historical insights into the people, events, themes, and locales responsible for shaping the story of this often-overlooked empire. You'll cover everything from Rumi, the whirling dervishes, and the importance of the sultan's grand viziers to the wars of Sultan Suleiman I, the shadowy politics of the Committee of Union and Progress, and the birth of the Turkish Republic under Kemal Atatürk.
Welcome to a fascinating story of the triumph and tragedy, war and peace, intellectual progress and civil insurrection of a great empire that, for all its glory and grandeur, has left an important legacy that will shape the future of the Balkan nation-states, the Turkish Republic, and the Arab world - and those of us in the West as well.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Members Reviews:
Another A++ series from Prof. Harl!!!
Id give it 7 of 5 stars if possible. It is superbly organized. Its terrific to see history unfold from the Ottoman viewpoint. I think it corrects for conceptions of the modern Muslim-majority nation state that is too frequently projected into the past. The course is very helpful in thinking about the Balkans and the lead up to WW1.
I appreciate Prof. Harl most when hes focused on Antiquity through the Middle Ages, where his style is to tell us what the literary sources say what the archaeological record (so far) tells us the relevant ancient anecdotes and excerpts (from Herodotus, Plutarch, Livy) that make history interesting a few jokes of his own and then maybe a few comments on the current state of scholarly debate, or where he has a bias with which other history profs may disagree.
To contrast, some very good lecturers get too bogged down in what various historical schools of thought say about a subject (Fagan, others). Others get too cute in trying to weave a continuous narrative and leave out too many details (Fears, Garland). A few bad apples start with a sociological point of view, and try to read that back into time by cherry picking incidents that support it (Dise).
Harls lectures are authentic and flow naturally, without any gimmicks. His mastery of the material is obvious. I have listened to all 11 of his courses, most more than once, and hes simply the best. I would love to see him do a deep dive on the Iranian plateau Persians though Seleucids, Parthians, Abbasids, etc. That has yet to be covered in detail by a lecturer of Prof. Harls caliber.
Some interesting parts but ...
Although there are some good parts on this and is at times an interesting story to listen to, the author takes a "bold" pro-Ottoman side in crucial humanitarian issues like the Armenian and Greek genocide.
