Osmanlı

The Ottoman ruling class, known as the Osmanlı, was distinct from the general population, referred to as reaya. Membership in the ruling class required loyalty to the sultan, adherence to Islam, and knowledge of the "Ottoman Way". This class was considered the sultan's slaves, responsible for preserving the state's Islamic nature and ruling and defending the empire. They exploited the empire's wealth, with the reaya producing it through labor and paying taxes.1

The ruling class was organized into four institutions: the imperial (sultan-led), military, administrative (treasury), and religious. While the reaya could organize by religion into millets or by occupation into guilds, the Osmanlı held administrative and military power. Over time, particularly in the 18th century, the central government's weakness led to provincial control by local notables, resembling feudalism.12