Editing Ulama (section)

====New Ottoman scholarly elite====
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Ottoman ulama still retained their political influence. When sultan [[Selim III]] tried to reform the [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman army]], the ulama opposed his plans, which they rejected as an [[Apostasy in Islam|apostasy from Islam]]. Consequently, his reform failed. However, Selims successor [[Mahmud II]] (r. 1808–1839) was more successful: He called the new troops, organised according to European models, by the name "Victorious army of Muhammad" (''Asâkir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye''). By doing so, he was able to overcome the accusation of apostasy and secure the ulama's support.<ref name="HME_73_75">{{cite book| author=William L. Cleveland, Martin Bunton| title=A history of the modern Middle East| publisher=Perseus Books Group| location=New York| year=2016| isbn=978-0-8133-4980-0| pages=73–75}}</ref> Mahmuds reforms created a new imperial elite class who spoke Western European languages and were knowledgeable of the Western European societies and their political systems. As the political and economic pressure increased on the Ottoman Empire in the course of the 19th century, this new elite carried on the Sultan's reforms and helped initiating a new era of reform, the [[Tanzimat]]. In parallel, the political influence of the ulama was circumvented and reduced step by step. A [[Ministry of Sharia and the Foundations|ministry for religious endowments]] was created in order to control the finances of the [[Waqf|vakıf]]. Thus, the ulama lost direct control over their finances, which significantly reduced their capacity to exert political influence.<ref name="HME_73_75"/>