CHAPTER 19 LESSON 1

CHAPTER 19 LESSON 1

The Rise and Expansion of the Ottoman Empire

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What factors help unify an empire? How can the creation of a new empire impact the people and culture of a region?

Rise of the Ottoman Turks

the Osman Turks founded the Ottoman dynasty. In the fourteenth century, the Ottoman Turks moved into the Balkans and built a strong military by developing an elite guard called janissaries, children enslaved from the local Christian population and converted to Islam.

Multiple Choice

Janissaries, the well-armed infantry of the Ottoman rulers, were trained as

• A.cavalry.

• B.personal guards for the sultan.

• C.religious advisers.

• D.foot soldiers.

Fall of the Byzantine Empire

In their expansion westward, the Ottomans came to control the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. These two straits (narrow water passageways), separated by the Sea of Marmara, connect the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, which leads to the Mediterranean Sea. The Byzantine Empire had controlled this area for centuries.

Under Mehmed II, the Ottomans moved to end the Byzantine Empire. With 80,000 troops fighting against only 7,000 defenders, Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople.

The attack began on April 6, 1453, as the Ottomans bombarded Constantinople with massive cannons hurling stone balls weighing up to 1,200 pounds (545 kg) each. The Byzantines fought desperately for almost two months to save Constantinople. Finally, on May 29, the walls were breached, and Ottoman soldiers poured in. 

Multiple Choice

The Ottoman Turks ended the Byzantine Empire when they invaded

• A.Arabia

• B.Egypt

• C.Mesopotamia

• D.Constantinople

Expansion of the Ottoman Empire

From 1514 to 1517, Sultan Selim I conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Arabia—the original heartland of Islam. Through these conquests, Selim I was now in control of several of Islam's holy cities. These cities included Jerusalem, Makkah (Mecca), and Madinah (Medina). Selim declared himself the new caliph, or defender of the faith and successor to Muhammad. 

Open Ended

Analyzing PRIMARY SOURCES

Mehmed II on Constantinople

"When he saw what a large number had been killed, and the ruin of the buildings, and the wholesale ruin and destruction of the City, he was filled with compassion and repented not a little at the destruction and the plundering. Tears fell from his eyes as he groaned deeply and passionately: What a city we have given over to plunder and destruction." —Kritovoulos, from The History of Mehmed the Conqueror, 1453

DBQ DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Why did the Ottomans need to capture Constantinople?

Open Ended

Explaining What was the role of the janissaries in the rise of the Ottoman Empire?

Expansion of the Ottoman Empire

Under Süleyman I, whose reign began in 1520, the Ottomans advanced anew up the Danube, seized Belgrade, and won a major victory over the Hungarians in 1526 at the Battle of Mohács (MOH • hach). They then conquered most of Hungary and moved into Austria. Advancing to Vienna, they were defeated in 1529. They moved into the western Mediterranean until the Spanish destroyed a large Ottoman fleet at Lepanto in 1571. 

Life Under Ottoman Rule

Like the Muslim empires in Persia and India, the Ottoman Empire is often labeled a "gunpowder empire." Gunpowder empires were formed by outside conquerors who unified their conquered regions. Such an empire's success was largely based on its mastery of firearms. 

Multiple Choice

Why is the Ottoman Empire considered a "gunpowder empire"?

• A.It was formed by outside conquerors who used firearms.

• B.It was the first empire to successfully use gunpowder.

• C.The first Ottoman sultan invented gunpowder.

• D.The empire exported gunpowder to other countries.

The Imperial Sultans

At the head of the Ottoman system was the sultan, who was the supreme authority in a political and a military sense. 

The private domain of the sultan was called the harem ("sacred place"). Here, the sultan and his wives resided.

The Imperial Sultans

The sultan controlled his bureaucracy through an imperial council that met four days a week. The grand vizier, a chief minister who carried the main burdens of the state, led the meetings of the council.

The empire was divided into provinces and districts, each governed by officials. They were assisted by bureaucrats known as pashas, who had been trained in a palace school for officials in İstanbul.

Multiple Choice

The Ottoman Empire preferred to

• A.administer its lands through local rulers and pashas.

• B.avoid violent conflicts.

• C.force all conquered peoples to follow Islam.

• D.follow English law.

Ottoman Society

Like most Turkic-speaking peoples in the Anatolian Peninsula and throughout western Asia, the Ottomans were Sunni Muslims. 

In theory, they were responsible for guiding the flock and maintaining Islamic law. In practice, the sultans gave their religious duties to a group of religious advisers, scholars known as the ulema. This group administered the legal system and schools for educating Muslims. 

Ottoman Society

The subjects of the Ottoman Empire were divided by occupation. In addition to the ruling class, there were four main occupational groups: peasants, artisans, merchants, and pastoral peoples (nomadic herders). Peasants farmed land that the state leased to them. Ultimate ownership of all land resided with the sultan.

Ottoman Society

Technically, women in the Ottoman Empire were subject to the same restrictions as women in other Muslim societies. However, their position was somewhat better. Within the Ottoman empire, Islamic legal scholars were more tolerant in defining the legal status of women. This relatively tolerant attitude was probably due to Turkish traditions that regarded women as almost equal to men. 

Multiple Choice

hat was the position of women in the Ottoman Empire?

• A.the same as women in Western Europe

• B.better than women in other Muslim societies

• C.worse than women in other Muslim societies

• D.the same as women in other Muslim societies

Architecture and the Arts

In the mid-sixteenth century, the greatest of all Ottoman architects, Sinan, began building the first of his 81 mosques. One of Sinan's masterpieces was the Süleymaniye Mosque in İstanbul. Each of his mosques was topped by an imposing dome, and often the entire building was framed with four towers, or minarets.

Open Ended

Explaining What aspects of Ottoman life did the sultan control?

Open Ended

How can the creation of a new empire impact the people and culture of a region?