From the formation of the Ottoman beylik in the late seventh century AH/thirteenth century CE through the Tanzimat and constitutional periods, the Ottoman state underwent profound changes in the concept, structure, and mechanisms of political authority. Employing historical process analysis within an institutional approach, this study examines the transformation of political authority from the military and personalistic model of frontier ghazis to the bureaucratic structures centered on the Sublime Porte. The findings identify four stages: first, the emergence of authority in the Anatolian frontier zone, based on ghaza, warrior loyalty, social networks, and the personal leadership of the Ottoman bey; second, the transition to a sultan-centered bureaucratic order following territorial expansion, political centralization, and the establishment of the Imperial Council (Divan-ı Hümayun), a regular military establishment, and a provincial administrative system; third, the transformation of the balance between the sultanate and political institutions after the classical period, accompanied by the growing influence of the grand vizierate, court, and military and provincial forces; and fourth, the increasing prominence of the Sublime Porte and grand vizierate during the Tanzimat, alongside the expansion of ministries, councils, and legal-administrative mechanisms. Thus, Ottoman state transformation was neither simply a process of decline nor a linear trajectory of modernization, but a phased and contested reconfiguration of political authority from a military frontier beylik to a sultan-centered bureaucratic order and ultimately toward a more administrative and institutionalized form of government.