Ottoman Warfare
1500-1700

Book Review

Reviews by "Old Duffer"

Rhoads Murphey for UCL press

Rhoads Murphey is a lecturer at the University of Birmingham (visions of a Brummie shouting "Rawds, where's yow book on them Tairks") and when it comes to knowledge of the Ottoman military world he is of a different order. The book is based on Ottoman sources and full of the practical detail that comes from deep study. If I have to find a weakness (and The Reviewers Union requires that I do) it is that naval operations receive less detail than land.

To Murphey the Ottomans are not ghazi soldier ants pouring out to crush Magyar and Safavid alike sustained by two grains of rice and a text from the Koran. They respond to financial rewards and are employed in combat by a formidable administration. Apart from a few Sultans Murphey reckons that in general the Empire was not driven by a need for permanent expansion. In both directions the Empire had, in any case, encountered the limits at which it could project power.

He examines the relations with the Persians, the Christians and the war with the Holy League that turned back the expansion of the Empire. Into this political landscape are then introduced five key limitations. These are the technological constraints, the cost constraints, the physical and environmental constraints, the limits of motivation and finally the limits of state power. This key chapter shows the difficulties (for example) of operating with a central army in Hungary. By the time forces were deployed efficiently at the frontier only a few months might remain before the tributaries of the Danube might rise cutting off the army's retreat.

Murphey then tries to assess the funding available for war and the military resources available. The differences in funding from (say) the Spanish monarchy are very notable. While the initiative lay with the Great Turk his system was very strong – he could plan when he employed his reserves. Once the boot was on the other foot the lack of a banking system could leave the system unresponsive. The practical side of transport and provisioning are clearly explained. Murphey then moves through a number of sample campaigns before sweeping through motivation, reward and the effect of warfare. This is a masterly work.

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© Copyright 1999 by Charles and Teresa Vasey.
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