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To help win a major battle Osman leads his troops and displace the Suljurks Turks. He becames the new leader of the new ottoman
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Osman and his troops lay siege to the city of Bursa in Northwest Turkey when the city falls Bursa is made into a captail of ottoman Empire Osman dies in 1326
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Bayezid extends the empire from the Danube River in Bulgaria to the Euphrates River in the east. Mongolian raiders crush his troops in Turkey in 1402 and take him prisoner. Bayezid dies within the year, and the Ottoman Empire is split among his sons.
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Mehmed II lays siege to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople in 1453. He uses siege guns and bombards the walls for eight weeks. Heavy fighting continues, but the Byzantine capital is defeated when Emperor Constantine XI dies in battle. The city is now called Istanbul.
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Mehmed II rules for thirty years. During his reign Istanbul becomes a political, cultural, and economic center. Mosques, bazaars, roads, inns, and baths are built. A special tax is now charged to non-Muslim residents.
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One of the best known and most powerful leaders of the empire is Suleyman I, known as Suleyman the Magnificent. He conquers parts of western Asia and southeast Europe in his desire to convert people to Islam. The Ottoman Empire reaches its peak under his rule.
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At Suleyman I's death, his son Selim II rules. However, he is not like his father. He never goes to fight battles and his government is unstable. During his reign the Turkish fleet is smashed at the Battle of Lepanto in Greece.
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The Ottomans try to conquer Venice in 1683, but fail. In 1697, as Austrian troops push into the Ottoman territory in Hungary, the Turks are defeated at Zenta. To keep peace the Turks give up much of their land in that region.
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Abdul Hamit II tries to instill reforms into the empire, including adding a constitution and a parliament. These reforms fail, however. In 1878 the Congress of Berlin acknowledges the independence of Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.
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Though actually two different battles, the goal of the Balkan Wars is to take over the European lands that belong to the Ottoman Empire. Its efforts are successful.
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During World War I, the Ottoman Empire sides with the Central Powers. They lose the war, and peace treaties cause the empire to dissolve. The Republic of Turkey is established in 1923. Although in power for over 600 years, the Ottoman Empire will best be remembered for its glory years of strong leadership and cultural influences that affected the lands they conquered.
