History Fact Finder | Government and Politics - What Was The Ottoman Empire?

What was the Ottoman Empire?

The Ottoman Empire was a vast Turkish state founded in the thirteenth century by the Osmani Turks who were led by descendants of Osman I (1258–c. 1326). By the middle of the next century, the Ottoman Empire roughly consisted of modern-day Turkey. In fact, the terms "Turkey" and "Ottoman Empire" are used interchangeably. During the 1400s the empire was expanded by a series of invasions, including the Ottoman conquest of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. At its height the Byzantine Empire extended over a great land mass that included parts of eastern and central Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa. After conquering the Byzantine Empire the Turks established a Muslim kingdom that continued for the next three centuries. (Muslims are followers Islam, the religion founded by the prophet Muhammad.)

In the 1500s and 1600s the Ottoman Empire was the most powerful regime (government) in the...

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