The Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)

After Muhammad’s death in 632 AD, Islam spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. One of the largest and longest lasting dynasties to rule the Islamic world started in the 13th century (1200s AD) with Osman, a leader of a Muslim tribe in Turkey. A dynasty is a family or group that maintains power for generations. Osman started the Ottoman dynasty by defeating other Turkish tribes to become ruler of a small kingdom. Osman then rose to conquer what was left of the old Roman Empire (A.K.A the Byzantine Empire). The Turkish Ottoman Empire, whose name comes from Osman, eventually conquered most of the Middle East, North Africa, and southeast Europe. In 1453 the Ottomans captured the city of Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Roman Empire. The Ottomans renamed the city Istanbul and made it their capital. During the 15th and 16th centuries it was one of the most powerful states in the world. The Ottoman Empire lasted until the early 20th century (1900s), a span of almost 600 years.

Treatment of non-Muslims While Ottoman Turks were Muslims, they did not impose (force) Islamic law on all non-Muslims. The Ottoman Turks generally allowed Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths to practice their beliefs in peace. In fact, one of the successes of the Ottoman Empire was the unity that it brought among its highly diverse populations. This unity may be credited in part to the laws of Islam, which stated that Muslims, Christians and Jews — who made up the vast majority of the Ottoman population — were all "People of the Book", in other words they followed a sacred text (holy book). Many Jews were invited to settle in Ottoman territory and Christians were given many rights. Janissaries: Ottoman Soldiers One exception to this rule of religious tolerance was the group called the Janissaries. The Ottoman sultans demanded that conquered lands pay taxes to the empire. One way taxes were paid was through collecting children. Boys were collected every year from Christian lands mainly in South Central Europe. Ottoman officials took children from Christian families to be brought up as servants of the Ottoman Empire. After being taken from their families, these boys lived with Turkish farming families to learn the Ottoman language (Turkish) and religion (Islam). Many of these converted Christians eventually joined the army, becoming known as Janissaries. But those who showed special ability were able to rise to the highest levels of government within the empire.

Suleiman the Magnificent The Janissaries were especially important to the reign of the greatest Ottoman sultan, or ruler, Suleiman. Suleiman used the Janissary military force to make his empire into the richest and most powerful empire in Europe and southwest Asia at the time. Under Suleiman’s rule, the empire reached the height of its power, a period known as the Golden Age. In addition to being a great military leader, he also oversaw the empire's greatest cultural achievements. With an interest in architecture, Suleiman made major improvements to the main Islamic cities. He also built strong fortresses to defend the places he took from the Christians. Suleiman concerned himself with the development of literature, art, and law as well. In fact, Muslim’s called him “The Lawgiver” because he published a code of laws that established a system of justice throughout the empire.

The Sick Man of Europe The Ottomans were fine soldiers, but had difficulty ruling. As Muslims, they were tolerant of religious differences and generally treated Jews and Christians fairly. This tolerance strengthened the empire. On the other hand, unlike the Muslim rulers of the past, the Ottoman sultans tended to fear and distrust new ideas. This proved fatal (deadly) to the empire. The Ottomans were largely passed over by the European Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Enlightenment of the 18th century, and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. While the rest of the world advanced in new ideas and technologies, the Ottomans were too busy fighting and warring. Throughout their history the Ottomans were either trying to take over more land or defending the land they had. Therefore the Ottoman Empire began a slow but steady decline in the last decades of the 16th century. Few sultans after Suleiman were able to exercise real power when the need arose. The Ottoman Empire was weakening and often compared to a "sick man". As the Ottoman Empire began to decline, European colonial leaders, who had recently seized most of Africa, were eager to take over the Middle East too.

The Fall of the Ottoman Empire Warfare led to the final collapse of the empire in the first decades of the 20th century. In 1912–13 the empire lost almost all its remaining European territory in two military conflicts known as the Balkan Wars. Then in World War I (1914–18) the empire fought with Germany on the losing side. This defeat forced the Ottoman leaders to give up much of the rest of their territory. Unfortunately for the Ottoman Turks, the winning powers of World War I were eager to claim their influence in the Middle East and North Africa at the end of the war. The winning European powers hoped to sell their manufactured goods to the people of the Middle East. They also hoped to exploit (use) the natural resources of the region. Oil had not yet been discovered, but the Middle East and North Africa had many exotic spices. Britain also controlled India at that time, and they hoped to secure a safe route through the Middle East to India and other colonial lands in East Asia. Britain, France, and the United States carved up most of the Ottoman Empire and left only what we now know as the modern nation of Turkey. Outraged by this development, a group of Turks led by Mustafa Kemal formed a new government. Former Ottoman leaders fled the country. In 1923 Turkey was declared a republic with Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk, or “Father of the Turks”) as its president.