The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-23

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selves. Trey sufieredin the long run from
the almost absolute religious liberty whicn
they enjoyed In Poland. Before the lepee
Of many yenrs after Socinus had personally
propaaated his doctrines In the country
the relations between the Unitarians ana
Trinitarians became fratricidal rather
than fraternal. It was indeed common
hatred Of the Unitarians which drew TO-
pether the hitherto hercely jarring Cal
vnists and Lutherans. or course an
auxiliary cause Of the decline OF Protes-
tantism In Poland was the Catholic reactioh
promoted In that country by the Jesuits'
1t ia the consensus OF historians that the
height OF the Ottoman power-the ohap.er
con corning which, contributed by VT.
NORTH Brosch, Is one Of the most valuable
In this volume-was reached under the
reign Of Solyman I. It is we'll known that
this sovereign, when II years. old, put hiin-
self at the head OF the army intended for an
invasion OF Hungary, and died IN his tent
during the siege Of Szigeth, In pursuance
Of his masters orders the Grand Vinier
kept the death Of the Sultan q secret
from the Turkish army for three weeks
until the Hungarian fortress fell. 10
the dead monarch his contemporaries IN
the West gave the title 'the Magnificent,
or "the Great; his fellow believers or reno"
countrynen In the East that OF the Law
eNer." DR.. Brosch thinks that In the case
OF Solyman the claim to greatness holds gooo
merely when he Is compared with the ma
iority OF the members OF his dynasty, which,
| in the case OF Mohammed II. alone. produced
| ruler OF equal capacity He admite, how
| ever. that Solyman stands first among
Turkish Sulans as legislator, and that the
| traces OF his legislative activity far out
| lived his own time. Though, like his pred
ecessors, the Arabian Caliphs--it will be
remembered that the Caliphate by the last
will and testament OF the latest Abassid
Caliph had passed to the Ottoman Sultan
Solyman united in himself all ecclesiastical
and temporal power, his State had, as
matter Of fact become pre- 2onderahtiy
military one in which the warrior class drew
it's reinforcement, as well as its maintenance
from the subject peoples. The ottoman
Empire was, in truth, a military State par
excellence, inasmuch az 1t was built upon
ever extending conquests. Its mission was
to spread Islam by fire and sword and TO
| subdue such unbelievers as should refuse
to accept the true faith to the extent OF
ma king them liable to the capitation tax
DR.. Brosoh shows that in the constitu-
ton Of the Ottoman army, as 1t had come
down to him. Solyman altered nothing In
theory. His purpose was simply to make
it more efficient, to facilitate its handling
in the field. His endeavors to that end
we're crowned with success. From Vene-
tian report. made at the beginning OF the
second decade OF his reign, 1t seems that
he had even then raised the total OF the
standing Ottoman army to $1,000 men
double the number at which it had stood in
his predecessors time. The nucleus OF the
army, the infantry corps Of the Janissaries'
he gradually augmented from l2.00O to
20. 600. and he succeeded in frightening the
soldierly zeal OF these troops by giving
them a closer organization and granting
higher rate OF pay In regard to the cav
airy, Solyman regulated the distribution OF
the military f1efs, called timdrs in such
way that arbitrary rule in the admins
tration OF the widely extended empire was
not, indeed, rendered impossible. but
brought within very narrow limits. More
| over, his numerous enactments in feuda
affairs were 80 systematic in character
and so clearly laid down that directly
after his death in the reign OF Selim IL.
sort OF Domesday Book could be compiled
in which the whole landed property OF the
empire was entered. according to the two
cateRores into which it was divided FOL
I purposes Of taxation, and the feudal tenure'
we're enumerated. together with their re
spective obligations of military service
Besides the regular troops there was a
the DISPOSITION Of the Sultan when he wen
to war the mass Of the irregular militia
In the enemy's country this arm. con
sistine of hardly less than 100000 men, wa
under little or no discipline but. on tn
, march and within the bounds OF the OFT
man Empire, Solyman knew how to hold IL
check these otherwise unbridled hordes.
So little is popularity known concerning
, the organization of the"Ottoman Empire
and 80 indispensable -is some knowledg
OF it to a comprehension OF the solid ground
! for the terror which for two centurie
3 was exercised by the Turkish power upo
Christian Europe, that other details give
1 by Dr. Brosch merit attention. We lear
!, from him that next to the military elias
3 in order of Importance was that Of tn
9 teacher As not only the religious faith bu
8 also the civil law of Mohammedan people
: is founded upon the Koran, the appointe
3 opponents OF the Holy Book are necee
:. sarily held to be also the best judges il
cases OF law, whether these are actuall
t disputed in court or not These Ulemi
t we'll instructed in all the law Of the faitl
s experts in their knowledge Of the Koran
IS holders OF the best paid judicial post
= and administrators (seldom very scrr
o pulous) OF the incomes Of many pio,
foundations, constituted an immensel
rich and consequently influential clai
OF the population. Before their sentences
d 0etvas) all bowed; and the mingled ecclee
,r astical and secular power vested in II
.. Sultan only affected them in so far thu
n the Sultan at his pleasure nominated
y. the supreme positions. from which 6
N final judgments. whether Of law or faitl
n proceeded. The repute of the Uen
ID was in Solyman's time still untainte
,e and he did nothing to lower it, but mue
z, to secure the attachment OF these hal
D. ecclesiastical, half secular men Of bus
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