The Origins of the Ottoman Empire (Suny Series in the Social and Economic History of the Middle East)

Gives the first broad comprehensive account—political, religious, social, and economic—of the Turkish history of Anatolia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and outlines the major factors that led to the rise of the Ottomans.

"The translation of Koprulu's seminal work into English is long overdue and sorely needed in the classroom. It is, therefore, a pleasure to see it translated most competently. Leiser's prose is smooth and limpid, which is an improvement over the author's often convoluted (though never opaque) narrative. The addition of a bibliography and the recasting of the footnotes is laudable.

"It deals with a most significant historical issue in an original, comprehensive and incisive manner. Especially impressive is the depth that the author brings to his subject as (among other things) an Islamicist, a dimension that is normally missing from scholars of Ottoman history." -- Ahmet T. Karamustafa, Washington University

In The Origins of the Ottoman Empire, Koprulu criticized as unscientific the prevailing Western explanations of the origins of the Ottoman Empire. Leiser's translation from the Turkish reveals Koprulu's modern historiographic method, and his unique contribution in describing the nature of the relevant Muslim sources. Using these and other references, Koprulu gave the first broad comprehensive account -- political, religious, social, and economic -- of the Turkish history of Anatolia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and outlined the major factors that led to the rise of the Ottomans.