Home Region: Anatolia-Caucasus (Southwest Asia)

Ottoman Empire I

1402 CE 1517 CE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 tr_ottoman_emp_1 / TrOttm2

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

1299 CE 1402 CE Ottoman Emirate (tr_ottoman_emirate) [continuity]

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

1517 CE 1683 CE Ottoman Empire II (tr_ottoman_emp_2) [continuity]

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General Description

During the fifteenth century the Ottomans reconstructed the state following the damaging civil war (which ended 1412 CE) and the devastating Mongol invasion under Timur (in 1402 CE). The period ends with the Ottoman conquest of Mamluk Egypt and Syria, which began a "stronger Islamisation of the Empire." ^[1]
Ottoman government had an elaborate set of institutions but was ultimately highly autocratic, run out of the court of the Sultan ^[2] who would frequently execute men of high rank in rituals of death that "symbolised the absolute power of the sultan within his own household, and the abject status of even his most powerful counsellors." ^[3] The court often "by-passed formal structures of government such as in diplomatic negotiations" and Colin Imber notes that there was an informal aspect to policy making that depended a great deal on the personality of the Sultan "and the individuals or factions who had his ear." ^[4]
The main institution of government was the Imperial Council (divan) which was under the presidency of the Grand Vizier. ^[4] In the regions provinces were run by governors (beylerbeyi). ^[5] The Ottoman army was financed by land grants: between 1400-1590 CE army officers were assigned timar holdings from which they could raise revenue as a form of salary. Numbering 27,500 in 1527 CE they "formed the most important element in the Ottoman army." ^[6] ^[7]
At this time the Ottoman Empire was very heterogeneous in language and culture and while Islam predominated as the state religion the Greek and Armenian Orthodox Churches retained some influence within the Ottoman government and served large concentrations of Christians. After their expulsion from Spain in 1492 CE there were also many Jews, in addition to Maronites and Druzes. ^[8] After the final conquest of Byzantine Constantinople in 1453 CE, the city became the Ottoman capital, now called Istanbul, and boomed in size again from about 50,000 to perhaps as many as 400,000 residents.

[1]: Personal communication. Johannes Preiser-Kapeller. 2016. Institute for Medieval Research. Division of Byzantine Research. Austrian Academy of Sciences.

[2]: (Lapidus 2012, 437) Ira M. Lapidus. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[3]: (Imber 2002, 156) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[4]: (Imber 2002, 154) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[5]: (Imber 2002, 177-178) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[6]: (Imber 2002, 256-257) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[7]: (Lapidus 2012, 440) Ira M. Lapidus. 2012. Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[8]: (Imber 2002, 1-2) Colin Imber. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

3 Capital

3 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Suprapolity Relations

2 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

2 Language

Religion

1 Religion Genus

1 Religion Family

2 Religion

1 Alternate Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

3 Population of the Largest Settlement

5 Polity Territory

2 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

1 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

2 Handheld Firearm

2 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

Naval technology

1 Specialized Military Vessel

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions

3 Power Transition

Instability Events

22 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1) was in:
(1421 CE 1516 CE)	Konya Plain

Home NGA: Konya Plain

General Variables

Identity and Location Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	35 T Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Original Name	Ottoman Empire I Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Capital	Edirne Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Capital	Adrianople Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Capital	Constantinople Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Alternative Name	Ottoman Dynasty Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Alternative Name	Osmanli Dynasty Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Alternative Name	Othman Dynasty Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Temporal Bounds Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	1517 CE Expert
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Duration	[1402 CE ➜ 1517 CE] Expert
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Political and Cultural Relations Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	none Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Turkish Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Supracultural Entity	Islamic Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Ottoman Empire II Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[4,500,000 to 5,000,000] km² Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	continuity Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Succeeding Entity 1517 CE 1683 CE	Ottoman Empire II (tr_ottoman_emp_2) [continuity]
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Preceding Entity 1299 CE 1402 CE	Ottoman Emirate (tr_ottoman_emirate) [continuity] Expert
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Degree of Centralization	unitary state Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Language Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Turkic Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Language	Persian Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Language	Turkish Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religion Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religion Genus	Islam Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religion Family	Sufi Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religion	Mevlevi Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religion	Bektasi Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Alternate Religion	Uncoded Undecided Expert	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[50,000 to 60,000] people	1453 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	70,000 people	1478 CE
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Population of the Largest Settlement	[200,000 to 410,000] people	1500 CE
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Polity Territory	522,000 km²	1420 CE
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Polity Territory	633,000 km²	1440 CE
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Polity Territory	866,000 km²	1460 CE
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Polity Territory	1,220,000 km²	1480 CE
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Polity Territory	2,310,000 km²	1500 CE
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Polity Population	7,000,000 people	1450 CE
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Polity Population	9,000,000 people	1500 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	5	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religious Level	4	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Military Level	[6 to 9]	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Administrative Level	5	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Professions Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Merit Promotion	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Examination System	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Law Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Judge	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Court	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Irrigation System	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Food Storage Site	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Port	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Bridge	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Information / Writing System Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Script	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Practical Literature	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Philosophy	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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History	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Fiction	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Calendar	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Information / Money Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Precious Metal	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Paper Currency	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Article	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Information / Postal System Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Courier	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Information / Measurement System Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moat	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Fortified Camp	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Earth Rampart	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Ditch	Present Inferred	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Complex Fortification	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Military use of Metals Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Iron	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Copper	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Bronze	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Projectiles Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Sling	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Self Bow	Unknown Suspected	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Javelin	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Absent	1402 CE 1440 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Present	1440 CE 1517 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Unknown Suspected	1402 CE 1422 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Present	1422 CE 1517 CE
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Crossbow	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Composite Bow	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Handheld weapons Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Sword	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Spear	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Polearm	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Dagger	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Battle Axe	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Animals used in warfare Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Elephant	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Donkey	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Dog	Absent	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Camel	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Armor Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Shield	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Scaled Armor	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Plate Armor	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Limb Protection	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Laminar Armor	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Helmet	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Chainmail	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Naval technology Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Present	1402 CE 1517 CE
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Human Sacrifice Ottoman Empire I (tr_ottoman_emp_1)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More