Ottoman Empire

A multiethnic empire centered in Anatolia that ruled parts of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa from the late thirteenth century until 1922.

Devshirme: A system that recruited Christian boys from Ottoman territories for conversion, education, and state or military service. It supplied the palace and Janissary corps with personnel directly trained for imperial service.
Osman I: The early Ottoman ruler from whom the dynasty takes its name. His principality in northwestern Anatolia became the foundation of the empire.
Mehmed II: The Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453 and consolidated imperial rule. His conquest and reforms established the empire’s capital and strengthened the sultanate.
Ottoman–Safavid relations: The rivalry and diplomacy between the Ottoman and Safavid empires, especially over territory and religious authority. Their competition shaped eastern borders and sharpened the political divide between Sunni and Shi'a powers.
Byzantine Empire: The medieval eastern Roman state that governed Constantinople and surrounding territories until 1453. The Ottomans conquered its capital and inherited parts of its administrative and urban landscape.
Janissaries: An elite infantry corps that served the Ottoman sultan and became a major political force. The corps grew from the devshirme system into a defining instrument of imperial power.
Battle of Bapheus: A 1302 battle in which Ottoman forces defeated a Byzantine army near Nicomedia. The victory strengthened Osman’s frontier principality and its reputation among Turkish warriors.
Suleiman the Magnificent: The Ottoman sultan who ruled from 1520 to 1566, during a period of territorial expansion and legal reform. His reign is often treated as the empire’s political and cultural high point.
Ottoman–Habsburg wars: A series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy over central Europe and the Balkans. These wars defined a long-running frontier between two expanding imperial powers.
Safavid Empire: An Iranian dynasty that ruled from 1501 to 1736 and established Twelver Shi'ism as its state religion. Its religious and political rivalry with the Ottoman Empire shaped western Asia.

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