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Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire,[j] historically and colloquially known as the Turkish Empire,[22][23] was an imperial realm[k] that spanned much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Europe between the early 16th and early 18th centuries.[24][25][26]

This article is about the empire. For the associated caliphate, see Ottoman Caliphate.

Sublime Ottoman State
  • دولت عليه عثمانیه
  • Devlet-i ʿAlīye-i ʿOsmānīye

 

 

General Assembly
(1876–1878; 1908–1920)

Chamber of Notables
(1876–1878; 1908–1920)

Chamber of Deputies
(1876–1878; 1908–1920)

 

c. 1299[17]

1402–1413

29 May 1453

1876–1878

1908–1920

23 January 1913

1 November 1922[h]

29 October 1923[i]

3 March 1924

1,220,000 km2 (470,000 sq mi)

3,400,000 km2 (1,300,000 sq mi)

5,200,000 km2 (2,000,000 sq mi)

2,550,000 km2 (980,000 sq mi)

24,000,000

The empire emerged from a beylik, or principality, founded in northwestern Anatolia in 1299 by the Turkoman tribal leader Osman I. His successors conquered much of Anatolia and expanded into the Balkans by the mid 14th century, transforming their petty kingdom into a transcontinental empire. The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II, which marked the Ottomans' emergence as a major regional power. Under Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566), the empire reached the peak of its power, prosperity, and political development. By the start of the 17th century, the Ottomans presided over 32 provinces and numerous vassal states, which over time were either absorbed into the Empire or granted various degrees of autonomy.[l] With its capital at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and control over a significant portion of the Mediterranean Basin, the Ottoman Empire was at the centre of interactions between the Middle East and Europe for six centuries.


While the Ottoman Empire was once thought to have entered a period of decline after the death of Suleiman the Magnificent, modern academic consensus posits that the empire continued to maintain a flexible and strong economy, society and military into much of the 18th century. However, during a long period of peace from 1740 to 1768, the Ottoman military system fell behind those of its chief European rivals, the Habsburg and Russian empires. The Ottomans consequently suffered severe military defeats in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, culminating in the loss of both territory and global prestige. This prompted a comprehensive process of reform and modernization known as the Tanzimat; over the course of the 19th century, the Ottoman state became vastly more powerful and organized internally, despite suffering further territorial losses, especially in the Balkans, where a number of new states emerged.


Beginning in the late 19th century, various Ottoman intellectuals sought to further liberalize society and politics along European lines, culminating in the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 led by the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), which established the Second Constitutional Era and introduced competitive multi-party elections under a constitutional monarchy. However, following the disastrous Balkan Wars, the CUP became increasingly radicalized and nationalistic, leading a coup d'état in 1913 that established a one-party regime. The CUP allied the empire with Germany, hoping to escape from the diplomatic isolation that had contributed to its recent territorial losses; it thus joined World War I on the side of the Central Powers. While the empire was able to largely hold its own during the conflict, it struggled with internal dissent, especially the Arab Revolt. During this period, the Ottoman government engaged in genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks.


In the aftermath of World War I, the victorious Allied Powers occupied and partitioned the Ottoman Empire, which lost its southern territories to the United Kingdom and France. The successful Turkish War of Independence, led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk against the occupying Allies, led to the emergence of the Republic of Turkey in the Anatolian heartland and the abolition of the Ottoman monarchy in 1922, formally ending the Ottoman Empire.

Miniature from Surname-i Vehbi showing the Mehteran, the music band of the Janissaries

Miniature from Surname-i Vehbi showing the Mehteran, the music band of the Janissaries

The shadow play Karagöz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire.

The shadow play Karagöz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire.

Musicians and dancers entertaining the crowds, from Surname-i Hümayun, 1720

Musicians and dancers entertaining the crowds, from Surname-i Hümayun, 1720

A musical gathering in the 18th century

A musical gathering in the 18th century

Acrobacy in Surname-i Hümayun

Acrobacy in Surname-i Hümayun

16 Great Turkic Empires

Bibliography of the Ottoman Empire

Empire of the Sultans

Gunpowder empires

Historiography of the fall of the Ottoman Empire

Index of Ottoman Empire-related articles

List of battles involving the Ottoman Empire

List of foreigners who were in the service of the Ottoman Empire

List of Ottoman conquests, sieges and landings

List of wars involving the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman wars in Europe

Outline of the Ottoman Empire

Turkic history

Ottoman Text Archive Project

– University of Michigan

Ottoman and Turkish Studies Resources

– University of Chicago

Historians of the Ottoman Empire

1920

Turkey in Asia