Summarize the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
By Megan Brownrigg
Ottoman Expansion
- Osman and his followers wanted to become ghazi (Muslim religious warriors)
- Ottomans' were located on borders of Byzantine empire- gave them opportunity to take over Byzantine Empire)
- 1352- seized fortress of Gallipoli- established a foothold in Europe
- Warriors pushed boundaries forward- gathered revenue that benefited the ghazi and the central government
- Bursa became a big and important commercial and intellectual center (inns, shops, schools, libraries, mosques)
- A large, powerful, and intimidating military drove the expansion
- Ghazi recruits were separated into two groups: light calvary and volunteer infantry
- More established state= professional calvary force equipped with armor financed by land grants
- After expanding into the Balkans, they started using slave troops
- Devshirme- Ottomans made the Christians of the Balkans to contribute young boys to become slaves of the sultan. They received training, learned Turkish, and converted to Islam; according to their abilities they would either enter the Ottoman civilian administration or the military (soldiers- Janissaries)
What did they conquer?
- First success- 1326, capture of Anatolian city of Bursa- became capital of Ottoman principality
- Edirne- became second Ottoman capital- served as base for expansion into the Balkans
- 1453- Constantinople became new capital
- Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror- Serbia, Greece, Albania, Trebizond, Crimea
- Sultan Selim the Grim- Syria and Egypt
- Sultan Salesman the Magnificent promoted expansion in southwest Asia and Europe- conquered Baghdad and added Tigris and Euphrates valleys to Ottoman domain, captured Belgrade
- Ottomans became a naval power
- Seized island of Rhodes
- Besieged Malta
- Secured Yemen and Aden
This is a map showing all of the locations that the Ottoman empire expanded to and conquered. It also compares the Ottoman expansion with the Safavid empire and the Mughal empire.
This video explains the expansion of the Ottoman empire in just three minutes. It does a great job of explaining the different sultan rulings and conquerors!!