THE RISE AND FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Every rise has struggles, and every fall has reasons which are often masked by the
consequences of these events. The sun of the Ottoman Empire- One of the greatest empires in
history rose and shined for a long, but like any other dynasty, the fall was dark and constant.
The Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 and grew from Turkish tribes in Anatolia. The
ottomans enjoyed a fair play of power during the 15th and 16th centuries and reigned for
more than 600 years. It is regarded as one of the longest-lasting dynasties in the history of
ruling empires. The power of the Ottomans was generally seen as the power of Islam. It was
considered a threat by the Western Europeans. The rule of the Ottoman Empire is regarded as
the era of regional stability, security, and advancements. The success of this dynasty is
attributed to the fact that they adapted to the changing circumstances, and this, on the whole,
paving the way for cultural, social, religious, economic, and technological development.

The Ottoman Empire History

The Ottoman Empire grew to include various areas of present-day Europe. It stretched over
Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Romania, Macedonia, Hungary, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, parts of the
Arabian Peninsula, and parts of North Africa during its peak. The total area of the Empire
covered about 7.6 million square miles in 1595. While it was crumbling a part of it became
present-day Turkey.

The origin of the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Realm itself appeared as a broken thread of the Seljuk Turk Empire. The Seljuk
Empire was raided by Turk warriors under Osman I in the 13 th century who took advantage of
the Mongol invasions. The Mongol invasions had weakened the Seljuk state, and the integrity
of Islam was in danger. After the shatter of the Seljuk Empire, the Ottoman Turks gained
power. They took control of the other states of the Seljuk Empire, and gradually by the 14 th
century, all different Turkish reigns were predominantly ruled by Ottoman Turks.

The rise of the Ottoman Empire

The rise of every dynasty is more of a gradual than an abrupt process. The Turkish Empire
owes its success to the outstanding leadership of Osman I, Orhan, Murad I, and Bayezid I to
its centralized structure, good governance, ever-expanding territory, control of trade routes,
and organized fearless military might. The control of trade routes opened doors for great
wealth, which played a significant role in the stability and anchorage of the rule.

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The period of great expansion
More clearly, the Ottoman Empire reached its pinnacle with the conquest of Constantinople-
the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople, which was considered unconquerable,
was brought to knees by Osman's descendants. This conquest became the foundation of
further expansion of the Empire, including over ten different states of Europe and the Middle
East. The literature on the Ottoman Empire History narrates this era to be called the period of
great expansion. Many historians attribute this expansion as a disorganized and dwindled
state of the occupied states and the Ottomans' advanced and organized military might. The
expansion continued with the defeat of the Mamluks in Egypt and Syria.Algiers, Hungary,
and parts of Greece also came under the Umbrella of Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.
It is evident from the pieces of Ottoman Empire History that despite being a dynasty the
position of only the supreme ruler or sultan was hereditary all others even the elite had to
earn their positions. In 1520 the reign was in the hands of Sulayman I. During his reign
Ottoman Empire gained more power and a strict judicial system was recognized. The culture
of this civilization began to flourish.

The decline of the Ottoman Empire

Throughout the rest of the 1500s and into the 1600s and 1700s, the Ottoman Empire began a
considerable decline in power after several military defeats. In the mid-1600s, the empire was
restored for a short time after military victories in Persia and Venice. In 1699, the empire
again began to lose territory and power subsequently.
The death of Sultan Sulyman I marked the beginning of an era that lead to the decline of the
Ottoman Dynasty. The critical reason for the decline surfaced to be the consecutive military
defeats - the most predominant being the defeat in the battle of Lepanto . In the 1700s, the
Ottoman Empire began to rapidly deteriorate following the Russo-Turkish Wars. A series of
treaties created during that time caused the empire to lose some of its economic
independence. The Crimean War, which lasted from 1853 to 1856, further exhausted the
struggling empire. In 1856, the independence of the Ottoman Empire was recognized by the
Congress of Paris but it was still losing its strength as a European power. The Russo-Turkish
wars lead to the deterioration of the military might. Following the wars, the Emperor has to
sign several treaties, and the Empire lost much of its economic independence.
The Crimean war created further complications. Till the 18th century, the central hub of the
Empire had gotten weak, and various rebellious acts led to the continuous loss of territories.
With the political intrigue in the sultanate, strengthening European powers, economic
competition as new trades were developed, the Turkish Empire reached an exhaustive stage

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and was referred to as the "Sick Man of Europe". It was so-called because it had lost all its
remarkabilities, was economically unstable and was increasingly dependent on Europe.
In the late 1800s, there were several rebellions and the Ottoman Empire continued to lose
territory. Political and social instability in the 1890s created international negativity toward
the empire. The Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 and uprisings by Turkish nationalists further
reduced the empire's territory and increased instability. The end of World War I marked the
end of the Ottoman Empire too. The Turkish nationalist abolished the sultanate signing the
treaty of Sevres. Following the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire officially came to
an end with the Treaty of Sevres.

Ottoman defeat and partition (1918–22)

When the Ottoman Empire was defeated by an Arab uprising and the British forces after the
Sinai and Palestine Campaign in 1918, the Arab population did not get what it wanted.
Islamic activists of more recent times have described it as an Anglo-French betrayal. British
and French governments concluded a secret treaty (the Sykes–Picot Agreement) to partition
the Middle East between them. The British in 1917 announced the Balfour Declaration
promised the international Zionist movement their support in re-creating the historic Jewish
homeland in Palestine. When the Ottomans departed, the Arabs proclaimed an independent
state in Damascus, but were too weak, militarily and economically, to resist the European
powers for long, and Britain and France soon established control and re-arranged the Middle
East to suit themselves.
Syria became a French protectorate as a League of Nations mandate. The Christian coastal
areas were split off to become Lebanon, another French protectorate. Iraq and Palestine
became British mandated territories. Iraq became the "Kingdom of Iraq" and one of Sharif
Hussein's sons, Faisal, was installed as the King of Iraq. Iraq incorporated large populations
of Kurds, Assyrians and Turkmens, many of whom had been promised independent states of
their own.
Britain was granted a Mandate for Palestine on 25 April 1920 at the San Remo Conference,
and, on 24 July 1922, this mandate was approved by the League of Nations. Palestine became
the "British Mandate of Palestine" and was placed under direct British administration. The
Jewish population of Palestine which numbered less than 8 percent in 1918 was given free
rein to immigrate, buy land from absentee landlords, set up a shadow government in waiting
and establish the nucleus of a state under the protection of the British Army which suppressed
a Palestinian revolt in 1936. The Territory East of the Jordan River was added to the British
Mandate by the Transjordan Memorandum, which was a British memorandum passed by the

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Council of the League of Nations on 16 September 1922. Most of the Arabian peninsula fell
to another British ally, Ibn Saud. Saud created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

The Final Word

Every rise has a fall but the Ottomans ruled for an era 600 years and it took a World War to
put an end to it. The Ottoman Turks are still remembered for their valour, cultural
development and diversity, innovative ventures, religious tolerance and architectural
wonders. The policies and political infrastructures developed by the late Turks are still in
function however in improved or altered forms.

Importance of the Ottoman Empire

Despite its collapse, the Ottoman Empire was one of the largest, longest-lasting, and most
successful empires in the world's history. There are many reasons as to why the empire was
as successful as it was, but some of them include its very strong and organized military and
its centralized political structure. These early, successful governments make the Ottoman
Empire one of the most important in history.

CERTAIN FACTS ABOUT THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Which city was the capital of the Ottoman Empire?
After the Byzantine Empire, Istanbul, then Constantinople became the capital of the Turkish
Empire.
Where do Ottomans live now?
The Ottomans' descendants live in different parts of Europe, the Middle East, United States,
and since they are now allowed to go to their homeland, many have shifted to modern-day
Turkey.
Why was Ottoman Empire called the sick man of Europe?
Ottoman Empire was called the sick man of Europe because in the late 18th century it had
lost all its remarkabilities, was economically unstable and was increasingly dependant on
Europe.
How long did the Ottomans rule?
The Ottomans ruled from about the 12th century to the 18th century.
Who caused the Ottoman Empire to fall?
The political intrigue in the sultanate, strengthening European powers, economic competition
as new trades were developed caused the Turkish Empire to reach an exhaustive stage.
Russo-Turkish wars lead to the deterioration of the military might, and the Empire came
crumbling behind.
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