The "Ottoman" Empire (jan 1, 1299 – jan 1, 1922)

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Carved out of the remains of the Byzantine Empire's Anatolian possessions and the Sultanate of Rum by Turkic warlords and their Greek allies, the Ottoman Empire would come to be the most powerful Empire in Europe during much of the early modern world.

After succesfully defeating its rivals and securing its hold on Anatolia, they expanded into Europe, taking control of much of the Balkans and finally Constantinople itself in 1453.

Led by the Sultan-Caliph of the clan of Osman, they considered themselves in many ways to be the successor of Rome in the east with Mehmet the Conqueror, who seized Constantinople, claimed the title Caesar of Rome.

A truly cosmopolitan Empire, it had all manner of religions, cultures and languages within its domain though many lived under the constant threat of violence, particularly in the later days of the Empire.

Controlling the most vital trade routes for Europe-Asia trade, the Ottoman Empire quickly became one of the wealthiest in the world. Together with rapid expansion and massive legal and administrative reforms, this made the Ottoman Empire the greatest of its age for a time, and threatened the heart of Europe with Austria, Poland and Russia all becoming its mortal adversaries.

It would eventually come to lag behind other European powers and become known as "The sick man of Europe" ultimately being torn apart by nationalism and the horrors of the First World War.

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