Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was a transcontinental imperial state that existed from 1299 to 1922. It was an absolute monarchy that transitioned to a constitutional monarchy in its twilight years.
Its major claims to fame was its power to rival most contemporary empires throughout much of its existence, and it was also the nexus upon which most of the Islamic gunpowder empires reached their height of power.
However, while it maintained a firm grip on power over a sizable portion of the Balkans, Middle East, and portions of Asia for much of its history, it suffered a severe decline in power in the latter half of the 17th century that, despite attempts at modernization and various reforms, continued its decline until it ceased to exist politically in 1922, and was succeeded by the nation-state of Turkey, which was the core of the former empire.
Interesting facts about the Ottoman Empire include:
- The region of Transylvania was once under Ottoman control, a fact that the historical basis of Dracula famously resented, which led him to stir a revolt against his former masters, during which he gained his nickname by impaling thousands of Ottoman troops on trees to terrify them into ceasing their attempts to stop him.
- A particular bone of contention to this day, especially as far as both Armenians and Turks are concerned, is over whether the Armenian Genocide happened, as in, an event where 1.5 million Armenians as well as many other minority groups were systematically murdered by the Ottoman government. The official position of Turkey, who succeeded the Ottomans politically, is that, no, no such event happened, and while they do acknowledge that Armenians may have died for various reasons during the period of 1915-1923, none of these deaths were the result of a systemic and deliberate attempt to purge what would be now known as Turkey of Armenians. The position of Armenia is the exact opposite, and any nation that takes the position it did occur generally does so knowing they will offend Turkey at the very least.
- Disc One Nuke: They held many advantages over most of their rivals for the first few hundred years, including a much more efficient civil service, higher levels of literacy, much more per capita GDP, and much more efficient military that was one of the earliest to make widespread use of firearms. Early on most of their rivals were reluctant to attempt full scale challenges against them because of all these factors.
- When the other rivals caught up and when the Ottomans fell behind, this trope ceased to apply, to the point their empire was considered for carving up by other European powers by World War I.
- Elite Army: The Janissary, or "new soldier" troops were designed as such. They were intended to be absolutely loyal to the sultan, expertly trained and educated, and were some of the earliest military forces in the world to be proficient in the widespread use of firearms.
- Just the First Citizen: Zig Zagged Trope. During some of the greatest height of the empire, this was particularly exemplified by the ruler Suleiman, who was known by his people as "The Lawgiver" because he would walk the markets as an ordinary citizen and dispense justice when needed to settle civil and criminal disputes. The sultan was also considered another member of his own Janissary corps, and would even be attired and paid like any other member. During some of the less enlightened periods of the empire, this trope was far less prevalent.
- Worthy Opponent: Many of its contemporaries throughout much of its history regarded them as such.
- Vestigial Empire: In their twilight years, their power declined to the point they were considered "the sick man of Europe" by other European powers.