Decline and modernization of the Ottoman Empire

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In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire faced threats on numerous frontiers from multiple industrialized European powers as well as from internal instabilities. Outsider influence, internal corruption and the rise of nationalism demanded the Empire to look within itself and modernize. Kickstarting a period of internal reforms to centralize and standardize governance, European style training regimens for the military, standardized law codes and reformed property laws were initiated to better collect taxes and control the resources within the borders. The period of these reforms is known as the Tanzimat, under the reign of the sultans Abdülmecid I and Abdülaziz, starting in 1839. Despite the Ottoman Empire's precarious international position, the central state was not strengthened. The process of reform and modernization in the empire began with the declaration of the Nizam-I Cedid (New Order) during the reign of Sultan Selim III and was punctuated by several reform decrees, such as the Hatt...

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