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Napoelon! -
Ottoman is strongest! -
Greek got independent -
tired -
Will be used for Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire -
By LB HD Mapper -
WORLD WAR ONE -
Ottoman Empire
From Heterodontosaurus Balls
β  Mehmed II
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The Ottoman Empire was a giant 
Turkish 
Sunni Muslim 
empire based in modern-day TΓΌrkiye. For centuries, he was once the boogeyman of 
Christian Europe, feared for good reasons. Ottoman was also one of few empires to spread across three continents being 
Asia, 
Europe, and 
Africa.
1299 is often given as the birth date of Ottoman, however this is mostly just symbolic. Before 1918, he had clay in the 
Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the 
Balkans, Anatolia, and around the 
Black Sea. He died in 1922 and was replaced by his less competent successor, TΓΌrkiye.
Ottoman also claims to be the rebirth of 
Rome.
History
Beginnings & Rise
Main article:
Ottoman Beylik
The Ottoman Empire originated as a small 
Turkic beylik (principality) in 
Anatolia following the fragmentation of the 
Seljuk 
Sultanate of RΓ»m due to 
Mongol invasions. The 
Beylik was founded by 
Osman I around 1299, from whom Ottoman takes his name from. Ottoman then proceeded to ally and annex several neighbouring beyliks.
Ottoman Beylik began expanding westward. He expanded into the Balkans, fighting the 
Serbian and 
Byzantine Empires over territorial disputes. Ottoman took advantage of Byzantine internal conflicts in the 1340s to control areas, which strained relations with the latter. He conquered the 
Karasids in 1361, and capturing their navy.
After securing his position in Anatolia, Ottoman conquered even more beyliks. The 
Timurid Empire, feeling threatened, declared 
war on Ottoman in 1402, beating him to a pulp and capturing his Sultan Bayezid I. This power vacuum sparked a 12-year civil war known as the "Fetret Devri". After the civil war, Ottoman slowly regained strength, re-conquering small independent beyliks in Anatolia and focusing on internal consolidation.
A New Power: Expansion & Peak
Main article:
Classical Age of the Ottoman Empire
By the 15th century, Ottoman had rebuilt all his strength lost in the civil war. He besieged 
Constantinople, the Byzantine's last stronghold, for nearly two months in 1453 before breaching the city's formidable walls using advanced cannons and strategic tactics. The 
Fall of Constantinople was a turning point in 
history, the 
Muslim Ottoman replaced 
Christian Byzantine as the regional power. The fall also symbolized the transition from the medieval to the modern era. Ottoman Empire replaced the fallen city with 
Istanbul, which became his new capital, which made Ottoman expansion into Europe easier.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman Empire entered a 
period of expansion. The Empire prospered under the rule of a line of committed and effective Sultans. Ottoman flourished 
economically due to his control of the major overland trade routes between Europe and Asia.
The Ottoman Empire first annexed 
Serbia in 1459, followed by the conquest of 
Bosnia in 1463. He then secured the vassalage of 
Wallachia (formally under Ottoman 
suzerainty by the late 15th century), 
Moldavia (accepted suzerainty in 1538), and the 
Crimean Khanate (became vassal in 1475). After conquering the 
Mamluk Sultanate in 1516-1517, Ottoman Empire's power in the eastern 
Mediterranean and 
Middle East became dominant. The Empire also expanded into North Africa during the early 16th century, bringing much of the region under his control, and dealt a devastating blow to the 
Hungary at the Battle of 
MohΓ‘cs in 1526, leaving Hungary largely partitioned and weakened. However, Ottoman began stagnating after conquering Hungary in 1541, but he still kept shadowing the entire Europe through his sheer size, 
science, economy and feared 
military might.
In the 16th century, Ottoman fought against 
Spanish Empire in the Mediterranean and used 
Barbary Corsairs to capture thousands of merchant ships, raiding coastal towns in Europe, 
enslaving the people they captured. During the 1600s, the 
world conflict between the Ottoman Caliphate and Iberian Union was a stalemate since both were at similar population, 
technology and economic levels.
Stagnation
After Sultan 
Suleiman the Magnificent died in 1566 during his last campaign, Ottoman Empire entered a long era of stagnation and gradual decline. Weak sultans preferred the 
palace and 
harem over leading armies, while the 
Sultanate of Women let mothers, wives, and grand viziers pull the strings. The once-elite Janissaries became 
corrupt, rebellious, and more interested in 
politics than fighting, demanding pay raises and starting frequent revolts. Inflation hit hard from 
New World 
silver flooding in, wrecking the old economy, yet Ottoman kept holding most of his massive clay. He still clashed with 
Habsburg in the Long Turkish War (1593-1606) and 
Safavid over Mesopotamia, rebuilt his 
fleet after the 1571 Battle of 
Lepanto disaster, and even grabbed 
Crete from 
Venetian in 1669 under the capable 
KΓΆprΓΌlΓΌ viziers. But the golden age vibes were goneβeveryone sensed the empire was starting to rot from the inside.
The real humiliation came in 1683 with the fail of the Second Siege of 
Vienna. It was a military disaster to the Ottoman Empire as his supply lines were stretched and in unfamiliar territory with several incompetent commanders in charge. 
Poland-Lithuania arrived and turned the siege into a rout. What followed was the disasterious and humiliating Great Turkish War, where Polish-Lithuanian king 
John III Sobieski led an unlikely alliance against the Ottomans and made a great charge against the unprepared siegers, breaking their line and sending them into a disarray. European players realized that the Ottomans was not so invincible, and Christian nations joined together to expel 
Muslim influence from Europe. A 
Holy League was banded together in 1684, consisting of 
Germany, Austria, Poland-Lithuania, 
Russia, and Venice, smashing Ottomanball across the Balkans.
The 1699 Treaty of 
Karlowitz forced Ottoman to give up huge chunks of 
Hungary to Habsburg, plus 
Morea and other bits to his enemiesβthe first time Ottoman Empire ever had to sign a treaty as the clear loser. Europe stopped fearing the "Turkish menace", as they started realizing that the Ottoman Empire had been stagnating for some time while they themselves grew stronger thanks to the 
colonization of the New World, including the perks of 
Industrial Revolution. Ottoman began losing his territories one by one, and so started the long decline of Ottoman Empire. The Europeans began to call him the "Sick Man of Europe", supported rebels, sowing ideas of 
independence and unjust treatment from Ottoman government. This led to many armed riots and insurrections, weakening the Ottoman Empire further. Ottoman was still giant on the map, but the unstoppable expansion era was dead.
The 18th and early 19th centuries were basically nonstop losings for Ottoman. Russia 
became the biggest nightmare, winning multiple Russo-Turkish Wars and forcing the disastrous Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774 after the 1768-1774 war, giving major concessions to Russia and let Russia meddle in Ottoman Christian affairs and eventually take Crimea in 1783.
From 1718 there was a short party phase called the 
Tulip Period with fancy gardens, European vibes, and a tulip craze among the Ottoman court, but ended in rebellion and forced abdication of the sultan in 1730. By the 1800s, 
nationalism exploded: 
Serbia rebelled in 1804 and got autonomy, then the Greek launched a big independence war in 1821. Ottoman called in 
Egypt for help, who crushed Greek forces on land.
Ottoman's sultan 
Mahmud II was pissed and decided it was time for big changes. In 1826, he'd already wiped out the corrupt Janissaries in the "Auspicious Incident," replacing them with a modern army in reforms known as "Nizam-i Cedid".
Despite the initial success on land, in 1827 the combined fleets of 
UK, 
France, and Russia annihilated the Ottoman-Egyptian navy at the Battle of 
Navarino. Greek was pretty much guaranteed freedom, the Balkans were cracking apart, and Ottoman Empire's painful slide into the "sick man" stereotype was locked in for the rest of the century.
Decline
Things got worse with the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, where Russia steamrolled Ottoman's armies, forcing the Treaty of 
Adrianople in 1829. This gave Russia even more clay in the Caucasus, navigation rights through straits, and basically rubber-stamped Greek autonomy. In 1830, 
Greece got his independence. In 1876, there was a famine in 
Bosnia which worsened the situation there. As a result and as a sign of defiance, Bosnia stopped paying his 
taxes and Ottoman grew more broke. Because of this and seeing the others successfully defy the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan regions started to break away from Ottoman's control with the support of other European players.
Ottoman pushed for more reforms, but his biggest headache was his own vassal, Egypt, who wanted more power and invaded 
Syria in 1831. Ottoman begged Russia for help, leading to the Treaty of HΓΌnkΓ’r Δ°skelesi in 1833, which made Russia his "protector" (more like a big brother with ulterior motives). But Europe freaked out, and in 1840, Britain, Austria, 
Prussia, Russia, and Ottoman ganged up in the Convention of 
London to put Egypt back in his place, giving him hereditary rule there but clipping his wings. Ottoman survived, but it showed how weak he wasβnow relying on Europeans to sort his internal messes.
The Ottoman began a reformist era in what's known as the 
Tanzimat period (1839-1876); he replaced religous law with secular law and decriminalized 
homosexuality.
The 
Crimean War (1853-1856) was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining Ottoman Empire; 
France, 
United Kingdom, and 
Sardinia allying themselves with Ottoman to fight against Russia. The financial burden of the war led the Ottoman state to issue foreign loans amounting to 5 million pounds sterling on 4 August 1854. The war caused an exodus of the 
Crimean Tatars, about 200,000 of whom moved to the Ottoman Empire in continuing waves of emigration. Crimean Tatar refugees in the late 19th century played an especially notable role in seeking to modernize Ottoman education and in first promoting both Pan-Turkism and a sense of Turkish nationalism.
In this period, Ottoman Empire spent only small amounts of public funds on education; for example, in 1860-1861 only 0.2% of the total budget was invested in education. As Ottoman attempted to modernize his infrastructure and army in response to outside threats, he opened himself up to a different kind of threat: that of 
creditors. The single greatest threat to the independence of the Middle East in the 19th century was not the armies of the Europeans but their banks. The Ottoman state, who had begun taking on debt with the Crimean War, was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1875. By 1881, Ottoman Empire agreed to have his debt controlled by the Ottoman Public Debt Administration, a council of European men with presidency alternating between France and Britain. The body controlled swaths of the Ottoman economy, often to the detriment of local Ottoman interests.
The Balkans held a strong grudge against the Ottoman Empire because him started imposing discriminatory laws. Ottoman became increasingly 
oppressive, favoring Muslims even more over minorities, which led to the suppression of minority beliefs and 
cultural practices. This oppression also hindered 
scientific progress, making the Ottoman Empire fall behind the Europeans in the Industrial Revolution. These dark times when the 
elite Muslim Turks started oppressing the others: it is something many modern Turks do not know much about due to their purposeful ignorance or lack of awareness. Some prefer to see themselves as the victims, some are even in denial. After long times of oppression and some nudges from European players, these regions continued to break away.
The Ottoman bashi-bazouks (disorderly soldiers) suppressed the 
Bulgarian uprising of 1876, massacring up to 100,000 people in the process.βThe Russo-Turkish War from 1877-1878 ended with a decisive victory for Russia, and as a result, Ottoman holdings in Europe declined sharply: 
Bulgaria was established as an independent principality inside the Ottoman Empire; 
Romania achieved full independence; and 
Serbia finally gained complete independence, but with smaller territories. In 1878, 
Austria-Hungary unilaterally occupied the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Novi Pazar.
From 1894 to 1896, between 100,000 and 300,000 
Armenians living throughout the empire were killed in what became known as the 
Hamidian massacres.
Defeat & Dissolution
By the early 20th century, Ottoman Empire had significantly declined culturally, 
socially, and technologically. Minorities like 
Kurds, Armenians, 
Arabs, Greeks, 
Serbians, 
Jews, and Christians were treated as second-class citizens or worse when compared to Turkish Muslim citizens. This social situation had deteriorated over the past 150 years due to an increasingly authoritarian government favouring Islam over others.
The year was 1912 when the First Balkan War broke out, with the support of Great Powers in supplies, intel and weapons. It ended with Ottoman Empire losing almost all lands in the Balkans. A huge amount of Turks numbering in millions was deported by force from the Balkans to Anatolia.
In 1913, 
Bulgaria wasn't happy with the land he gained in the First Balkan War. So, when the Great Powers drew new borders in the Balkans that Bulgaria didn't like, he started a new fight, the Second Balkan War, against Serbia and Greece. The Ottoman Empire used this opportunity to regain some territory and improve his reputation.
Ottoman Empire was forced into the Great War in 1914 after a part of his navy attacked the Russian harbors under the command of a 
German officer thus leading to Russia declaring war and thereby his 
allies as well. It did not help that the 
British Empire had kept the caught battleships to himself, angering the Ottomans greatly. Ottoman got into the 
Central Powers and tried to fight Russia in the Caucasus but froze half to death.
After years of decline, in 1915, Ottoman Empire was exhausted by his recent wars in the Balkans and a revolution where the 
Young Turks took over. The Young Turks, despite being seen as forward-thinking, were guilty of terrible acts. They secretly ordered the deportation and 
killings of Armenians, leading to a tragic and bloody event known as the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes and sent on a harrowing journey to modern-day 
Syria. Many died from abuse, harsh weather, and starvation along the way, making it a journey of certain death for countless Armenians.
In 1918, the Entente Powers won WWI. Ottoman Empire was now up for partition, leading to a new secular 
Turkish government to be formed to defend himself the partition, ending the Ottoman Empire in 1922. It was about time, too, the Ottomans had already ruled for over 600 years.
Relationships
Friends
Golden Horde - A 
Mongol who helped me against 
Timurid. He was the first 
Muslim Mongol.
Crimean Khanate - Stupid 
Russia! I miss you since I lost youβ¦ AND YOU'LL BE MY CLAY!!!
Swedish Empire - Another ally that helped me in the Great Northern War.
Empire of Japan - Another good friend that I took inspiration from. I'm you but in Europe! Why side with
them?
German Empire - Ally during World War I and a good friend. Your kaiser inspired me later on to become 
militarized and of very powerful. One day we will rule over 
Europe!
Neutral
United States of America - β¦uhhhβ¦whoβ¦uhβ¦ are you again? I-I can't remember. Well, we were fine until WWI. Then I cut relations. But thanks for not declaring 
war.
Kingdom of France - At least we both hate the 
Habsburgsβ¦
Enemies
Byzantine Empire - I'm in your wallsβ¦ 
1453 was the best year of my life, roasted you on a stick like a kebab! But since I have obtained your clay, why notβ¦ take revenge on the 
Crusaders together!- Timurid Empire - The worst
Turks, he defeated me in 
Anatolia and kidnapped my 
Sultan. But, this won't be the case for long. 
Holy League - These losers thought they could push me out of Europe, 1444 and 1453 worst year of your life, ALSO YOU CANNOT INTO 
CONSTANTINOPLE ALHAMDULILAH!!!!
Spanish Empire - European 
imperialist and crusader, I attack you with 
pirates!
Mamluk Sultanate - Hahahahah, loser. 1517 worst year of your life, yuo thought the deserts could save yuo but they didn't.
Kingdom of Greece - This a*shole keeps taking more and more land from me. He's the one that ruined everything by becoming an 
independent Balkan first. YOU ARE THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE.
Emirate of Nejd and Hasa - How dare you recapture 
Mecca and 
Medina and destroy my architecture in Al-Haram and Nabawi?!!
Armenia - Yuo is of Ottoman citizen but yuo is of helpings 
Russia. TRAITOR!!! It was actually me not having winter clothes in the Russian winter and not being capable enough to defeat the Russians.REMOVE!What
genocide? Stop lying.
Australia & 
New Zealand - YUO GUYS ARE OF SO ANNOYING! 
GALLIPOLI IS BEAUTIFUL PLACE! 1915 BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE! 489,000 men wasted, wouldn't you think?
How to draw
Ottoman Empire has a drawing rating of easy.
- Draw a ball.
- Fill it with red.
- Draw a white crescent and eight-pointed star in the middle of the ball.
- Add eyes and done!
| Color Name | HEX | |
|---|---|---|
| Red | #E40310 | |
| White | #FFFFFF | |
Gallery
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Ottoman Empire's Greatest Extent -
Flag-Map of Ottoman Empire with all Tributary States (1668)
