The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin is the story of Yashim a eunuch in the Ottoman Empire during 1836 trying to solve the mystery or terrible murders happening inside the Harem and to the members of the New Guards. The early 19th century was a time of great changes in both Europe and the Ottoman Empire. In Europe this was the time of the enlightenment where there were great social and scientific changes in the way they viewed the world. In the Ottoman Empire the influence from Europe was becoming greater and greater. Conversely many people disliked the European influence and wanted to revert to the old ways and customs, they felt that modernity was not going to help the Ottoman Empire. In The Janissary Tree both new influences and old customs of the Ottoman Empire during 1836 can be learned. The Ottoman Empire was in what historians would call a declining period. But through the Janissary Tree it is evident that the people living their lives had no evidence of this happening. Clearly they just lead their lives as they would everyday without knowledge or feelings of things going wrong. If anything there seemed to be a feeling changes going upward with the influence of European technology. The Russians had a lot of interest in the Ottoman Empire and had their embassy there almost as a way to spy on them. While the Ottoman’s had influences of change and modernization Europe also had the Ottomans on their minds. They had a great influence on their decorations and art as well as a military fear of them. Europeans had a great deal of influence on the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century and onward but did not change everything about life. Many people believed that instead of becoming European they should really go back to the old tardyons and become more Muslim. However, the Sultans did not listen to this and pushed for a Westernized society and many clothes and languages from Europe became popular.
The image above is of the Topkapi palace, where a large part of the book takes place.
This image from 1982 of the Janissary Tree!
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