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.

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