Domhnall

I only had access to this book briefly so could read just two chapters. It was clearly written and very enlightening even so, as it pointed out something that I needed explaining and I am sure many more people do. This is that, for much of our history, vast swathes of Europe, Asia and Africa were the preserve of nomads and not settled people, and that in many important respects, settled civilizations depended on nomadic people to enable communication and trade over the vast distances separating them from each other. The Ottoman Empire understood this and had a lively and fruitful relationship with the nomads making up a significant proportion of their population. In addition to permanent nomads, there were temporary and seasonal migrants, making productive use of marginal lands, and meeting the needs of the expanding empire to occupy and defend border territories and new acquisitions. As to the way the empire managed these relationships over the long term, I picked up a strong hint that the nomads were valued while the empire was expanding, but suffered increasing restrictions in later centuries. I must find out more.