How did this cluster-fuck even function for as long as it did?

>>566752
Highly centralized government.

and why should it be a clusterfuck? Its just your normal friendly slightly huge empire. Nothing too uncommon

Yes.

They were damn good at incorporating peoples with different cultures and religions into their empire. Even nations that weren't conquered outright were still pressured into contributing to the sultan's armies. At one point they forced the Byzantine emperor's son (who later became emperor) to help the sultan conquer one of the last independent Greek cities in Asia Minor.

Not that it was a multicultural paradise or anything, but no nation was too odd or too resentful to avoid being incorporated into the Ottoman war machine.

>>567267
This desu integration into the empire worked because more or less every minority filled a role in the empire.
The greeks and armenians were merchants, the balkanites were the elite infantry and administration while the turkmen were the cavalry and then there were the nort africans and tatars which were organized raiding parties basically.

>>566752
im more intressted in why so many great empires where centered around constantinople

was it simply the best location to govern from?

>>567597

Constantinople/Istanbul is at the meeting point of two continents and two seas. It also has a nice central position between the Adriatic Sea and the Taurus Mountains; these were the west and eastern frontiers of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires at certain times.

The city was also defensible since it was surrounded on three sides by sea so it only had to be defended on the landward side by building one straight wall.

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genocides and blood tributes while forcing your own religion, language and culture down their throats desu

there is a reason why many of those nations hate Turkey today

>>567687
>Be Balkandindus
>Allow the Turks to take over by siding with them againts each other
>WE WUZ OPPRESSED AND SHEIT

>>567687
>genocides
Balkaniggers were already doing those themselves actually.
>blood tributes
Double edged sword. People were both butthurt about it, but at the same time serving the Ottoman Empire led to social advantage.
>forcing your own religion, language and culture down their throats desu
Nope.jpg. Look up the Millet system.

>>567723
>implying no genocides went on under the Ottoman Empire

>>567728
So far, most of the Turkish genocides seem to occur in war.

Which was pretty standard at the time. Specially for a Central Asian originating Empire.

Just saying had the Turks not arrived in the Balkans, they'd do it themselves anyway.

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>>566752

>>567709
relax osman, OP asked why it lasted for so long as it did not the feta cheese wars