Osmanli Imparatorlugu
Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye |
Ottoman Coat of Arms |
The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power |
| Imperial motto |
El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) |
| Official language |
Ottoman Turkish |
| Capital |
Istanbul
(Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye) |
| Sovereigns |
Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty |
| Population |
ca 40 million |
| Area |
6.3m km2(1902); 19.9m km2 maximum extent (1595) |
| Establishment |
1299 |
| Dissolution |
October 29, 1923 |
| Currency |
Akce, Kurus, Lira |
| Flag |
The flag of the later Ottoman period |
The Ottoman Empire (Osmanli Imparatorlugu in Turkish) was an imperial power that existed from 1299 to 1923 (634 years), one of the largest empires to rule the borders of the Mediterranean Sea. At the height of its power, it included Anatolia, the Middle East, part of North Africa, and south-eastern Europe. It was established by a tribe of Oghuz Turks in western Anatolia and ruled by the Osmanli dynasty. In diplomatic circles it was often referred to as the Sublime Porte or simply as the Porte, from the French translation of the Ottoman name Bâb-i-âlî "high gate", due to the greeting ceremony the sultan held for foreign ambassadors at the Palace Gate. This has also been interpreted as referring to the Empire's position as gateway between Europe and Asia. In its day, the Ottoman Empire was also commonly referred to as the Turkish Empire or Turkey, though it should not be confused with the modern nation-state of that name.
The Empire was founded by Osman I (in ArabicUthman, hence the name Ottoman Empire). In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire was among the world's most powerful political entities and the countries of Europe felt threatened by its steady advance through the Balkans. At its height, it comprised an area of over 19.9m km2—though much of this was under indirect control of the central government(see Main article: State organization of the Ottoman Empire) . From 1517 onwards, the Ottoman Sultan was also the Caliph of Islam, and the Ottoman Empire was from 1517 until 1922 (or 1924) synonymous with the Caliphate, the Islamic State. In 1453, after the Ottomans captured Constantinople (modern Istanbul) from the Byzantine Empire, it became the Ottoman capital. Following World War I, during which most of its territories were captured by the Allies, Ottoman elites established modern Turkey during the Turkish War of Independence.
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