Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkish: Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye; Modern Turkish: Osmanl? ?mparatorlu?u; Arabic: ?????? ?????????, Al-Dawla Al-?Uthmaniyya) was an imperial power, centered around the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, that existed from 1299 to 1922. At the height of its power, it included Anatolia, the Middle East, parts of North Africa, and much of south-eastern Europe. It was established by a tribe of Oghuz Turks in western Anatolia, and was ruled by the Osmanl? dynasty, the descendants of those Turks.

Law

Ottomans believed in solving the problems locally. Non-conflicting systems were by and large left alone. Ottoman system was a three court system composed from one for the Muslims with the kadi (read judges), one for the non-Muslim (appointed Jews and Christians ruled over their religious areas) and another for the trade (originated after the capitulations). Court that will be seeked depends on the sides of the conflict. On top of everything was the Kanun Law (administrative in nature). These courts were not inclusive; Muslim court could cover a trade conflict or inter-religious cases. The primary law system was the Islamic courts.

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As a systems of law, there were the Sharia Law and the Kanun Law. Ottoman state did not interfere with the other religious law systems, even if had a saying through local governors. The Sharia Law evolved out of the Koran and from the word of Mohammed. There was also Kanun Law which was the secular law of the Sultan. Both were taught at law schools, which existed in Bursa and Istanbul. The court was run by sultan-appointed kadi and often included punishments including but not limited to fines, lashings, and capital punishment.

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Often Jews and Christians went to Islamic courts to get a more forceful ruling on an issue. Women almost always went to Islamic courts, as they tended to side more often with and gave fairer payments to women. In truth, the political judicial system was run for the betterment of the rulers. The Kanun overruled the Sharia Law, which show a level of respect for the Sultan over religion.

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