Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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A 19th-century cartoon mocks the

declining state of the Ottoman Empire.

During the late 13th century, a group

of nomadic turkish tribes settled in anatolia

(modern turkey). they were led by Osman,

their first sultan, or ruler. he gave his name

to the Ottoman empire—one of the greatest

empires in the world. the empire expanded

through war and alliance with neighbours. By

1566, it had spread along the Mediterranean

Sea across the Middle east to the Persian gulf.

the Ottomans owed their success to their military

skill. their armies included many christian recruits

organized into groups of highly trained foot

soldiers called Janissaries. the empire grew

wealthy on the trade it controlled throughout

the Middle east. art and architecture flourished

within its borders. Discontent with Ottoman

rule eventually weakened the empire, and it

declined during the 19th century

before it finally collapsed in 1918.

the country of turkey emerged

out of its ruins.

Sick Man Of eurOPe

During the 19th century,

the Ottoman empire lost

its grip on its european

possessions and was in

danger of falling apart.

the empire became

known as the “Sick

Man of europe.”

Battle Of lePantO

to stop the growth of Ottoman power, Pope

Pius V formed a christian league that included

Spain, Venice, genoa, and naples. in 1571,

the christian forces defeated the turks at the

Battle of lepanto, off the coast of greece.

the defeat was a very serious setback to the

Ottoman empire and ended turkish naval

power in the Mediterranean Sea.

Find out more

Byzantine empire

islam

1281-1324 Osman

founds Ottoman

empire.

1333 Ottomans

capture gallipoli,

turkey, giving them

a foothold in europe.

1453 Ottomans

capture city of

constantinople (now

istanbul), the capital

of the Byzantine

empire; the city

becomes the capital

of the new empire.

1566 Ottoman

empire reaches its

greatest extent.

1571 christian navy

destroys turkish fleet

at lepanto.

1697-1878 russia

slowly expels the

turks from the lands

around the Black Sea.

1878-1913 turks

expelled from most

of their european

possessions.

1914-18 Ottoman

empire fights on the

side of germany and

austria in World War i.

1918 troops of

several allied nations,

including Britain and

greece, occupy the

Ottoman Empire

1922 last sultan is

overthrown. turkey is

declared a republic.

ottoman

empire

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

SuleiMan the Magnificent

the greatest of all Ottoman sultans

was Suleiman i (1494-1566), known as

Suleiman the Magnificent. During his

reign the Ottoman empire reached

the height of its power. a patron of

the arts, Suleiman reformed the

educational and legal systems.

Janissaries could

be recognized by

their elaborate

headdresses.

the OttOManS

although the Ottomans

were Muslims, they

allowed christians and

Jews to practice their own

religions and tolerated the

many different peoples

who lived within their

empire. the sultans lived

in great luxury and wealth,

and encouraged the arts

and learning. Ottoman

women had to live in a

separate section of the

household called a harem.

Public letter writers

wrote letters for people.

Egypt Arabia

Anatolia

AFRICA

Mediterranean

Sea

Persian

Gulf

Mesopotamia

Hungary

Ottoman Empire at its greatest extent

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