Government systems like this helped solidify the Ottomans as a legitimate world power. The sultan also created an administrative and tax collection system which funded the military. Therefore, a well trained army could be mobilized very quickly. .
The successes of the Ottoman expansions could also be attributed to their imperial system where they appointed local leaders of newly conquered areas as timar holders and sanjak administrators. (Ringrose, 2001) These local leaders ruled their own people but in the Sultans name. They also collected well defined, but fair taxes. The appointed officials were not required to be Muslim. Islamic beliefs say that Muslims are obligated to bring the world under Muslim rule but did not have to convert the people. (Ringrose, 2001) The people must only recognize their Muslim authority. This method was effective because the conquered people more readily accepted rule under the local elites and therefore made Ottoman authority more tolerable. Sometimes, regional elites would eventually convert to Islam after conquest. Ottoman rule was easy for Christian communities to accept because it did not disrupt their belief system. The combination of trained officials, a formal administrative hierarchy, autonomy for village government, and the cooperation of local elites created a durable empire. (Ringrose, 2001).
Another component that contributed to the dominance of the Ottoman Empire was their success in integrating non-Muslim communities into their own. Less than half of their population in the 1500s was Muslim. Muslims recognized the Jews and Christians, since their religion was based upon the same biblical tradition as Islam. Later they acknowledged the Buddhist and Hindus. To help govern these religious groups, the Ottomans created the millet system. (Ringrose, 2001) The head of each religious community was assigned to act as an intermediary between the government and the religious community.
