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After the fourth crusade, Constantinople was under an unstable aristocratic governance, in which a new system had to emerge to stop any further civil crisis amongst the people. This system, under the Ottoman Turks, was founded under Islamic principals, known as the Shari’a. Naturally, any new form of governance will see some type of resistance. == Byzantine Rule == To first understand how Islamic Law changed the landscape of Constantinople, how bureaucracy was set up for the dwindling Byzantine Empire, particularly Constantinople, must be examined. The idea of Byzantium is usually associated with the picture of a powerful centralized state, which had at its disposal a vast bureaucratic machine, operating at a high degree of perfection. Such a picture did once correspond with the facts, but, over the centuries, developments drastically modified theses facts and nothing was left of the power and glory of earlier times except a few survivals, proud memories, and pretensions that could not be realized. The transformation of Byzantine aristocracy was founded on Greek scientific ideas, Greco-Roman legal conceptions, and Christian theological doctrines. Interestingly enough, Byzantine aristocracy was not just set up by a matter of birth, exalted rank, and wealth; it also would require a fundamental Greek tradition in the arts and law. This affluent Aristocrat would give the empire a sense of cultural participation, which could be put in terms as penetrating, was a fundamental characteristic of Constantinople aristocracy, in turn, created a foundation of educated elite whom oversaw the empire. The ability to write in a florid classical language, skilled in the arts of philosophy, law and ethic’s, distinguished the elite from the ordinary citizens of Constantinople. Though Constantinople was rich in an aristocratic history, the social-economic factors plagued the Byzantine Empire after the fourth crusades. An anti-aristocratic movement was on the rise and spread rapidly all the way to the outer reaches of the broken Byzantine Empire. The cities governors fell from its ranks and the town councils were all in the hands of rebelling, anti-aristocratic representatives. The merchants and artisans that were in Constantinople, once regarded so highly, came to know as the “middling people” (Ostrogosky 20), according to the sources, and were completely overshadowed. These middling people, as a social class, were not much akin to the rising Ottoman merchants and artisans that came to flourish in the Byzantine Empire. Because of the alienation of the Byzantine artisans and merchants, a serious crisis emerged for the aristocracy of Constantinople. Because of territory being lost to the Ottoman Empire, on top of the emerging civil crisis, subdivisions were created and redistributions of territorial assets were taking place. Once final reckoning occurred, partly due to an empty treasury, as well as, a long and exhausted civil war, the unity of the sovereign authority became only a matter of theory. Because the aristocracy of Constantinople had already been disenfranchised, it was relative easy for the Shari’a (literally meaning path), or Islamic Law, to be enforced upon by the people of Constantinople and it ruling Turks. More importantly, the people of Constantinople could still practice their faith of Orthodox Christianity. This was a guarantee right to non-Muslims residing under Islamic Law. The dhimma law particularly ensured this entitlement. The right to practice their faith, as well as the right to maintain ancient shrines and places of worship was one of the legal binding privileges in Constantinople. Nevertheless, closer, expropriation, and destruction were real dangers in Constantinople under Islamic rule. Not to say that Muslims didn’t follow the commandment of the Shari’a with regards to non-Muslim sanctuaries, they were just overzealous in the application of it. One particular instance is the Patriarchal Church, still in existence in Istanbul. This once Orthodox Christian church, was all to the glory of Constantinople. This monument exalted Byzantine craftsmanship, and was, more or less, a symbol of the Christian theocracy in Constantinople. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Islamic law in Constantinople」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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