The rise of the Ottoman Empire - Mostafa Minawi

譯者: 芄妤 陳 審譯者: Helen Chang

十三世紀末期，

In the late 13th century, Osman I established a small beylik,

奧斯曼一世在如今的土耳其 建立了一個小公國，或稱親王國。

or principality, in what is now Turkey.

In just a few generations, this beylik outmaneuvered more powerful neighbors

短短幾個世代中， 這個小公國戰勝了更強大的鄰國，

to become the vast Ottoman empire.

變成了國土廣袤的鄂圖曼帝國。

What enabled its rapid rise?

是什麼讓這個帝國快速地崛起？

In Osman’s time, the Anatolian peninsula was a patchwork of Turkic principalities

在奧斯曼一世時期， 小亞細亞由數個突厥王國拼湊而成，

sandwiched between a crumbling Byzantine Empire

夾在搖搖欲墜的拜占庭帝國，

and weakened Sultanate of the Seljuk of Rum.

以及衰弱的蘇丹魯姆國之間。

Osman quickly expanded this territory

奧斯曼迅速擴展自己的領土，

through a mixture of strategic political alliances

做法是政治聯盟 和攻打鄰國的策略並用。

and military conflicts with these neighbors,

attracting mercenaries first with the promise of booty,

他先以承諾給予戰利品吸引傭兵，

then later through his reputation for winning.

隨後靠著自己的聲譽贏得了征戰。

Osman was the first in a line of Ottoman rulers distinguished

奧斯曼一世是首位在鄂圖曼統治者中

以政治精明著稱。

by their political shrewdness.

Often prioritizing political and military utility over ethnic or religious affinity,

奧斯曼重視政治及軍事的效用， 更勝種族以及宗教統一性。

they expanded their influence by fighting along certain sides when needed,

鄂圖曼帝國在需要時 會與特定一方共戰，

and fighting against them when the time was right.

並在正確的時機反攻他們。

After Osman’s death his son Orhan

奧斯曼一世死後， 他的兒子奧爾汗一世

established a sophisticated military organization and tax collection system

建立了嚴謹的軍事組織以及稅收制度，

geared towards funding quick territorial expansion.

這些措施奠定了領土快速擴張的基礎。

The Ottomans’ first major expansion was in the Balkans, in southeast Europe.

鄂圖曼帝國首次領土擴張 主要位於南歐巴爾幹半島。

The military employed a mixture of Turkic warriors and Byzantine

軍方僱傭了一支 由突厥戰士、拜占庭人，

and other Balkan Christian converts.

和其他巴爾幹基督皈依教徒 混合而成的軍隊。

They captured thousands of young Christian boys

他們從巴爾幹半島村莊 抓獲上千名信仰基督教的男孩，

from villages from across the Balkans,

converted them to Islam, and trained them to become the backbone

讓他們皈依伊斯蘭教，

將他們訓練為精英部隊的主力軍，

of a fierce military elite force known as the Janissaries.

以耶尼切里軍團為名。

The captured enslaved boys could rise to the high position of a vizier

被俘奴役的男孩能晉升為 鄂圖曼帝國的高級大臣。

in the Ottoman government.

Rulers of conquered areas were also allowed, even encouraged,

戰敗地區的統治者也獲准

甚至被鼓勵皈依伊斯蘭教， 以及為鄂圖曼帝國效力。

to convert to Islam and take positions in the Ottoman government.

Meanwhile, non-Muslims who belonged to Abrahamic religions

同時，隸屬亞伯拉罕教的 非伊斯蘭教徒，

were allowed religious freedom in exchange for a tax known as Jizye,

可繼續信仰原本的宗教， 只要透過繳納名為吉茲亞的人頭稅，

among other strict conditions—

及遵守其他嚴格的條件——

for example, they were not allowed to join the army.

例如，不准參軍。

By the end of the 14th century, the Ottomans had conquered or subordinated

14世紀末，鄂圖曼帝國已征服

大多數小亞細亞地區 及巴爾幹地區的國家。

most of the Anatolian beyliks as well as the Balkans.

But in the first half of the 15th century,

但在15世紀前半葉，

as Sultan Beyazit I focused on Western expansion,

當巴耶濟德一世專注在擴張西方領土時，

the Central Asian ruler Timur attacked from the east.

中亞統治者帖木兒從東方發起攻勢。

He captured Beyazit and carted him off in an iron cage,

他俘獲了巴耶濟德一世， 並將他囚禁在鐵籠中。

此舉引發了十年的繼承之爭，

sparking a ten year struggle for succession

that almost destroyed the Ottoman empire.

幾乎摧毀了鄂圖曼帝國。

Sultan Murad II turned this trend around,

蘇丹穆拉德二世扭轉了形勢，

but fell short of one of his loftiest goals:

但沒能達到他崇高的目標之一：

capturing the Byzantine capital, Constantinople.

佔領拜占庭首都君士坦丁堡。

His son, Sultan Mehmed II, or Mehmed the Conqueror,

他的兒子蘇丹穆罕默德二世， 或稱征服者穆罕默德，

vowed to succeed where his father had failed.

發誓要在父親失敗的地方取得成功。

In preparation for the attack on Constantinople,

作為攻打君士坦丁堡的準備工作，

he hired a Hungarian engineer to forge the largest cannon in the world,

他僱傭了一名匈牙利工程師 建造出世上最大的大砲，

used Serbian miners to dig tunnels under the walls of the city,

雇用塞爾維亞礦工在城牆下挖掘隧道，

and ordered his fleet of ships to be carried overland,

並命令他的船隊透過陸地運輸，

attacking the city from an unexpected direction.

從出奇不意的方向進攻城市。

He laid siege to the city and in the spring of 1453,

他包圍了君士坦丁堡， 並在1453年的春天，

Constantinople fell to the Ottomans.

將君士坦丁堡納入鄂圖曼帝國版圖中。

日後君士坦丁堡將成為鄂圖曼帝國首都， 以其希臘之名伊斯坦堡為名，

It would become the Ottoman capital, known by its common Greek name, Istanbul,

meaning “to the city.”

在希臘文裡意指「城市」。

By the time Mehmed II conquered Constantinople,

當穆罕默德二世佔領君士坦丁堡時

the city was a shadow of its former glory.

這座城市已失去昔日的輝煌。

Under Ottoman rule, it flourished once again.

在鄂圖曼帝國的統治下， 它再次繁榮起來。

On an average day in Istanbul, you could hear people speaking Greek, Turkish,

在伊斯坦堡，每天能聽到人們 說著希臘語、土耳其語、

Armenian, Persian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Albanian, and Serbian.

亞美尼亞語、波斯語、阿拉伯語、 保加利亞語、阿爾巴尼亞語

和塞爾維亞語。

Architects like the famous Sinan filled the city with splendid mosques

著名的建築師如希南， 讓這座城市充滿了由蘇丹委託建造的

and other buildings commissioned by the sultans.

華美清真寺及其他建築物。

Through Istanbul, the Otttomans brought commodities like coffee to Europe.

透過伊斯坦堡，鄂圖曼帝國 將咖啡等商品帶入了歐洲。

They entered a golden age of economic growth,

鄂圖曼帝國的經濟、

territorial acquisition, art and architecture.

領土範圍、藝術和建築都已到達巔峰，

They brought together craftspeople from across Europe, Africa,

聚集了來自歐洲、非洲、 中東及中亞的工匠，

the Middle East and Central Asia to create a unique blend of cultural innovation.

造就了創新的獨特結合。

Iznik ceramics, for example,

例如，伊茲尼克陶器，

were made using techniques from China’s Ming dynasty,

將中國明朝的技術

reimagined with Ottoman motifs.

重新運用在鄂圖曼風格的設計。

The Ottomans would continue to expand,

鄂圖曼帝國將繼續擴張，

cementing their political influence and lucrative trade routes.

穩固其政治影響力， 並鞏固帶來利益的貿易路線。

The empire lasted for more than 600 years and, at its peak,

鄂圖曼帝國持續了600多年， 在其國力鼎盛時期。

stretched from Hungary to the Persian Gulf,

領土範圍涵蓋了匈牙利到波斯灣、

from the Horn of Africa to the Crimean Peninsula.

非洲好望角至克里米亞半島的範圍。