The Ottoman Empire orTurkish-Ottoman Empire began around 1300, in what is now the Republic of Turkey and ended at the time of the First World War. The territories encompassed part of the Middle East, Southeast Europe and North Africa. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the greatest powers in the world and was consolidated with the conquest of regions belonging to the Byzantine Empire.
The emergence takes place at the beginning of the 11th century, when tribes formed by nomadic Turks began to settle in Anatolia, a region that today corresponds to the territory of Turkey. The apogee is in the capture of Constantinople (1453). The name “Ottoman” derives from the warrior Otman I (1258-1324), responsible for the process of consolidation of the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onwards. The Ottomans come from the Ghuzz tribe, the region where Kazakhstan is located.
The military strategies used by Otman I transformed the tribes into an imperial dynasty and allowed the spread of the Muslim religion over the conquered territories. Despite this, one of the main factors that ensured the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire is the tolerance of the traditions and religion of the conquered peoples.
Under the command of Ottoman I, the Ottomans began the process of territorial expansion in the regions now occupied by Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Under the leadership of Ertogrul (1190-1281), the conquests of Asia Minor began.
The army of Orkhan I won successive victories against the Byzantines in 1300, but it was his son, Orkhan, who played a decisive role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. In addition to the war strategies, Orkhan emerged as an excellent administrator, maintaining the remuneration of the troops by the State. At the head of the army, Orkhan conquered Bursa, Nicaea and Nicomedia. The sites had significant commercial strategic importance, on the way between east and west.
The training strategy for Ottoman soldiers involved religious indoctrination, Islam and the formation of a solid and faithful military culture. Children and young people captured during the wars were educated according to the precepts of the Islamic religion and passed to the denomination of jihads (warriors), considered sons of the sultan. Thus, the Ottoman expansionist ideal relied on the loyalty of the jihads.
Not only the army, but the entire Ottoman people was impacted by the form of Islamic religious life. In fact, the Ottoman Empire came to impose a model of power combining church and state. Religious schools and priest training centers were common. The control of religious life and the power of the state belonged to the sultan, who came to impose a kind of church and state.
As early as the early 15th century, the Ottoman Empire controlled several regions of Mesopotamia, including the vicinity of the Danube and Euphrates Rivers. Only in the year 1453, the Ottomans subjugated the Byzantine Empire with the capture of the city of Constantinople. After the conquest, the city's name was changed to Istanbul. Under the control of Muhammad II, the Turkish-Ottoman Empire ushered in a new dynasty. In 1517, the Ottomans took possession of Mecca and Medina, considered holy cities by Muslims.
Decline and World War I
The Ottoman Empire began to lose power at the end of the 16th century, when in 1683, the army unsuccessfully tried to take the city of Vienna, Austria. The battle started a century of wars with European countries and the Ottoman Empire lost part of its territory. The downfall, definitively, took place in the First World War (1914-1918), when the Ottomans allied with Germany and were defeated. Only in 1923, Turkey appears, formed by a remaining group of Turks.
Economy
In addition to a powerful army, formed by hundreds of artillery, the power of the Ottoman Empire was guaranteed by economic prosperity. Every year, the Turks organized caravans to Mecca, from where they transported Indian spices, silk, precious stones and pearls from Persia. Until 1453, the empire was the West's main supplier of processed products and raw materials, such as woods, spices, tar, fruit, silk, rugs, copper crockery and cotton. Along with trade, agriculture and fishing were very important.
The Taking of Constantinople
The city of Constantinople – capital of the Byzantine Empire – was taken by the Ottoman Turks on May 29, 1453, by the troops of Sultan Mehmed II, known as the Conqueror. Mehmed II's goal was to turn the city into the capital of the empire and the city was renamed Istanbul. Islam was declared the official religion, Christianity was not banned.
The military actions of Mehmed II are highlighted by historians on account of the capture of Constantinople. The sultan commanded the construction of a cannon of unthinkable dimensions at the time and the artifact was used to open holes in the city wall. As part of the battle, he docked 70 ships that were used in a night action to transport troops.