Armies of the Ottoman Empire, 1775-1820

Description

At the close of the 18th century the Ottoman Empire still had huge military potential. It was a complex structure of military provinces, autonomous regions and virtually independent ''regencies''. The Ottoman Empire had a larger population than its land could actually support which resulted in bloated cities, migration to under-populated mountainous areas, widespread banditry and piracy. It also meant that Ottoman armies had a ready pool of military manpower. With numerous illustrations, including eight full page colour artworkss by Angus Mcbride, this fascinating text by David Nicolle explores the armies of the Ottoman empire from 1775 until 1820. Review: Helpful "cliff notes" for the topic. - Helpful "cliff notes" for the topic. As is typical with anything written by David Nicolle, PhD, there's a certain amount of Islam pandering, but not that much. One minor point: On p. 18, Nicolle discusses large "Suerat" and small "Abu" artillery pieces. It would have been nice if he defined "large" and "small". Review: Another really interesting Osprey book. - Many students of Ottoman history choose to ignore the late 1700s and early 1800s because they are viewed as a period of decline. This is the period in which the Ottomans began their remarkable effort to meet the challenge of the West and deserves our interest. This is the Turkey in which the grand parents( Ok maybe the great grandparents) of Kemal Ataturk grew up and to know thisTurkey is to also understand where Ata turk and before him the Young Turks came from. The weaknesses of the book are the typical ones of all Osprey books - too brief, trying to cover too much in too short a space, an emphasis on military minutia - I ender how many Osprey purchasers really are modelers who are interested in minor clothing details?