Ottoman Empire

Mehmet The II

Mehmet became sultan in 1444 but was deposed in 1446. He regained power in 1451 and ruled until 1481 as one of the greatest Ottoman sultans. Mehmet extended Ottoman rule in the Balkans, Asia Minor, and Crimea. He also reorganized the empire’s administrative system and rebuilt Istanbul, which had badly deteriorated in the last days of the Byzantine Empire.

History

The Turkish tribes led by Osman began to expand their small territory in the northwest corner of Anatolia (now Turkey) during the late 1200’s. In 1326, the tribes captured the city of Bursa, which had been part of the Byzantine Empire. Then the Ottomans trained highly trained soldiers called Janissaries. Then after the Great War with the Ottomans on the Axis side they got banished by the new Turkish government.

Istanbul

Constantinople now days known as Istanbul was the Capital of the Byzantine empire and was on a strait in between The Black Sea and the Mediterranean sea. Constantinople is also the home to the Hagia Sophia and a major trading port.