A philosophical study on the foundation of the Ottoman State

This study investigates the foundation of the Ottoman State from a philosophical perspective. It claims that the foundation of the Ottoman State was not grounded on authority and hierarchy but based on deliberate legal and political justifications. The study does not focus on any state theories; instead, it tries to build a foundation theory directly. Additionally, state systems of the same period, as of the Byzantines and the Anatolian Seljuks, and modern state theories were used as a field of comparison to emphasize differences and similarities theoretically. It explains the state system theoretically and practically by putting society, government and land at the center. The study highlights the concepts defining the state inclusively, namely origin, representation and lawfulness. It checks their consistency over social and political institutions. At the same time, these concepts constitute basic arguments in making the philosophical investigation of the study. In this way, the study aims to integrate the foundation of the Ottoman State into the literature of the field of philosophy. As a result, it finds out that the Ottoman State was a political institution aspiring continuity, having an original foundational system that justified itself legally.