The Ottoman Empire stood at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Asia, and Africa - and was the single most important and influential Islamic power in early modern times and well into the twentieth century. At the apex of Ottoman power spread well into central Europe, the Caucasus, north and East Africa, and most of the Mediterranean. The Ottoman Empire began as a small principality in Anatolia and became a world power. The capture of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II gave the Ottomans a new capital city and brought the Byzantine Empire to an end. Further territories were added under Selim I and Suyleman I. After the middle of 18th century the Ottoman Empire was weakened. In the 19th century the Ottoman Empire lost more territory to the European powers. After the First World War the Ottoman Empire came to an end and its territories were partitioned.

The Origins of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman arose from of northwest Anatolia in modern-day Turkey; these Western Turks were called the Oghuz. They had come primarily as settlers during the reign of the Seljuks in Turkey (1098-1308); the Anatolian frontier shared a border with the Byzantine Empire and small beyliks. The Ottoman beylik was by no means the most prestigious or influential of the beyliks, but it began to gain power and influence by carrying out jihad, or gazavat, to spread the faith among hostile unbelievers. It was a tough life in Anatolia; the Seljuks had been the first to maintain power over the area, but their power had waned. The Ottomans eventually established a capital at Bursa and expanded in western Anatolia and in Southeastern Europe. The Ottomans crossed into Europe in 1354 and established a base there. After defeating Serbian and Bulgarian kingdoms, they slowly became the most important power in southeastern Europe and western Anatolia, rivaling the declining power of the Byzantine Empire.

The Expansion of the Empire
Under Bayezit I the Ottomans were able to expand eastward in Anatolia and gain control of more of Southeastern Europe. During the reign of Bayezit I a new powerful ruler arose in Iran. Timur, often called Tamerlane, came into conflict with Bayezit I. After a battle near Ankara was defeated by Timur and the Ottoman Empire plunged into a civil war, which lasted eleven years. After the civil war the Ottoman Empire was put back together under Mehmet I. For the next thirty years the Ottoman Empire expanded in Anatolia and Southeastern Europe. Eventually this brought the Ottoman Empire into conflict with the Byzantine Empire. Under the leadership of Mehmed II the Ottomans attacked and later conquered the city of Constantinople in 1453. This was an extremely important event. The Ottoman Empire was now recognized as a world power and Constantinople became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Selim I and Suleyman I
After the conquest of Constantinople the Ottomans expanded their empire in both Europe and Anatolia. Under Selim I the Ottomans came into conflict with the Mamlukes, who rule Egypt and Syria. After a short war the Ottoman Empire took control of Egypt and Syria as well as the three most important cities in Islam, Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Under Suleyman I the Ottoman Empire expanded even further capturing the Kingdom of Hungary, which brought the Ottomans in Central Europe and into conflict with the Habsburgs of Austria. The Ottomans also expanded eastward capturing Iraq, which further aggravated their rivalry with the Safavids of Iran. The Ottomans took control of all of North Africa except Morocco.

The 18th Century
After Suleyman the Ottoman was still able expand, but as quickly as it once did. Many of the Sultans, were not as qualified as previous Sultans, but the Empire still functioned. During the late 16th and 17th centuries the Viziers managed most of the important affairs of the Empire and expansion continued. The Ottomans took control of Cyprus and Crete and took more territory after wars with Austria, Venice, and Poland. But the tide of conquest stopped after a series of wars fought in short period of time against Austria, Venice, Poland, and Russia. Over the next thirty - forty years the Ottoman Empire was at war in Europe and in Asia, but now rather than winning most of the wars the Ottoman Empire began to lose many. This was terrible for army, the people of the Empire, and the economy. The middle of the 18th century was a turning point for the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans began to reform their military and to adopt many ideas and technologies from the Europeans.

Reforms and the 19th and 20th century
The reforms initiated sporadically during the second half of the 18th century culminated in during the reign of Selim III. Selim initiated many reforms, which focused on the military. However, many conservative elements in the empire eventually overthrew Selim III. But, Selim was succeeded by Mahmud II, who was also a reformer attempted many of the same things that Selim had. Mahmud initiated a period of reform that culminated in a program known as the Tanzimat. The 19th century was a period of reform for the Ottoman Empire, but the empire also lost a lot of territory to the emerging European powers. The final blow to the Ottoman Empire was the First World War. After the war the empire was partitioned..

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