Throughout the three centuries, from the 1300s until the 1600s, the Ottoman Empire was able to protect the status quo of the classical period without any significant obstacles. On the contrary, after the 1600s, it was impossible to maintain this order for various reasons. One of the main reasons is the disintegration of provincial order. When the land system, based on the production of small peasants and a subsistence economy began to be dissolved principally because of the corruption caused by the Sipahis, the control of the land was captured by the landlords and the Christian notables; and millions of peasants experienced harsh conditions. İnalcık argues that this is not an easy transformation, rather the fundamental reason causing the collapse of the empire (2011, p. 39). Considering that the fiscal balance of the state was largely achieved by the agricultural production of the peasants, it would not be hard to see what serious consequences it had when the timar (tımar) system was dissolved. In addition, we need to note that the development of new weapon technologies was another significant development that transformed the classical order and that diminished the importance of the timar holder in the system. The increasing trade of the Ottoman Empire with the West and its peripheralization as the requirement of the capitalization constitute another variable that dissolved the classical order. Accordingly, the influence of the Ottoman Empire in the world economy gradually lost its value with the loss of commercial significance of the Mediterranean and the Silk Road. Certainly, the financial burden caused by the long wars with Iran and Russia signifies another important factor. All of these reasons caused the disintegration of the classical Ottoman system.

The correct answer is E.