The Ottoman Empire

Leon W.

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Rise to Power: Origins

The Ottoman empire began as a small Turkish state located in the region of Asia Minor (Anatolia). Prior to its rise, the territory that the Ottomans would conquer was in control by the Byzantine empire. Once the Western side of Rome (Byzantine is essentially the Eastern counterpart) fell by Germanic tribe invasions, it could not keep up with the rapidly spreading religion of Islam, which ushered in the "Golden Age of Islam" from the 8th to 13th centuries.

Fig. 2

Fig. 1

Fig. 1 Map of the Ottoman Empire, Encylopedia Britannica

Fig. 2 Destruction, Thomas Cole

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Rise to Power: Osman I

Soon, a leader emerged in the form of Osman I, who inherited his father's tribe in 1288, and while he never saw the result of his efforts as he passed away in 1326, the military that he had assimilated was able to fall Constantinople in 1453, shattering the rule of the Byzantine empire and ending its reign, letting the Ottoman empire take its place. The Ottoman empire would go on to last for around 600 years; one of the longest lasting empires of world history.

Fig. 4

Fig. 3

Fig. 3 Osman I, History Collection

Fig. 4 Last Siege on Constantinople, Wikipedia

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Notable Leaders of the Empire

not necessarily in a good way...

Murad the 4th (1612-1640)

or Murad the Cruel was an exceptionally violent sultan whose idea of a fun time was to dress in disguise and walk in the streets with his executioner in search of "troublemakers" to execute.

Mustafa (1592-1639)

or the Giggling One was a more unusual ruler who was said to be mentally deficient, but was still placed on the throne. He appointed highly unqualified servants as governors of important areas and appointed a farmer into high office.

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Notable Leaders of the Empire

not necessarily in a good way...

Selim I (1470-1520)

or Selim the Grim was a ruthless and violent leader who killed all possible candidates to the throne except for his son, Suleiman the Magnificent. Selim the Grim was known for his elaborate conquests in the Middle East and becoming the first Ottoman caliph.

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Ottoman Empire Innovations

The Sextant

Inspired by the Ottomans, the "mushabbaha bi-'l manatiq" created by the well-known polymath Taqi al-Din that was used to measure the radius of Venus later inspired Tycho Brahe to invent the sextant as we know it.

Taqi al-Din​

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Ottoman Empire Innovations

The Astronomical Clock

Taqi al-Din also created a mechanical clock for his observatory that was more accurate than previous clocks to it, and achieved a great precision in time that the famous Roman intellectual Ptolemy had wished for.

Taqi al-Din​

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Interactions with Other Cultures

The Ottomans traded with the Europeans, granting rights to trade with France in 1534. Coffee was a popular, sought-out product from the Ottoman Empire and many merchants from Europe arrived in Istanbul to buy the commodity, which led to coffee shops introduced throughout London.

Once the Ottomans had conquered Egypt, they had essentially full control

over the Mediterranean trade routes, and offered the Venetians to carry out their trade for them in return for tax income, as they had adept mariners and plenty of boats. This greatly benefited Venice in funds to help power the European Renaissance going on in the region.

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The Beginning of the End

As the Ottoman empire continued to hold strong after centuries, they began to take interest in expanding into greater European territory, which upset their neighboring Western countries. When the Ottomans attempted to conquer Austria, they suffered a serious defeat to the Poland military and the rest of the Western Roman Empire in the Battle of Zenta. Eventually, in 1699, the Ottomans were prohibited from further expanding in Central Europe via the Treaty of Karlowitz.

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WWI and the Fall

From the treaty, the Ottoman empire's grip on its extensive territory would only shrink from then on. When World War I came along, the Ottoman empire saw this as a chance to reclaim lost territory. Unfortunately, they sided with the eventual loser, the Central Forces, who at first fought well against the enemy Allies, but ultimately lost the war. This loss would be the last straw for the once great empire and the British eventually seized Constantinople. The remains of the empire would form the middle east country, Turkey. 

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Bibliography

http://umich.edu/~turkish/links/ottemp_brhist.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/middle-eastern-history-biographies/osman-i

http://www.theottomans.org/english/family/osman.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople

https://youtu.be/YMpfdpHPNDE

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Suleyman-the-Magnificent

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Bibliography

https://www.turkeyhomes.com/blog/post/mad-ottoman-sultans-who-made-history-for-the-wrong-reasons

http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/ottoman-contributions-science-and-technology

http://ottomanempire.info/economy.htm

https://youtu.be/MawOLbHtnMY

https://youtu.be/UN-II_jBzzo

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Selim-I

https://www.dailysabah.com/portrait/2016/03/12/selim-the-grim-the-protector-of-two-sacred-cities-and-the-first-of-the-ottoman-caliphs

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mehmed-II-Ottoman-sultan

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