Sultanic and Dark Rituals in the Ottoman Empire
From Legitimacy of Rule to the Exploitation of the Body (1299–1924)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65074/zate0598Keywords:
Ottoman EmpireAbstract
Objectives: This study aims to examine the diverse sultanic, religious, social, military, and coercive rituals that shaped political authority in the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1924. It seeks to demonstrate how these rituals functioned as deliberate instruments of governance, legitimacy, and social control rather than as mere cultural traditions. Methods:. The study adopts a historical, comparative, and critical analytical approach, drawing on political, religious, and social interpretations of Ottoman ritual practices. Both ceremonial and coercive rituals are analyzed to understand their role within the broader system of imperial power and state formation. Results:. The findings reveal that religious and political rituals, such as the Friday khutba and palace observances of Laylat al-Qadr, projected the sultan as both sovereign ruler and spiritual guardian. Social and cultural rituals including circumcision festivals, naval parades, and Ramadan charity reinforced imperial authority through spectacle, public participation, and benevolence. Military rituals, such as Janissary parades and the veneration of the Sacred Banner, promoted cohesion and loyalty while also exposing tensions between obedience and rebellion. The study further uncovers the coercive dimensions of ritual life through practices such as fratricide, the imperial harem, the Devşirme system, and eunuch service, which transformed bodies into instruments of political stability. Conclusions: The study concludes that Ottoman rituals—both ceremonial and coercive—constituted an integrated system that sustained dynastic power, legitimized authority, and structured social order across six centuries. These practices reveal the deeply ritualized foundations of Ottoman governance and highlight the central role of embodied power in maintaining imperial rule.
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