The Entire History of Ottoman Empire Explained in 7 Minutes

The year was 1299 AD when ruler of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia had dream of mighty tree growing out of him and covering the whole world. This ruler was Osman and with the help of his successors, they built the mightiest Middle Eastern Empire of their time. The term Ottoman originates from “Uthman” which is Arabic for Osman, named after the ruler who had the dream of the Ottoman Empire. We are going to review the historic events that marked the chronology of this mighty empire. Origins of the Ottoman Empire The history of the Ottoman Empire begins with Osman in 1299 AD, leader of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia who established formal government and gave foundation to the Ottoman Turks. He and his son Orhan started conquering and expanded the territory to the North West and captured Bursa in 1326. Bursa became the new capital of the Ottoman state and the Byzantine Empire lost control over northwestern Anatolia. The Ottoman Turks continued their expansion objectives by conquering the important city of Thessaloniki from the Venetians in 1387. Later on, in 1389, they took over Kosovo which ended the Serbian power in the region, making way for the Ottomans to expand in Europe. In an attempt to stop the advance of the Ottoman Turks, there was the battle of Nicopolis in 1396. The Ottoman warriors were victorious in what is regarded as the last large-scale crusade of the Middle Ages. It is Sultan Bayezid who doubled the Ottoman’s land between 1389 and 1402, earning his nickname as the Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, he failed to unite the early Ottoman empire which was bisected by the once-mighty city of Constantinople. He was later defeated and captured in the battle of Ankara by Timur. This started the only civil war that the Ottoman empire had in its 600 years of history, as Bayezid’s sons fought over succession. It is Mehmed who finally emerged out of the chaos and restored the Ottoman’s power and brought an end to the civil war referred to as the Ottoman interregnum. Between 1430 and 1450, Mehmed’s son Murad II was the one to recover the lands that were lost in the battle of Ankara. He defeated the united armies of the King of Hungary in the final battle of the crusade of Varna, and was also later victorious on an attack over his lands in the second battle of Kosovo in 1448. The son of Murad II, Mehmed the conqueror, was the one to solve the Constantinople issue by capturing the city with martial finesse on 29 May 1453 when he was only 21 years old. Mehmed the conqueror then renamed the city which is now known as Istanbul, the new capital of the Ottoman Empire, and the city became powerful international center of trade and culture. Sultan Mehmed ruled from 1453 to 1481 and when he died, Bayezid II his oldest son became the new Sultan. The rise of the Ottoman Empire The siege in Constantinople marked the status of the Ottoman Empire as the preeminent power in southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Orthodox patriarchs acknowledge the Ottoman rule over the Venetian rule, and this was only the beginning of the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It was between the 15th and 16th centuries that the Ottoman Empire had its greatest conquests and expansions. By 1517 under the rule of Sultan Selim the Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and Palestine in very short period. By these conquests, they became Middle East trade giant as no one could go east or west without crossing the Ottoman Empire, and the empire flourished via the major overland trade routes between Europe and Asia. The Ottoman navy played great part in protecting and contesting the important seagoing trade routes, as they were in competition with the Italian cities in the Black, Aegean, and Mediterranean seas; and with the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Red sea. It was during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who ruled from 1520 to 1566, that the Ottoman Empire reached its peak in glory and dominion. He was the successor of Selim and made major impact on the history of the Empire. Suleiman the Magnificent created an unwavering system of law that made the justice system fair, and overall efficient. He also welcomed various forms of arts and literature. On top of that, he went on thirteen raiding campaigns in every direction from his Empire. He established the Ottoman’s rule in present-day Hungary and other central European territories after winning the battle of Mohacs in 1526. He took Baghdad from the Persians and gained control over Mesopotamia installing naval presence in the Persian Gulf. The Ottoman Empire counted 15,000,000 people by the end of the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. The fall of the Ottoman Empire It was from 1600 that the Ottoman Empire started to decline, with its armies scattered across its vast lands due to the constant Austrian and Persian military campaigns. These conflicts impacted heavily on the Empire’s resources and management of its defenses on the western and eastern borders. As result, it was overall impossible to maintain its naval presence for trade competition effectively. In 1912 and 1913, the Ottoman Empire lost almost all its European territories in the Balkan wars. In 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered World War on the side of the central Powers and they were defeated in October 1918. The title of the Sultan was officially eliminated in 1922 and this marked the official end of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. The remaining lands of the Empire became the Republic of Turkey under the governance of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on October 29, 1923. In Conclusion The Ottoman Empire left an outstanding legacy after ruling for more than 600 years. They will always be remembered for their fabulous military dominance and innovation, ethnic diversity, religious tolerance, and their still-standing architectural marvels.