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Hungary Ottoman Hungary
Central Hungary became a province of the Ottoman Empire
ruled
by pashas living in Buda. The Turks' only interest was to
secure
their hold on the territory. The Sublime Porte (a term
used to
designate the Ottoman rulers) became the sole landowner
and
managed about 20 percent of the land for its own benefit,
apportioning the rest among soldiers and civil servants.
The new
landlords were interested mainly in squeezing as much
wealth from
the land as quickly as possible. Wars, slave-taking, and
the
emigration of nobles who lost their land depopulated much
of the
countryside. However, the Turks practiced religious
tolerance and
allowed the Hungarians living within the empire
significant
autonomy in internal affairs. Towns maintained some selfgovernment , and a prosperous middle class developed
through
artisanry and trade.
Data as of September 1989
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