rise of the empire
Around 1300, the Muslim Turks of Anatolia came together to form the beginning of the Ottoman Empire. They expanded their territory by using a powerful military. They used advanced weapon technology, like muskets and cannons, to take over surrounding cities. The army was made of some 30,000 elite janissaries. Janissaries were Christian slaves taken and trained to be loyal to the Ottoman government. In 1453, the Ottoman army seized control of Constantinople and therefore took control of the Byzantine Empire. They later came to control the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe.
Government and culture
Sultans controlled the government and they had absolute power. The greatest Ottoman sultan was Suleyman the Magnificent, who came to power in 1520. The empire reached its height under his rule. Suleyman created a stable government for his people, and was known as "Suleyman the Lawgiver" because of his effective law code. He raised money for his empire with a fair and simple tax system, and granted freedom of worship to Christians and Jew in his empire. This created more peace between Sunni Muslims, the majority, and other minorities in their population. The Ottoman Empire experienced a cultural renaissance, with a flourish of art, architecture, and poetry under Suleyman's rule.
decline of the empire
In order to maintain their rule, Suleyman and other sultans executed their brothers and jailed their sons. This led to progressively weaker and weaker leaders. By the beginning of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was known as the "sick man" of Europe. The empire died due to the stress of the war in 1922.