Capital of the Ottoman Empire

If you want to study the history of a place, there would nothing be better than studying its capital and like all great civilization capitals, the capital of the Ottoman Empire is one of the most important cities to study and research to get an idea about the mighty Empire that Ottoman once was.

Scholars and historians have always argued about the capital of the mighty Empire but most of them have come to the conclusion that it was only modern day Istanbul, the capital of Turkey that served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Constantinople was captured by the Turks (Ottoman army) in 1453 and since then it served as their capital and major industrial town.

Previously it had served as the capital city for 3 Empires too; so its tryst with becoming the capital of the new rising Empire was nothing new. Its people were more or less accustomed with the royalty and the benefit of being the capital city for 4 Empires and therefore were one of the wealthiest people in the world. Not to mention that the city was also the wealthiest city in Europe and elsewhere!

Other Capitals of the Ottoman Empire

Sogut, Edirne and Bursa also served as capitals to the Empire of Ottoman but for short periods only. It was only during the peak of its expansion campaigns that modern day Istanbul was realized as the best bet for becoming the new capital of the ever-growing Empire. Sogut is historically very important because it was this region in Anatolia that gave birth to the rise of the Turks as a counting force and eventual establishment of the mighty Ottoman Empire. The people of Sogut were the original Seljuk tribe who were Turkish at roots. This was a small but sophisticated tribe.

In Turkish Thrace (western Turkey), Edirne is one of the largest cities and important because it was also a capital of the Turkish forces. Though the capital tag of the city was short lived, it became an important center of trade and commerce, art and culture. It was actually founded by the Roman Empire and later on captured by the marauding Turkish forces that established Ottoman Empire. Close to this city, Bursa is a modern day city, bustling with people and trade activities. It served as a gateway to south Central and South Western Europe. It was a part of Macedonia and hence the Byzantine Empire.