One of the greatest empires in history, the Ottomans ruled large areas of the Middle East,
Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 600 years before crumbling on the battlefields
of World War I.
The Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 and was named after Osman I who led the Turks,
Muslim tribes from Anatolia, to expand their territory during a war against the weakening
Byzantine Empire.
Osman's successors swept over the Byzantine holdings in Anatolia and Europe, taking over
the Balkans by the close of the 14th century.
The Turks met their match from the East when they were defeated by the rival Turko-Mongol
forces.
After a civil war between the sons of the Sultan, Mehmed I, often dubbed as the second
founder of the empire, emerged victorious as the ruler of the unified Ottoman empire.
In 1453, the Ottomans finally seized Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire’s capital, putting
an end to its reign of 1,000 years.
The city was renamed Istanbul and became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire, a dominant
international center of trade and culture.
The chief leaders of the Ottoman Empire were known as Sultans and were given absolute religious
and political authority over their people.
They lived in the elaborate Topkapi palace in Istanbul, which included a harem, reserved
for wives and female slaves serving the Sultan.
By 1517, the Ottomans had conquered Greece and Bosnia and gained control over Egypt,
Syria, Jerusalem and Arabia (Ottoman-Mamluk War) including the Islamic holy cities, therefore
allowing them to claim the title of Caliph of the Islamic world.
The Ottoman Empire reached its peak in the 16th century during the reign of Suleiman
the Magnificent.
The arts flourished, technology and architecture reached new heights, and the empire generally
enjoyed peace, relative religious tolerance, and economic and political stability.
Additionally, the Ottomans invented several surgical instruments that are still used today.
The empire’s success laid in its large territory, military might and control of some of the
world’s most lucrative trade routes (with China and India).
On the flip side, female slaves were forced into sexual slavery; (24) and many of the
sultans’ brothers along with their sons were killed or imprisoned to protect the sultan
from political challenges.
Throughout Suleiman’s rule, the empire expanded and included areas of Eastern Europe but failed
to conquer Vienna.
In 1683, the Holy League, an alliance of European nations was formed to prevent further Ottoman
expansion into Europe.
Great Turkish war: The Ottoman army lost its military prestige after a devastating defeat
at the battle of Vienna, signaling the beginning of the decline of the empire.
Reasons for the Ottoman dwindle include: internal stagnation
nationalist revolts among its multiethnic subjects
competition with new trade routes opened to America and India
and the rise of European powers thanks to the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution
and colonialism.
The Greeks won their independence in 1830 while Egypt escaped Ottoman control following
a military conflict, before eventually becoming a British protectorate in 1882.
During the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was called the “sick man of Europe”: France
seized Algeria and Tunis, while several Balkan states were declared independent.
In 1912, the Ottomans lost nearly all territories in Europe after losing the first Balkan war
against an alliance of Balkan states.
The Balkan wars led to increased tensions between Austria-Hungary and rising Serbia
over dominance of the Balkan region, setting the stage for WW1, during which the Ottomans
sided with Germany.
The Ottomans blamed their catastrophic defeat against the Russians in the battle of Sarikamish
on Armenian treachery and massacred local Armenian populations.
The Ottoman Empire lost WW1 along with the Central powers: Up to 3 million Ottoman civilians
died.
Among them were 1.5 million Armenians who were wiped out in massacres and death marches.
As of 2019, 32 countries have recognized the events as an Armenian genocide whereas Turkey
denied it.
In the aftermath of the war, Mustafa Kemal successfully led the Turkish resistance against
mainland Turkey’s partition among Greece and the victorious allied powers.
Kemal then officially abolished the Ottoman empire and founded modern-day Turkey, serving
as its first president in 1923.
He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized the country into a secular,
industrial nation.
After ruling for more than 600 years, the Ottoman Turks are often remembered for their
powerful military, ethnic diversity, artistic ventures, religious tolerance and architectural
marvels.
The mighty empire’s influence is still alive in present-day Turkey, a modern nation thought
by many scholars to live as a continuation of the Ottoman Empire.