Askeri

Encyclopedia : A : AS : ASK : Askeri

Askeri (Ottoman Turkish: ﻋﺴﻜﺮﻰ) is an Ottoman Turkish term that refers to a class of imperial administrators in the Ottoman Empire.

This elite class consisted of four main groups: the military, the court officials, the nobility, and the religious clergy. Though term itself literally means "of the military", it more broadly encompasses all higher levels of imperial administration. To be a member of this ruling elite, one thus had to hold a political office in the service of the Ottoman Empire, meaning that both Muslims and non-Muslims in those positions could be considered askeri.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.