The Ottoman Empire Military

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The Ottoman Empire was a large empire. It had expanded from a small Turkish principality in North-west Anatolia, to an empire that stretched from Austria to the Persian Gulf in one direction, and from North Africa to central Asia in the other direction. Force was the key to their successful expansion, which led them defeating their enemies. It began by Osman I leading his army and settling towards the edges of the Byzantine Empire. During this time he had moved the Ottoman capital to Bursa and shaped the early political development of the empire. After the death of Osman I, the empire began to extend over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. During this time the Ottoman had expanded over Europe by capturing the city of Thessaloniki from the Venetians and defeating the Serbian power in Kosovo. The widely regarded as the last large-scale crusade of the middle-ages failed to stop the Empire which led to the Ottomans controlling all the former Byzantine lands. However, the Byzantines were relieved when the Tamerlane invaded Anatolia, which sultan Bayezid I was taken as prisoner. The capture of the sultan threw the Turks into disorder. This led to a civil war which lasted from 1402 to 1413, which Bayezid’s sons fighting over succession being the main problem. It all ended once Mehmed I became sultan and restored power and put an end to the chaos. Mehmed’s grandson, Mehmed the conqueror, reorganised the military force and captured Constantinople at the age of 21, which the city became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed II assumed the title of the Roman Empire, but was not recognised by other empires. To consolidate his claim he aspired to gain control over Rome. The Ottoman forces occupied most of their land, but after Mehmed II’s death, the campaign was cancelled. From then on, the Ottoman Empire began to grow to a large scale and became a powerful and
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