The Ottoman Empire

During the 1060s the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan allowed his Turkish allies to migrate towards

Armenia and Asia Minor, where they sacked cities and plundered farmland. In 1064 they destroyed the Armenian capital at Ani. In 1068 Romanus IV led an

expedition against them, but his slow-moving infantry could not catch the speedy Turkish cavalry,

although he was able to capture the city of Hierapolis. In 1070 Romanus led a second

expedition towards Manzikert, a city in eastern Turkey's province of Mus, now known as Malazgirt, a Byzantine fortress that had been captured by the

Seljuks, and offered a treaty with Arslan – Romanus would give back Hierapolis if Arslan gave up the

siege of Edessa. Romanus threatened war if Arslan did not comply, and prepared his troops anyway, expecting the sultan to decline his offer, which he

did.

Manzikert - 1071 At the battle of Manzikert, the Muslim Seljuk Turks attacked the

Byzantines at noon and then feigned a retreat by retreating to higher ground to catch the Byzantine army in the valley from where the Turkish Archers picked off the Byzantine troops at will. But the Byzantines kept up the attack, and by sunset the Battle was still

undecided. Romanus, the Byzantine emperor, decided to retire to his camps, after the Turks sounded the bugle, heralding the end of

the day’s hostilities, as was the Turkish custom to do so to announce the beginning and end of a day’s battle. But the Turks

had decided on subterfuge to ensnare the Byzantines who trusted the age old Turkish custom. Once the Byzantine army began

disengaging and withdrawing to its camp, the Turks attacked from the rear after an encircling cavalry advance. The Byzantine army was caught between two pincers of attack and by midnight, their

fate was sealed with the capture of the Byzantine emperor Romanus by Alp Arslan the chieftain of the Seljuk Turks.

Early Ottomans The first Ottomans were Turkish soldiers

Ghazis – warriors for Islam- sword of God From Anatolia (Asia Minor)

Late 1200’s a ghazi leader named Osman was successful at frightening the Byzantines

Captured Bursa and Edirne As they expanded the spoils and revenues grew 1300’s- Ottomans took over most of Anatolia

1396 – First Ottoman Sultan Janissaries – slave soldiers that served the

sultan for life From yeni cheri (new troops) Christian slaves from Europe Were converted, schooled in Islamic law and

trained Reputation for loyalty and ready to use new

technology

Timur - Tamerlaine Timur claimed to be the descendant of

Genghis Khan Turko-Mongol – now Uzbekistan 1402 invaded Anatolia and defeated the

Ottomans at the Battle of Ankara – captured sultan

Made the Ottomans give back land they had taken from other ghazi rulers

Who would be the next sultan? Murad II 1444 –

Defeated European crusaders at Battle of Varna

Mehmed II – conquered Constantinople in 1453 – renamed it Istanbul – made it the Ottoman capital

Ottoman Government

Sultans

Viziers

Sultan

MilitaryBureaucracy Religious

and Judicial

Grand Vizier

Ottoman Society

Small ruling classReaya

“protected flock”

Separate Religious Communities

Millets

Muslim Turks – Anatolia

Christians and JewsBalkans

Muslim ArabsFertile Crescent and

N. Africa

Millets were Under control of sultan Had own laws Own customs Own Courts Collected taxes Responsible for education, health and

safety

Suleyman the Lawgiver Suleiman “the

Magnificent” 1520-1566 Conquered Hungary in 1526-

killed King of Hungary Empire at its height Laid siege to Vienna Became major naval power Khayr al Din Barbarossa

Pasha- corsair placed pirate fleet under Ottoman flag

Suleyman After Suleyman’s

death in 1566 – slow decline of empire

Decline of the Empire By the 1600’s lost control of the silk and spice

trade Europeans had new sea routes – Bypassed Turks Government became corrupt Rebellions among Janissaries 1700’s lost Crimean Peninsula, Black Sea and Sea of

Azov to Russians French invaded Egypt in 1798 – Had been Ottoman 1923 – Ottoman Empire ended when Turkey established

itself as a republic