Ottoman Empire Rise and Fall
Built slowly, at the beginning of XIV century, on the ruins of the Seljuks in Anatolia, then, in XV century, on those of Byzantine Empire, he Ottoman Empire, after the collapse of Constantinople (May 29, 1453), became one of the major powers in Europe and the Middle East (Quataert 13). ... When desiring to imitate and cope with the new conditions of European economy, and more especially of its industry, the Ottoman Empire knew some reverses in XVIII century during which it underwent the law of Occident from the economic point of view then on the political level. The "the issue of Orient", at the XIX century, primarily consisted in research, by some European States, of the dismemberment of the Empire and in the division of its rests (Quataert 187, 188). However, thanks to Mustafa Kemal, the Anatolian territory could be preserved and the creation of new Turkey, in 1923, marked at the same time the end of Ottoman Empire. ... As of before the medium of XIII century, some quarrels of succession started concerning the centralization of the government, involving a weakening of the local power at the time when it had to deal with the Mongol invasions, heirs, in the Middle East, of the empire of Genghis khan (Quataert 17). ... However, one tribe with the leading of the Osman succeeded in conquering the oriental part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Murad I (or Murat, 1362-1389) is the true creator of the power Ottoman in Eastern Europe: its reign is indeed marked by the catch of Andrinople since 1363, followed by the occupation of Macedonia, Eastern Thrace and Bulgaria. ... When Murad II dies in 1451, he left to his son Mohmmed II a consolidated empire, a powerful army and a skilful administration; whose heads (viziers) are often descendants of the old Turkish families (Quataert 33, 34). ... The peoples of Geneva concluded with the Turks of the local agreements, which allowed them, starting from Phocee for example, or certain seaports, to trade with Ottomans (Quataert 25); concerning the Venetians, they protect their empire from Rumania, and, even if they took part in a certain way with anti-Turks companies, they strove to keep good relations with Ottomans (Quataert 25). The period of splendor of the Ottoman Empire has extended from the reign of Mohmmed II (1451) to at the end of the reign of Solomon the Magnificent (1566). ... The sultan controled all the trade which flowed from the Indian Ocean and through the Persian Golf or the Red Sea and arrived to the Mediterranean to be directed then towards the capital or towards Western Europe: this trade brought to the Empire enormous resources that are added to the revenues drawn from the territorial conquests (Quataert 117).