Essay on The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

Words: 3189
Pages: 13
Open Document
The Rise of The Ottoman Empire
By: Hunter Starr
HIST 130: Muslim History From the Rise of Islam to 1500 CE
Professor Matthee
November 27, 2007.

The Ottoman Turks emerged on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire and the Saljuk Turks. Under a Turkish Muslim warrior named Osman, raids were conducted in western Anatolia on Byzantine settlements and a vast number of Turks were united under his banner. Those Turks who flocked to Osman's banner and followed him into the history books came to be called the Ottomans. The word Ottoman, fits these Turks well as it roughly translates from Turkish as "those associated with Oman."
At its outset, the Ottoman emirate was comparatively weak and of little consequence to its much larger and …show more content…
From their new capital at Bursa, the Ottomans extended their grip over the surrounding territory capturing the last major Byzantine cities in Anatolia, Nicaea in 1329, renaming it Iznik, and the city of Nicomedia in 1337, later giving it the name Izmit. The Ottomans then absorbed the Turkish frontier state of Karasi, extending their influence to the Sea of Marmara and to the Aegean Sea. Because their victories produced new recruits, recruits who were in search of glory and wealth, while at the same time, the veterans of previous campaigns felt the need for new exploits and battles, success generated more success for the Ottomans.
Constantinople, the Byzantine capital, the great Christian bastion in the East and the goal of Islamic conquest since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, was now a stones throw away across the Sea of Marmara. Orhan and his Ottoman followers were poised to strike a crippling blow to Byzantine power in the Balkans. The Ottomans, however, were not yet strong enough to launch, let alone win, a direct attack that was primarily focused on the heart Byzantine Empire. Because Orhan, like his father, had to provide outlets for the energies and religious fervor of his followers, he would have to lead his military forces across the Dardanelles and around Constantinople, where a vast Christian territory was ripe for the taking. The Balkan area was wealthy, continually beset with conflicts among the relatively weak states and full of
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

HIST 121 Essay

introduction to the rise and expansion of Islam, the first part of this class will cover the rise of Turkic dynasties and the impact of the Mongol invasions and rule on Islamic societies. The second part of the class will focus on the rise of gun-powder empires (Ottomans & Safavids) in the Middle East and the Balkans. We will focus on the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and the expansion of Ottoman rule over Anatolia, the Middle East and the Balkans. We will also discuss the rise of the Shi’i Safavid…

Words 1077 - Pages 5

Mongol Empire Research Paper

The decline of the Mongol Empire in the fourteenth century paved the way for the emergence of powerful new Islamic states in south and west Eurasia. These states, namely the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire, rose to prominence and exerted their influence in the region. However, by the end of the eighteenth century, all three of these Islamic powers found themselves on the defensive and losing territory. This essay will delve into the reasons behind their declines, as presented…

Words 494 - Pages 2

Mongol Empire Research Paper

Mongol Empire. Before this, these Islamic powers were the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia, the Safavid Empire in Persia, and the Mughal Empire in India. These empires had an abundance of influence within their regions and beyond. However, by the end of the eighteenth century, all three declined, experiencing internal strife, external pressures, and the challenges of a changing world order. In this essay, I will explain the Islamic powers, their rise, and their fall. Islamic powers were the Ottoman Empire…

Words 540 - Pages 3

Ottoman Brothers Analysis

Notions of Brotherhood throughout the Late Ottoman Period: In Ottoman Brothers, Michelle Campos attempts to dispel the misconceived notion of the role of ‘ethnic nationalisms’ in the last Islamic Empires disintegration. By utilizing a wide range of sources, Campos illustrates how the Ottoman Empire was far from a ‘prison of nations’, where ‘natural nationalisms’ slowly deteriorated the national composition. That it was, in contrast, a melting pot of ethnicities sharing in the faith of newly acquired…

Words 1186 - Pages 5

Compare And Contrast The Ottoamias And The Russian Empires

Russia and the Ottomans underwent political development in the 16th to 18th centuries. Both empires were ruled by militaristic rulers with absolute power, but Russia became more westernized and incorporated European ideas while the Ottomans rejected them. The two empires used their powerful armies to greatly expand the territory under their control. The Ottomans were led by military leaders that had a dominant role. Members of the warrior class were given land and gained regional power. The Ottoman armies were primarily made of Janissaries; trained…

Words 309 - Pages 2

Essay The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires

The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal societies all relied on bureaucracies that drew inspiration from the steppe traditions of Turkish and Mogol people and from the heritage of Islam, they adopted similar policies, they looked for ways to keep peace in their societies which were made up of different religious and ethnic backgrounds, and they were associated with literary and artistic talents. Military and religious factors gave rise to all three of these empires. The Ottoman Empire: The Ottoman…

Words 880 - Pages 4

Compare And Contrast Safavid And Islamic Empires

The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughul empires dominated over western Asia in the 16th to the 18th centuries. All three empires are classified as the Islamic Empires due to the rulers’ religion either being Sunni or Shi'ite Muslim. However, each empire held its own tolerance for outside religions. Except for the Safavid Empire, the Islamic Empires were much more tolerant that the european countries to the East and the North. The Ottomans thrived with a high amount of tolerance because of their conversion…

Words 687 - Pages 3

Explain What Were The Current Crises And Achievements Of Seventeenth-Century European States

a. What were the current crises and achievements of seventeenth-century European states? The 17th century is known as the "Age of Crisis" because Europe suffered multiple crises in quick succession and almost collapsed. However, despite the crises Europe suffered, the nations of Europe were able to have achievements that benefitted them for the future. The first crisis Europe experienced was when it fell into an economic crisis and was in desperate need of money. To increase its revenue, the governments…

Words 1354 - Pages 6

Armenian Genocide Research Paper

http://www.history.com/topics/armenian-genocide In 1915, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. 2 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the time of the massacre. By the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, some 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country. genocide–a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate an entire people. Turkish…

Words 702 - Pages 3

Young Pork Legacy

The Young Turk Legacy and Nation Building by Erik J. Zurcher is a well written book. It covers the end of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of Turkey. The main focus of Zurcher is the Young Turks and how the politics worked in that time frame. His main area of study was the transition of the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey and he focused on the Young Turks. He was well revered in these subjects. He was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences. Throughout the…

Words 683 - Pages 3