BBC RELIGIONS OTTOMAN EMPIRE BRITISH BROADCASTING LINKS SKIP CONTENT LOCAL NAVIGATION SEARCH HELP PAGE ARCHIVED LONGER FIND ARCHIVING LAST THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE EMPIRE INSPIRED SUSTAINED INTRODUCTION THE EMPIRE CONSTANTINOPLE SULTAN COURT SULEIMAN GOLDEN AGE DECLINE OPTIONS PRINT THE GREAT MOSQUE SYRIA THE ONE LARGEST EMPIRES ISLAMIC INSTITUTIONS THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE THE MAJOR POWER EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REACHED HEIGHT SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT COVER THE BALKANS THE GATES THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO ALMOST ENTIRE DECLINED THE NEXT CENTURIES EFFECTIVELY THE FIRST WORLD WAR THE BALKAN WARS LEGACY ISLAMIC SECULARISM MODERN PEAK TURKEY EGYPT GREECE BULGARIA ROMANIA MACEDONIA HUNGARY PALESTINE JORDAN LEBANON PARTS ARABIA COASTAL STRIP NORTH AFRICA RECIPE FOR SUCCESS REASONS WHY CENTRALISED ALWAYS SINGLE PERSON SPLIT RIVAL PRINCES RULED FAMILY EDUCATION SYSTEM RELIGION THE STATE THE SULTAN PROTECTOR JUDICIAL SYSTEM RUTHLESS DEALING LEADERS PROMOTION POSITIONS OF POWER MERIT ALLIANCES POLITICAL RACIAL GROUPS UNITED IDEOLOGY WARRIOR CODE IDEAL INCREASING MUSLIM TERRITORY JIHAD ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES TAKING THE BEST IDEAS CULTURES LOYALTY FAITH PRIVATE POWER WEALTH STRONG MILITARY ARMY EXPERT TOOL ETHOS ADMINISTRATION ORIGIN BAGHDAD FELL SELJUKS INDEPENDENT SULTANATE EAST CENTRAL ASIA IN 13 OTTOMAN SELJUK ARISTOCRACY HIMSELF ASIA MINOR RULE FORCE SULTANS ORDERS CRACK INFANTRY GROUP SLAVES CHRISTIAN CONVERTS THE OTTOMANS DECLINING BYZANTINE EMPIRE QUICKLY THE HEART THE CAPITAL SULTAN MEHMET II SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE MEHMET SLAUGHTERED POPULATION FORCED THE REST PEOPLE ELSEWHERE ISTANBUL REBUILDING PHYSICALLY ECONOMICS POSITION THE JUNCTION TRADE SILK TRADE GIVE CONTROL TRADE ROUTES THE GOODS TRADED SILK CLOTH MUSK RHUBARB PORCELAIN CHINA SPICES PEPPER INDIGO ECONOMIC STRENGTH POLICY NUMBER TRADERS MERCHANTS MOVE CAPTURED TERRITORIES JEWISH EUROPE IN BUSINESS RULERS THE SIEGE RODE CITY OF WHITE HORSE MARKED THE END THOUSAND ATTEMPTS CAPTURE FAILED THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE THE CHRISTIAN WORLD ROGER AUTHOR JUDITH HERRIN PROFESSOR LATE ANTIQUE BYZANTINE STUDIES COLLEGE COLIN READER TURKISH MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY DISCUSS THE CAPTURE THE EFFECT CHRISTIAN EUROPE UNEXPECTED SCHOLARS FLED NEW EMPIRE SPARKING THE POPE CRUSADE RECAPTURE CHRISTIAN NATIONS PRODUCE FOR HIM ATTEMPT RETAKE DOMINANCE TRADING THE PRESSURE WESTERN NATIONS THE EAST GOING EVENTUALLY EXPEDITIONS OF COLUMBUS MILLET SYSTEM CONVERTED MOSQUES COMMUNITIES ORGANISED GAVE MINORITY LIMITED AMOUNT OWN AFFAIRS OVERALL SUPREMACY ORTHODOX MILLET ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP PATRIARCH AUTHORITY ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN MILLETS PAID TAX DHIMMIS SEEN PERFORMING VALUE DEVSHIRME SYSTEM HAD TO HAND OVER CHILDREN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES SURRENDER TWENTY PERCENT MALE THE HORROR WESTERN CONVERTED TO ISLAM FAMILIES CONVERSION CERTAINLY OUT OF LINE HUMAN RATHER SLAVERY FOR SOME TRAINED GOVERNMENT SERVICE ABLE REACH HIGH GRAND VEZIR THE ELITE CORPS MADE UP ROLE CONQUEST OF CONSTANTINOPLE SENIOR THE IMPERIAL CLASS IMPORTANCE ABSOLUTE VITAL STATUS POWERFUL INHERIT FOLLOW SEVENTEENTH CENTURY BATTLES MUSLIMS CHRISTIAN FAITH ITSELF PRACTICAL REASONS CHRISTIANS COEXISTENCE BE MORE EFFICIENT CONFLICT CHURCH MACHINE SHOULD SHOW RESPECT SPECIAL JEWS THIS WAS ATTRACTIVE PREVIOUSLY PERSECUTED ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH ACTING RELIGIOUS TOWNS TO LIVE FREEDOM LEAD THEIR LIVES PARTICULAR MEHMET MEHMET DIED NOMINATED ELDEST BAYEZID REVOLTED BROTHER JANISSARIES THE REVOLT JANISSARY SUPPORT SELIM LAID THE FOUNDATIONS WORLD DESPOTISM THE LOCAL FORMING STATE SAFAVID FRATRICIDE MURDER ASCENDED THE THRONE BROTHERS SOON THE BROTHERS SONS DEATH THE WHOLE START AGAIN DOZENS OTTOMAN RULE IMPRISONED ENTRANCE TOPKAPI PALACE LIVED RUN RITUALS COPIED BYZANTINE WORE SILK ROBES ONCE USED TO LEGITIMACY REINFORCE CLAIM LEADER THE MANTLE THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD STANDARD CAIRO THE HAREM SPENT INHABITANT DARK ROOMS CONCUBINES ALL OVER THE ONLY PERMANENT STAFF ACCESS NO ONE WAS TO NIGHT MALES PROMOTED FAR AWAY INSIDE FEATURE CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH SUFFERING INJUSTICE TOWARD WOMEN IDEALS MARRIAGE MARRIED BENEFITS WOMAN WEALTH AND POWER STRUCTURE FAITHS CUSTOMS PEOPLES ELITE HIERARCHY MADRASSAHS PALACE SCHOOLS CONCERNED NEEDS GOVERNMENT ORDER THUS BIRTH TRIBE SUCCESS DETERMINED THE GOLDEN AGE THE PEAK GRANDSON SELIM II AS ONE WEALTHIEST IN THE WORLD THE WORK FATHER DONE SAFAVID EMPIRE IRAN ADOPTING THE MAMLUK EMPIRE LANDS EASTERN PEACE FLOURISHED INTERNAL RIVALS EXECUTING ALL 4 SO MUCH THE TERRITORY ISLAM HOLY PLACES RELIGIOUS LEADER RULER ARTISTS STABILITY AT THIS TIME BRAINS INTELLECTUALS WRITERS EAGER LAWGIVER REJECTED THE IDEA INVESTING GAIN IN THE FUTURE TO THE POINT MORE OR LESS ABANDONED NEW GROUND CONTINUOUS EXPANSION THE POWER CONQUER CONQUEST ACQUISITION MOMENTUM SLOW FACTORS THE EUROPEAN POWERS WANTED EXPAND PROBLEMS COMPETITION THE AMERICAS CHEAP INDIA THE FAR EAST DEVELOPMENT OF RISING UNEMPLOYMENT LESS CENTRAL MAINTAINING RIGOROUS STANDARDS INTEGRITY BECOMING SENSITIVE PUBLIC OPINION QUALITY ENDING EXECUTION APP