Ottoman Empire: One of the Most Successful Islamic Empires in History

The Ottoman Empire was one of the most successful Islamic Empires in history. It began 1289 with its first emperor, Osman Bey, and would continue to not only exist but expand until it was finally dissolved by the victorious Allied forces after World War I. The Ottoman Empire began located right on the board of the Byzantine Empire, a fragmentation of what was once the vast Roman Empire. The Turks began their expansion westward into the Byzantine Empire by capturing the city of Bursa in 1326. With its expansion, the Ottoman Empire went through a number of capitals of their empire. Bursa became the first capital of the empire after it began to expand.

The second capital of the Ottoman Turkish Empire was Edirne in 1352. With the capture of this important city and the Byzantine fortress of Gallipoli, the Ottoman Empire expanded out of what was the Islamic realm of the world into Europe. The Ottoman Empire reaped the resources of this captured territory, which had soon spread beyond Edirne and into the rest of mainland Greece. In order to feed this new military machine and to have enough soldiers to hold onto the vast territory the Islamic state conquered, the Ottomans required that all of the Christian population under the control of the Turkish Empire had to send young boys and men as tribute to the emperor. Under the emperor's administrators, they would learn the culture and language of the Ottoman Turks and convert to Islam to contribute to the empire.