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=Describe the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries into North Africa, Eastern Europe, and throughout the Middle East.= Crash Course World History on Ottoman Empire [|video] Interactive [|timeline] of Ottoman expansion [|Video] of Ottoman territorial expansion (1300-1900) [|Lesson plan] for teaching the Ottoman Empire's expansion and effects of expansion

[|Mehmed II] (The Conqueror): - Becoming Sultan in 1451, Mehmed II quickly began expanding the empire he inherited. The first conquest was [|Constantinople], which became known in Europe as the end of the Medieval age. This was also the most notable and impressive conquest of the Ottoman Empire cementing them as a major global force. - Mehmed then set his sights on the Balkan peninsula clashing with Hungary and Serbia - Mehmed's expedition into the Balkans provided fruitful as Greece fell under the Ottoman rule. - Mehmed also secured Trebizond and Crimea by the 1480s. - The final significant expansion under Mehmed II was the consolidation of Western Anatolia, laying the foundation for further conquests in the Middle East
 * The 15th Century:**

Here is a [|10 minute documentary]that details the early Ottoman conquests and the effects of the fall of Constantinople [|Selim I] (The Grim): - Becoming Sultan in 1512, Selim I took the throne after a civil war ravaged the empire. Once his power was secure, Selim I began to further consolidate southeastern Anatolia - The consolidation of Anatolia led to conflict with the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. War soon broke out between the two states and resulted in Ottoman victory. This victory consolidated Ottoman power over Syria, Palestine, Egypt, the Northern coasts of the Red Sea and portions of modern Algeria. - This victory was crucial as it: - 1. Solidified Ottoman trade along the Red Sea - this opened the Indian ocean trade network to the eastern Mediterranean and Europe. - 2. Solidified Ottoman rule within the Muslim world as the Sharif of Mecca presented Selim I the key to the city.
 * The 16th Century:**

[|Suleiman] (The Magnificent / The Lawgiver): - Becoming Sultan in 1520, Suleiman quickly began a military campaign against Hungary. In 1521, this campaign secured Belgrade for the Ottomans, while also breaking the military power of Hungary and killing their king in the battle. - Further advances would be made into Europe with Hungary becoming a vassal state to the Ottomans and a failed [|siege of Vienna] - Suleiman continued to expand the Ottoman power and territory, by becoming the prominent naval power of the Mediterranean after defeating a Spanish/Venetian fleet in 1538. - This control was upset thirty years later at the [|Battle of Lepanto] - Suleiman also consolidated power over modern-day Iraq, clashing with the Safavid (Persian) Empire - Finally, Suleiman connected the Ottoman territory of Algiers to Egypt, creating a continuous empire from Baghdad to Morocco.

(A depiction of the Ottoman siege of Vienna - 1529)

[|The Imperial Palace Harem]: - From 1520 to roughly 1650, the Harem, comprised of concubines and women in the royal family, had considerable influence over the Sultans. - The Harem had a strict hierarchy with the mother of the current Sultan, the Valide Sultan, at the head. - Next were the Kadins, or official wives, of the Sultan. The Kadins had their own quarters, female-slaves and servants. - After Kadins were the Iqbals, who had the ability to rise within the Harem hierarchy. Starting off as a concubine, if an Iqbal gives birth then she is raised to the status of a Haseki. If the child is a son, then they are raised to the position of Kadin. - There was a final level of concubines titled Odalisques. Odalisques were primarily servants to the palace and composed of slave women from various military campaigns.

Life under Ottoman rule was rather accepting for the time as [|Millet system] the allowed minority religious, ethnic, and geographical communities limited autonomy.

An [|academic essay] on women and the Ottoman Empire by a professor of history from Brigham Young University

By the end of the 16th century, Ottoman rule was at its largest extent. With control over the entire Eastern Mediterranean as well as the whole Red Sea and the Black Sea, the Ottomans profited immensely from control over these trade routes. The Ottomans were also the predominant Muslim empire with smaller nations acknowledging the sultan as caliph.