The Ottoman Empire was at its all time high during the period from May 1453 to September 1683 which was the period subsequent to the Rise of the Ottoman Empire which was around July 1413 to May 1453 in which the Ottoman state reached a point of economic and social stability. In this period, the Ottoman Empire expanded southwestwards into North Africa and battled with the re-emergent Persian Shiia Safavid Empire to the east. This growth period was followed by the stagnation of the Ottoman Empire from September 1683 to October 1827.

Bayezid II was enthroned upon his father's death in 1481. He first had to fight against his younger brother Cem, who took Inegol and Bursa and proclaimed himself as the Sultan of Anatolia. This battle against Cem took place at Yenisehir in which Cem was defeated. Subsequently, he fled to Cairo and returned in the very next year with the support of the Mameluks, and took eastern Anatolia, Ankara and Konya but eventually he was crushed and forced to flee to Rhodes.

Sultan Bayezid attacked Venice in 1499 and signed for peace 1503. This resulted in the Ottoman Empire gaining on the Peloponnesos along with some towns along the Adriatic coast. In the 16th century Mameluks and Persians under Shah Ismail I allied against the Ottomans. This war ended in favor of the Turks in 1511.

Subsequently in that year, Bayezid's son Ahmet forced his father into making him the regent. His brother Selim was forced to flee to Crimea. When Ahmet was about to be crowned the Janissaries intervened, killed the prince and forced Bayezid into calling Selim back and making him the sultan. Bayezid renounced and died immediately after leaving the throne.

During Selim I's reign, he expanded the empire's borders greatly in the south as well as in the east. He defeated the Mamelukes and conquered most of modern Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt, including the holy city of Jerusalem as well as Cairo which was the residence of the Abbasid caliph. This resulted in Selim proclaiming himself as the caliph of Islam.

Selim I conquered the Safavid Empire. But soon after, he lost it as the Safavids subsequently defeated and conquered the eastern Ottomans, and captured Baghdad. The Empire also established a navy in the Red Sea which succeeded in countering Portuguese influence on the spice trade for a brief period of time.

During this period, the Empire struggled with the emerging European colonial powers, in the Indian Ocean. Fleets along with soldiers and arms, were sent to the support of the Muslim rulers in Kenya and Aceh which was on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, and to defend the Ottoman spice and slave trades.

In Aceh, the Ottomans built a fortress, and supplied it with big guns. The Dutch Protestants were initially helped by the Ottomans in their struggle against Catholic Spain. The Ottoman navy also exercised considerable influence in the Mediterranean Sea which resulted in a flourishing trade, because of the solidity afforded to the shipping lanes.

At the Battle of Chaldiran in eastern Anatolia in 1514, Ottoman forces under the leadership of Sultan Selim I won a crucial victory against the Safavids, thereby ensuring Ottoman security on their eastern front.

Suleiman first put down a revolt led by the Ottoman governor in Damascus. By August, 1521, Suleiman completed the Serbian conquest by capturing the city of Belgrade. In 1522, Suleiman captured Rhodes. In 1526 Suleiman defeated Louis II of Hungary at the Battle of Mohacs, and established Ottoman rule in Hungary as well. By 1541, Suleiman annexed most of Great Alfold which is the present day Hungary, and installed Zapolya's family as rulers of the independent principality of Transylvania which was a vassal state of the Empire.

Walachia and Moldavia, soon became the offshoot principalities of the Ottoman Empire.

This site covers all areas Ottoman Empire History Facts. Besides the popular Ottoman topics like rise and fall, leaders, society, economy, Inventions, Religion, it also covers several other areas like comparison with other empires.

Armenians In The Ottoman Empire	Crimean War Ottoman Empire	British Ottoman Empire
End Of The Ottoman Empire	Decline Of Ottoman Empire Part2	Napoleon Ottoman Empire
Osman of Ottoman Empire	Ottoman and Byzantine Empires	Ottoman Empire 1300 Part 2
Rise And Fall Of Ottoman Empire	Rise of The Ottoman Empire	Rise of The Ottoman Empire Part2
Ottoman Empire in 1566	Ottoman Empire in 16th Century	Ottoman After WW I
Ottoman Empire Allies	Ottoman Empire And Palestine	Ottoman Empire Arabs
Ottoman Empire in 1500	Ottoman Empire Armenian Genocide	Ottoman Empire Based Movies
Reasons For The Collapse Of The Ottoman Empire	Ottoman Empire Economics	Ottoman Empire Countries
Slavery In Ottoman Empire	Partitioning Of The Ottoman Empire	Ottoman Empire The War Machine
Ottoman Empire In Africa Part 1	Ottoman Empire In Africa Part 2	Ottoman Empire In The Balkans Part 1
Ottoman Empire In The Balkans Part 2	Ottoman Empire WW I	Ottoman Empire Janissaries
Ottoman Empire Jews	Ottoman Empire Vs Roman Empire Comparison	Ottoman Empire Nineteenth Century Part 1
Ottoman Empire Nineteenth Century Part 2	Ottoman Empire Primary Sources for History Study	Ottoman Empire Nationalism
Ottoman Empire Social Life And Society	Ottoman Empire Suleyman	Ottoman Empire Summary Part 1
Ottoman Empire Summary Part 2	Ottoman Empire Tanzimat

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