God's Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World

Long neglected in world history, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of intellectual fervor, geopolitical power, and enlightened pluralistic rule. At the height of their authority in the sixteenth century, the Ottomans, with extraordinary military dominance and unparalleled monopolies over trade routes, controlled more territory and ruled over more people than any other world power, forcing Europeans out of the Mediterranean and to the New World. Despite its towering influence and centrality to the rise of our modern world, the Ottoman Empire’s history has often been distorted, misrepresented, or suppressed in the West. This book recasts Ottoman history through the dramatic biography of Sultan Selim I (1470–1520). Born to a concubine and the fourth of ten sons of his sultan father, Selim was not initially expected to inherit the throne. With personal charisma, military prowess, and the guidance of his talented mother Gülbahar, Selim claimed power in 1512 and nearly tripled the empire's territory through ruthless ambition, creating a governing structure that lasted into the twentieth century. Known as “God’s Shadow on Earth,” Selim fostered religious diversity within the empire, welcoming Jews and other minorities, and encouraged learning and philosophy, even penning poetry. The narrative also explores reinterpretations of Christopher Columbus’s voyages and highlights how the Ottomans allowed slaves to rise to elite positions, contrasting these practices with the transatlantic slave trade. This history offers a radically new understanding of the importance of Selim’s Ottoman Empire in shaping the modern world.