Essential Questions: How did the Ottoman�s build and expand their empire? How did they organize their government and society?
I. The rise of the Ottomans
A. Beginnings of an empire
1. The first Ottomans were Turkish soldiers (ghazis) or warriors for Islam.
a. They had come from Asia Minor to escape the Mongols
b. During the 1300�s, the Ottomans took over most of Asia Minor
c. They attempted to take over Constantinople (Byzantine Empire) but failed (see map pg 433)
B. The Elite Ottoman Army
1. The Ottoman sultans created highly trained troops or slave soldiers
called Janissaries
a. They were schooled in Islamic law and converted to Islam
b. Janissaries served the sultan for life
C. Timur challenges the Ottomans
1. The Turko-Mongolian leader Timur built his power in Asia
a. By the end of the 1300�s, Timur�s forces were closing in on
Ottoman territory
b. In 1402, Timur defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Ankara
D. Recovery and expansion
1. Timu�s victory over the Ottomans caused a crisis in the Empire
a. A civil war broke out to determine the next sultan
b. Murad II took power and began a new period of expansion
-In 1444, Murad�s army defeated the last European
crusaders at the Battle of Varna
2. After Murad�s rule, Mehmed II became sultan and conquered
Constantinople in 1453, renaming the city Istanbul
3. Suleyman (1520-1566) expanded the Ottoman Empire, conquering
Hungary in 1526
a. By this time, the Ottomans controlled most of Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa
II. Ottoman Government and Society
A. Ottoman society was divided into two major groups
1. Small ruling class
2. Masses of ordinary subjects (reaya)
a. If you had ability, you could move up the ladder
B. The millet system
1. Religious differences caused tensions within the empire
2. Religions were organized into different communities or millets
a. The millets were under the control of the sultans but could still
govern themselves (i.e. taxes, education, health and welfare)
C. Slow decline begins
1. Suleyman�s death in 1566 marked the start of a slow decline
a. France, Spain, and Poland became stronger
b. By the 1600�s, the Ottoman government and economy faced problems as well (i.e. corruption,
rebellion, trade competition)
c. The Empire finally ended in 1923 when Turkey established itself as a republic