Sultan Mahmud Period (1730-1754) Reform Movements

This research, which deals with the reform attempts and the development activities during the period Sultan Mahmud I who was one of the most important padishahs of the 18th century and ruled for 24 years from 1730 to 1754, is aimed at shedding light on an important stage of modernization of a society in a general sense. In this context, the Ottoman Empire which maintained its traditional structure and dominated Europe until the 18th century did not feel the need of a change. However, when European states that made progress in political, cultural and technical fields started to gain martial victories over the Ottomans in the said century, the state started to question their current situation. Especially the approach of acknowledging the superiority of the west which had been raised as of the Tulip Period was maintained during the period of Sultan Mahmud I and Western-style reforms were made, mainly in martial field. The state made a significant recovery by virtue of the reform attempts made by Sultan Mahmud I during his reign of 24 years and important martial successes were achieved during his period. Furthermore, the city was made prosperous with architectural activities performed in the period of Sultan Mahmud I who attached a specific importance to development of Istanbul. For all the aforementioned reasons, to understand the period of Sultan Mahmud I who made his mark in an important period of the Ottoman history, it is not enough to know the military and political events only. Along with then, it is required to know the reform and change attempts as well as development activities throughout the period. This study is prepared for these purposes. The study focuses on the reasons and the general characteristics of the reforms as well as the development activities conducted during the period and their general characteristics. The main object is to identify the impacts of those activities on the Ottoman Empire and determine their effects on subsequent reformers.

Keywords

Key Words: Ottoman Empire, Mahmud I, Reform, Modernization, Army.