Millet System in Ottoman Empire: An Extraordinary Policy with Extraordinary Implications

The Ottoman Empire managed to be one of the most powerful empires throughout the world for centuries. The Ottoman sultans enhanced the territory of the empire through continues conquests. As a result of enlarged territories, many ethnic and religious communities lived under Ottoman rule. The fact that Ottoman Empire managed to provide these communities with an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence has attracted the attention of many noteworthy historians. In fact, millet system was an extraordinary and effective policy in the historical context of Ottoman Empire. Thanks to this government system non-Muslim and non-Turkish elements of Ottoman society could experience a peaceful and egalitarian social system. In this respect, it would not be wrong to argue that millet system was a key to social and political order of Ottoman Empire. While discussing this main argument, this paper aims at providing a multi-faceted and detailed analysis of millet system in the Ottoman Empire. Relying on the previous sources on millet system, I will elaborate the issue under three main headlines.