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Constantine, the ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire (also called Byzantium), founds New Rome. It later becomes Constantinople.
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Osman, a warrior chieftain, founds the Ottoman Empire.
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Sultan Mehmed II conquers Constantinople and extends Ottoman control. The powerful empire lasts 600 years.
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Sultan Suleyman I expands the empire and builds mosques and monuments.
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After World War I, Ottomans and foreign troops occupy the region.
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Mustafa Kemal, called Ataturk ('Father of the Turks') leads a rebellion. He becomes president of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. Ataturk launches sweeping reforms
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Constantinople is officially renamed Istanbul.
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Turkey invades Cyprus. Both Greece and Turkey want control of the island.
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After a military takeover, a new constitution is adopted.
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The government and a separatist Kurdish group battle. More than 30,000 are killed in the fighting.