The Beginning of the End of the Supremacy of the Ottoman Empire

After the death of Suleyman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire began to decline, mostly as a result of a series of rulers who themselves seemed peculiarly uninterested in the actual job of governing the empire. Despite this lack of muscular political management, however, the Ottoman Empire remained the single most influential force in the western world up to the dawn of the 17^th century. The Ottoman's fearsome military might was financed by its equally impressive dominance of trade economic, but the failings of a continual line of sultans to remain faithful to the tradition of practicing political governance as a result of personal commitment allowed the bureaucratic system to become the source of true power.

The decline of the Ottoman Empire into a series of struggles for power punctuated by increasing corruption may be an indication that investing absolute authority in the sultan was not the bad idea it may seem at first glance. The Ottoman Empire's decline was tainted by internal struggles between the advisory council known as the Divan, the leader of that council that was known as the Grand Vizier, and various majors and generals doing what they traditionally do best: making life worse for everyone else. Compounding the problems for the Ottomans, just as their power was slipping away, the Europeans were finally awakening from the slumber of the Dark Ages.