Preottoman

PreOttoman is a historiographical term used to describe the historical and geographical space that would later become part of the Ottoman Empire, prior to its emergence as a centralized imperial state. It is not the name of a single polity, but a convenient label for the diverse polities and social formations that preceded Ottoman rule in Anatolia, the Balkans, the Levant, and adjacent regions. The exact dating of the preOttoman era varies among scholars; some place its beginnings in late antiquity or the early medieval period, while others focus on the late medieval era and end the label with the rise of the Ottoman beyliks in the late 13th or early 14th century and the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

In Anatolia, preOttoman history includes the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and various Turkmen beyliks; in the Balkans, medieval successor states of Byzantium such as Bulgaria and Serbia; in the Levant, the Mamluk Sultanate; in the Caucasus, Armenian and Georgian polities. The term also encompasses overlapping religious and cultural transformations, including the spread of Islam and the persistence of Christian communities.

As a historiographic category, preOttoman aims to explain state-building processes, territorial changes, and cultural exchanges that shaped the eventual Ottoman state. It is a flexible framework rather than a fixed historical period, and its use depends on the regional focus and scholarly tradition. See also: Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Seljuk Empire, Mamluk Sultanate, Balkan history, Anatolia.