Rich and powerful
Muslim state named
after Osman famous
sultan
1453 Ottomans
conquer
Constantinople and
rename it Istanbul
Build a strong empire around
Turkey
Middle East
Eastern Europe
North Africa
Ruled over 25 million people
In 1400's Islamic world was
more advanced in learning
than Europe especially in the
fields of : medicine,
pharmacology, surgergy,
mathematical science and
astonomy
European exploration
voyages of the 15th
century would
impossible without
knwledge gained from
the ARABS
The earliest Ottomans
were Muslim warriors
prepared to fight to the
death against the
Christian infidels
As the
territory
grew their
zeal
became
less
What had began as
a HOLY WAR became
a struggle for land,
slaves and plunder
The Christian failed to unite against the Ottomans :
Black Death had
killed millions of
Christians ans
they were
divided by their
own rivalries
The empire was very tolerant , foreigners were
treated well they were allowed to keep their
religion and customs as long as they paid a slightly
higher tax
Reasons for the Ottoman
success : Strength of army, steel weapons, armour lighter but stonger.
Pride of the
army :
Jannisaries
-handpicked
from the
Sultans
slaves
Slaves were either captured or from the taxes on Christians
To ensure
loyalty they
has to
convert to
Islam and
were not
allowed to
marry or own
property
White head gear distinguished them
The empire depended on slavery
The sultans servants, army, ministers and civil servants were
slaves
Girls slaves were chosen for
beauty and intelligence once in the harem they may never leave