The Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, founded in the late 13th century, was ruled by an Asian ethnic group called Turks. These people migrated to Anatolia during the A.D. 900’s. Here, they created a powerful Muslim empire called the Ottoman Empire, led by the descendants of Osman I. In the 1400’s, the Ottomans conquered the city Constantanople which had been the capital of the Byzantine Empire for almost 1,000 years. They renamed this port city Istanbul as it is called it today. Istanbul is the only city in the world which is located on two continents, Asia and Europe.
Socially, economically, and militarily the Ottoman Empire was a medieval state, unaffected by the developments in the rest of Europe. The Ottoman Empire was ruled by sultans who believed that leadership was a divine right bestowed on a chosen family. Ottoman princes were sent off to the provinces with their tutors to learn the business of government. Often these princes had to compete for the throne. The sultan would likely kill most of his male relatives to secure his position on the throne. Bribery and corruption were common in the government and the sultans had little actual involvement in any public affairs.
The sultans lack of control led to the decline of the empire while World War I led to the actual collapse of the empire. In 1922, Turkish nationalists overthrew the sultan and modern Turkey’s history began.
I got my information from infoplease.com and Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia.
