The Ottoman Empire began as a small territory in western Anatolia on the Marmara Sea.
But what started small would later grow to become one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in the world. In fact, the Ottoman Empire lasted for over 600 years (1299–1922).
The Ottomans are best known for their powerful military. They were among the first to use gunpowder and guns effectively. The Ottomans were also known for their naval power and used their Corsair fleets to control trade lines.
Within two hundred years, the
Ottomans conquered two major
empires, the Byzantine and Mamluk.
Soon, they controlled land that
spread across southeastern
Europe, Anatolia, the Middle East,
and North Africa. The empire’s
capital was Constantinople and sat at the crossroad between Europe, Asia, and Africa. This meant that the Ottomans had access to and power over some of the most
important trade routes, like the Silk Road.
The Corsair were privateers or pirates, and they wreaked havoc around the Mediterranean, Black, Red, and Arabian Seas and into the Indian Ocean.
The Ottomans ruled over different ethnicities, races, cultures, and religions. The people were allowed to keep their cultures and religious traditions so long as they obeyed Ottoman rule, paid their taxes, and kept the peace. The Ottomans also controlled the most important holy sites of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. Some of these sites included Constantinople, Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina.
Like all empires, the Ottoman Empire was oppressive. It gathered power and wealth by taking resources and enslaving human beings. The Ottomans and their allies committed terrible acts, such as forcing people to move and killing people because
of their race, religion, or ethnicity.
Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul by the Republic of Turkey. Constantinople had
many names during the
empire’s existence such as
Konstantiniyye, Islambol, and Der-i Saadet (the Abode of Felicity) similar to how New York City is referred to as The Big Apple, NYC, or Gotham.
Enslaved people were made to be servants, labored on farms, worked in the government, and fought in the military.
But the empire’s government changed over the years. As they conquered different empires, the Ottomans adopted and adapted
the practices of those they
conquered. They started as a tribal ruling elite then changed into a dynasty with a military and a noble class.
In the 19th century, the Ottomans shifted to a constitutional monarchy. People could elect local representatives to voice their concerns in a parliament. The sultan, however, remained the head of state and the empire.
Eventually, the empire collapsed. The world was changing. European countries began expanding into its land, and independence movements led by different Ottoman peoples made it difficult to keep the empire intact. The Ottoman Empire was divided up, and the dynasty was removed in 1922 after World War I.
The Ottomans left behind a complicated legacy, rich in culture and scientific achievement but stained by conquest, violence, and oppression.