Organization, Supply Chain and Logistics of the Ottoman Army (1300-1566) | Chapter 9 | New Advances in Business, Management and Economics Vol. 8

 

The Ottoman Empire developed from a frontier principality to become the most powerful empire in the world by 1566. Many historians regard the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent as the peak of Ottoman power. A key factor in the empire’s military success was its highly organized supply chain and logistics systems, which enabled the Ottoman army to conduct extended campaigns across vast territories. The Ottoman Empire conquered lands and countries on three continents, covering an area of approximately 978,000 square miles at the time of Süleyman the Magnificent. The most significant conquest, without a doubt, was the capture of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror, which marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. Historians characterize this event as the end of the Middle Ages. Research suggests that the Ottomans’ success depended to a large extent on their ability to amply supply provisions and weapons to their soldiers. They also provided plentiful food for their animals which served as the primary means of transport. To the best of the knowledge of the author of this manuscript, there is very little research on how militaries of the Middle Ages supplied and logistically supported their soldiers and animals. This paper provides an example of how one of those militaries accomplished it. It bridges the disciplines of military history and supply chain and logistics management by analyzing the efficiency of the Ottoman army supply chain between 1300 to 1566, an often-overlooked but crucial factor behind imperial success. This work fills a historical research gap and also offers a compelling case study for scholars in operations research and strategic planning. This research is based on published books and articles by prominent historians and covers the period of 1300 to 1566. It concludes that the basic principles used by the Ottoman Army for their supply chain and logistical activities are still valid today and used by excellent modern supply and logistics systems.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Cengiz Haksever
Department of Information Systems, Analytics, & Supply Chain Management, Norm Brodsky College of Business, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, USA.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nabme/v8/5782