Home Search Site About MultiEducator The Colonies For Educators American History World Timeline Election Central NationbyNation Primary Source Documents 20th Century Almanac Aviation History Navy History Railroad History America's Wars Revolutionary War War of 1812 Mexican American Civil War Spanish American World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Desert Storm Enduring Freedom Iraqi Freedom Biographies Presidents First Ladies 20th Century 500 Amistadt Civics History of Israel Other Links About Historycentral Advertise Contact US

Ottoman Society The Ottoman Empire was divided into five classes of people: First there was the ruling class, all of whom were linked to the sultan. Under the ruling class were the merchant class that was largely free from government taxation and regulation. A separate class was the artisan class. The artisans were organized according to guilds. The largest group in the Ottoman Empire was the peasant class. They farmed leased land. The leased land was passed along from generation to generation. The final groups were the pastoral people. They were the tribes and clans who lived by their own rules under the leadership of their chiefs, who swore allegiance to the Ottoman sultan.