CatKnight said:
Tanks.
My BB is about 6 I think, so it's not that high really. We'll see if the sultan manages to throw the Empire into a BB-war, but it's possible in the far future I think...
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Tanks.
My BB is about 6 I think, so it's not that high really. We'll see if the sultan manages to throw the Empire into a BB-war, but it's possible in the far future I think...
Nice going so far.
How did you manage to keep your BB that low. Usually when i play the ottos i have a lot more bb than that?
How did you manage to keep your BB that low. Usually when i play the ottos i have a lot more bb than that?
Thanks, I'll get on with my adventure as soon as possible, I've just not been avaiable for much during the easter break, and I'm also writing a paper on Anglo-Dutch relations during the 16th-17th centuries.
But the sultan will soon return to the battlefield, have patience.
But the sultan will soon return to the battlefield, have patience.
Chapter X - A Brief Time of Peace (1469-1473)
The struggles of the recent years have left their marks on the sultan, and he has chosen to remain calm for a few years, building the Ottoman economy and continuing the process of converting the realm to the true faith.
Official imams are sent to Bulgaria, Krain and Serbia. The sultan hopes that the ancient heresy of Bulgaria will be rooted out this time, and concerning the newly gained areas, he expects them to promptly embrace his religion. Ill news arrive in the sultan court during 1471 however, as the filthy swines of Bulgaria have risen once again in one of their traditional religious revolts and sent the head of the chief imam in a bucket before the sultan.
The anger of even more hindrance in Sofia makes the sultan himself rush to the province to fight against the infidels. He is successful, and he just hopes that the Slavs in the northwest will be easier to talk into the Sunni faith. He is also considering his options for future wars. The small states of the Balcans are remaining at peace with each others, but the sultan knows that they will eventually start picking at each others, and when that happens, his armies will be ready.
In the east the Armenians have been convinced that Sunni Islam is the proper faith, and the White Sheep have taken Syria from the Mamelukes as well. The Ottoman Caspian coast is getting worringly surrounded by hostile powers, and there may be a need for a second partition of Ak Koyunlu.
The struggles of the recent years have left their marks on the sultan, and he has chosen to remain calm for a few years, building the Ottoman economy and continuing the process of converting the realm to the true faith.
Official imams are sent to Bulgaria, Krain and Serbia. The sultan hopes that the ancient heresy of Bulgaria will be rooted out this time, and concerning the newly gained areas, he expects them to promptly embrace his religion. Ill news arrive in the sultan court during 1471 however, as the filthy swines of Bulgaria have risen once again in one of their traditional religious revolts and sent the head of the chief imam in a bucket before the sultan.
The anger of even more hindrance in Sofia makes the sultan himself rush to the province to fight against the infidels. He is successful, and he just hopes that the Slavs in the northwest will be easier to talk into the Sunni faith. He is also considering his options for future wars. The small states of the Balcans are remaining at peace with each others, but the sultan knows that they will eventually start picking at each others, and when that happens, his armies will be ready.
In the east the Armenians have been convinced that Sunni Islam is the proper faith, and the White Sheep have taken Syria from the Mamelukes as well. The Ottoman Caspian coast is getting worringly surrounded by hostile powers, and there may be a need for a second partition of Ak Koyunlu.
A new beginning for the Osmania campaign
Hi. After a few years away from EU2 (also due to computer problems, which caused the old savegame to get lost), I've decided to restart the campaign. This AAR will be more compact and short, but I'll try to finish it this time...
The "format" will be the Wikipedia article about the Ottman Empire.
Hi. After a few years away from EU2 (also due to computer problems, which caused the old savegame to get lost), I've decided to restart the campaign. This AAR will be more compact and short, but I'll try to finish it this time...
The "format" will be the Wikipedia article about the Ottman Empire.
A New Beginning for Osmania
Osmania - The History of the Ottoman Empire 1419-1820
EU2 1.09
Grand Campaign 1419-1820
Ottoman Empire
Very Hard
Weakling
Introduction
The Ottoman Empire, also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey, was an empire that lasted from 1299 to 1923. At the height of its power (15th–19th century), it spanned three continents, controlling much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Ottoman Empire contained several provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others gained various types of autonomy during the course of centuries. The empire also temporarily gained authority over distant overseas lands through declarations of allegiance to the Ottoman Sultan and Caliph.
Early Rise 1299-1418
The Ottoman Empire originated in the a small Ghazi emirate led by Osman I. With the demise of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and the weakening of the Byzantine Empire, Osman I expanded his emirate to the borders of the Byzantines. In this period, a formal Ottoman government was created whose institutions would change drastically over the life of the empire.
In the century after the death of Osman I, Ottoman rule began to extend over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. The important city of Thessaloniki was captured from the Venetians in 1387, and the Turkish victory at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 effectively marked the end of Serbian power in the region, paving the way for Ottoman expansion into Europe. The Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, widely regarded as the last large-scale crusade of the Middle Ages, failed to stop the advance of the victorious Ottomans.
With the extension of Turkish dominion into the Balkans, the strategic conquest of Constantinople became a crucial objective. The Empire controlled nearly all of the former Byzantine lands surrounding the city, but the Byzantines were temporarily relieved when Tamerlane invaded Anatolia with the Battle of Ankara in 1402, taking Sultan Bayezid I as a prisoner. Part of the Ottoman territories in the Balkans (such as Thessaloniki, Macedonia and Kosovo) were temporarily lost after 1402, but were later recovered by Murad II.
Osmania - The History of the Ottoman Empire 1419-1820
EU2 1.09
Grand Campaign 1419-1820
Ottoman Empire
Very Hard
Weakling
Introduction
The Ottoman Empire, also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey, was an empire that lasted from 1299 to 1923. At the height of its power (15th–19th century), it spanned three continents, controlling much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Ottoman Empire contained several provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others gained various types of autonomy during the course of centuries. The empire also temporarily gained authority over distant overseas lands through declarations of allegiance to the Ottoman Sultan and Caliph.
Early Rise 1299-1418
The Ottoman Empire originated in the a small Ghazi emirate led by Osman I. With the demise of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and the weakening of the Byzantine Empire, Osman I expanded his emirate to the borders of the Byzantines. In this period, a formal Ottoman government was created whose institutions would change drastically over the life of the empire.
In the century after the death of Osman I, Ottoman rule began to extend over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. The important city of Thessaloniki was captured from the Venetians in 1387, and the Turkish victory at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 effectively marked the end of Serbian power in the region, paving the way for Ottoman expansion into Europe. The Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, widely regarded as the last large-scale crusade of the Middle Ages, failed to stop the advance of the victorious Ottomans.
With the extension of Turkish dominion into the Balkans, the strategic conquest of Constantinople became a crucial objective. The Empire controlled nearly all of the former Byzantine lands surrounding the city, but the Byzantines were temporarily relieved when Tamerlane invaded Anatolia with the Battle of Ankara in 1402, taking Sultan Bayezid I as a prisoner. Part of the Ottoman territories in the Balkans (such as Thessaloniki, Macedonia and Kosovo) were temporarily lost after 1402, but were later recovered by Murad II.
Consolidation and Expansion in Anatolia and Greece
Consolidation and Expansion in Anatolia and Greece 1419-1481
Mehmed I 1419-1421
The civil war, following the capture of Bayezid by Tamerlane, ended when Mehmed I emerged as the sultan and restored Ottoman power, bringing an end to the Interregnum. Mehmed I began a rapid expansion into neighboring Ghazi emirates in Anatolia, such as Karaman. After the aquisition of the provinces of Konya and Taurus, Mehmed I turned his eyes on the Byzantines in the west. Since the western alliance of Athens and their Italian masters had fought to bring Morea out of Byzantine control, Mehmed I saw an opportunity to simply finish off Constantinople once and for all. A surprising Italian defeat at the hands of the Greeks thwarted these plans for the moment. But marching Turkish troops through the province of Athens and laying siege to Morea did, however, secure the peninsula for the Ottomans.
Murad II 1421-1451
Ascending the Ottoman throne at the death of his father, Mehmed I, Murad II led the Ottoman Empire onwards on the path of war. A brief period of economic focus introduced his reign. In addition to securing means of excessive taxation throughout his realm, Murad II also expanded Ottoman trade in Alexandria and Venice. During his time the Islamic clergy of the Empire pressed for introducing a stricter version of Islam through the Sheik ul Islam institution. Murad II wisely rejected this, opening paths for intellectuals at loss for conservative imams who instigated popular protests. Murad II also went through with a bigger naval reform during these early years.
Meanwhile the Byzantines had barely survived with their limited Thracian lands, bordering Constantinople itself. Murad II dreamt of finally conquering this magnificent city and by 1425 he launced a swift attack from Ottoman Macedonia. Leading an army of almost 25 000 men, including a large contingent of cavalry, Murad II stormed into the defending Byzantines, a mere 5000 knights. To the sultan's astonishment the Greeks managed to drive him off at first. A second attempt across the Bulgarian border did on the other hand meet with more success. The siege of the great city lasted only a year thanks to the Ottoman big bombards (engineered by a Hungarian).
The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 cemented the status of the Empire as the preeminent power in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. During this time, the Ottoman Empire entered a long period of conquest and expansion. Murad II's annexation of the Byzantine Empire created a lot of tension in Europe over many years, but the Ottomans were now firmly established as a great power, such as the Mameluks, French or Hungarians.
The trade deals formerly signed with the Italian mercantile republics of Venice and Genoa were broken and an Ottoman trade center opened in Constantinople, following the Ottoman occupation. Murad II also moved his capitol to this "City of Men's Desire", and closed down its ancient Christian Patriarchate. These actions sealed the future of this part of Europe and the Byzantines would never again revive their empire. With these important matters in place, Murad II moved on to strengthen the position of Islam within the Ottoman state. Inquisitions in Bulgaria initially failed, but during the 1430s most of the Ottoman Balcans would attain Islam. A short campaign against the Emirate of Candar also secured Trebizond for the Empire.
To the east of the Ottoman Empire lay several Muslim states, including the religious arch enemy, the Mameluks, but also a local rival such as the White Sheep Confederacy, Ak Koyunlu. A tactician and brilliant military and political strategist, sultan Murad II saw the Ak Koyunlu as both a potential enemy and a potential friend. The need to consolidate the provinces in the west made Murad II choose a friendly approach towards his eastern neighboor. A military alliance was established in the 1430s and an immediate goal was to secure the rest of the local Ghazis for the Empire. Murad II's strategy was clear; by letting the Koyunlus invade and annex Candar, Teke and Karaman (Dulkadir was already taken), the Ottomans could preserve their good reputation while securing all of Anatolia for the Ottoman-led alliance. This was achieved by 1440. Murad II reigned until 1451, having established Osmania as a major power in the region.
Mehmed II 1451-1481
Rising to the throne because his father, Murad II, chose to abdicate in his favor, Mehmed II began a long and promising career as sultan in 1451. With the Ottoman state established as a great power, including a short campaign against Kara Koyunlu in the early 1450s where Azerbaijan was taken, Mehmed II concentrated on expanding the economy as well as making technological progress. After a great naval reform, similar to his father's, Mehmed II founded a large military academy in Constantinople, known as the "Enderun" in 1454. These years were generally peaceful for the Ottomans.
Thanks to advances in infrastructure and trade knowledge and methods, the Ottoman Empire was able to amass some wealth in the long years of Mehmed II's reign. Large sums of this money were invested in conversion campaigns directed at the Christian provinces of the Empire. By 1461, the whole empire, with the exception of Greek Morea, had converted to the Muslim religion. This helped the Ottoman authorities maintaining control and a fair level of taxation. The monthly income at this time was believed to have reached 30 golden ducats. The treasury itself had no less than 600 ducats in reserve. Ottoman goals at this time included the integration of Ak Koyunlu into the Empire as well as starting to meddle in the Balcans conflicts. Supported by bigger powers such as Hungary and Lithuania, the smaller states in the Balcans had been continuously at war with each other for the greater part of the fifteenth century. Mehmed II saw a potential for growth in this region.
With an excellent starting point in 1461, Mehmed II went on to strengthen Ottoman military forces. The recruitment of almost 30 000 troops was commissioned during the 1460s, preparing Ottoman plans of expansion in the west. An attack on the Duchy of Athens, and its Italian allies Genoa and the Papal States, was launched by the end of the decade. Ak Koyunlu, the Turkish ally, sent several divisions into Greece to aid the sultan. Mehmed II and Gedik Ahmed led Ottoman forces to an astounding victory, wrenching Albania from Greek hands. Ak Koyunlu then went on to annex Athens itself. The Italian powers were defeated in several sea battles and had to buy themselves off the hook. The sultan went on with his conversion campaigns and the peculiar Albanians soon adopted Islam as their religion. Military advances were made as well, positioning the Ottomans among the leading military powers of Europe and the Middle East.
The 1470s consisted of a continuation of small-scale wars in the southern Balcans. The Venetian alliance, which included The Knights and Moldavia, were assaulted in the mid-1470s. Ionia, Crete and Corfu were occupied by Mehmed II's forces and the latter ceded to the Ottoman realm. In the northern theatre of the war, Moldavia had to pay a large sum of war indemnities to retain control of their nation. Numerous sea battles during this war convinced the Ottomans of the need for a larger navy, as the Venetians and Knights had much naval success. Ak Koyunlu was paid a generous sum by the Italians to withdraw from hostilities. The people of Corfu quickly attained the state religion. By 1481, the Ottoman Empire had secured all of Greece as well as Anatolia. Relations with Ak Koyunlu were also improved considerably, preparing a future union between the two Turkish powers. The next Ottoman battles would be fought in the northwest and southeast, versus the neighboring great powers, Hungary and the Mamelukes respectively. Bayezid II rose to the throne of Osmania after his father in 1481.
Meanwhile the Ottomans and Ak Koyunlu had amassed territories in the southwest of Europe, France had won the Hundred Years' War, liberating all of France from English and Burgundian occupation. Castile and its Portuguese and Basque allies had taken almost all of North Africa, save Mameluk Egypt. Ottoman adversaries Hungary had swallowed up their minor neighbors and allies, making an effective barrier between Italy and the growing Ottoman Empire. The Austrians had taken control of the southern part of Germany and threatened to recreate an integrated Holy Roman Empire. To the north of Turkey, Poland-Lithuania had consolidated their hold on Eastern Europe, barring Muscowy and the Golden Horde from westward expansion.
Consolidation and Expansion in Anatolia and Greece 1419-1481
Mehmed I 1419-1421
The civil war, following the capture of Bayezid by Tamerlane, ended when Mehmed I emerged as the sultan and restored Ottoman power, bringing an end to the Interregnum. Mehmed I began a rapid expansion into neighboring Ghazi emirates in Anatolia, such as Karaman. After the aquisition of the provinces of Konya and Taurus, Mehmed I turned his eyes on the Byzantines in the west. Since the western alliance of Athens and their Italian masters had fought to bring Morea out of Byzantine control, Mehmed I saw an opportunity to simply finish off Constantinople once and for all. A surprising Italian defeat at the hands of the Greeks thwarted these plans for the moment. But marching Turkish troops through the province of Athens and laying siege to Morea did, however, secure the peninsula for the Ottomans.
Murad II 1421-1451
Ascending the Ottoman throne at the death of his father, Mehmed I, Murad II led the Ottoman Empire onwards on the path of war. A brief period of economic focus introduced his reign. In addition to securing means of excessive taxation throughout his realm, Murad II also expanded Ottoman trade in Alexandria and Venice. During his time the Islamic clergy of the Empire pressed for introducing a stricter version of Islam through the Sheik ul Islam institution. Murad II wisely rejected this, opening paths for intellectuals at loss for conservative imams who instigated popular protests. Murad II also went through with a bigger naval reform during these early years.
Meanwhile the Byzantines had barely survived with their limited Thracian lands, bordering Constantinople itself. Murad II dreamt of finally conquering this magnificent city and by 1425 he launced a swift attack from Ottoman Macedonia. Leading an army of almost 25 000 men, including a large contingent of cavalry, Murad II stormed into the defending Byzantines, a mere 5000 knights. To the sultan's astonishment the Greeks managed to drive him off at first. A second attempt across the Bulgarian border did on the other hand meet with more success. The siege of the great city lasted only a year thanks to the Ottoman big bombards (engineered by a Hungarian).
The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 cemented the status of the Empire as the preeminent power in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. During this time, the Ottoman Empire entered a long period of conquest and expansion. Murad II's annexation of the Byzantine Empire created a lot of tension in Europe over many years, but the Ottomans were now firmly established as a great power, such as the Mameluks, French or Hungarians.
The trade deals formerly signed with the Italian mercantile republics of Venice and Genoa were broken and an Ottoman trade center opened in Constantinople, following the Ottoman occupation. Murad II also moved his capitol to this "City of Men's Desire", and closed down its ancient Christian Patriarchate. These actions sealed the future of this part of Europe and the Byzantines would never again revive their empire. With these important matters in place, Murad II moved on to strengthen the position of Islam within the Ottoman state. Inquisitions in Bulgaria initially failed, but during the 1430s most of the Ottoman Balcans would attain Islam. A short campaign against the Emirate of Candar also secured Trebizond for the Empire.
To the east of the Ottoman Empire lay several Muslim states, including the religious arch enemy, the Mameluks, but also a local rival such as the White Sheep Confederacy, Ak Koyunlu. A tactician and brilliant military and political strategist, sultan Murad II saw the Ak Koyunlu as both a potential enemy and a potential friend. The need to consolidate the provinces in the west made Murad II choose a friendly approach towards his eastern neighboor. A military alliance was established in the 1430s and an immediate goal was to secure the rest of the local Ghazis for the Empire. Murad II's strategy was clear; by letting the Koyunlus invade and annex Candar, Teke and Karaman (Dulkadir was already taken), the Ottomans could preserve their good reputation while securing all of Anatolia for the Ottoman-led alliance. This was achieved by 1440. Murad II reigned until 1451, having established Osmania as a major power in the region.
Mehmed II 1451-1481
Rising to the throne because his father, Murad II, chose to abdicate in his favor, Mehmed II began a long and promising career as sultan in 1451. With the Ottoman state established as a great power, including a short campaign against Kara Koyunlu in the early 1450s where Azerbaijan was taken, Mehmed II concentrated on expanding the economy as well as making technological progress. After a great naval reform, similar to his father's, Mehmed II founded a large military academy in Constantinople, known as the "Enderun" in 1454. These years were generally peaceful for the Ottomans.
Thanks to advances in infrastructure and trade knowledge and methods, the Ottoman Empire was able to amass some wealth in the long years of Mehmed II's reign. Large sums of this money were invested in conversion campaigns directed at the Christian provinces of the Empire. By 1461, the whole empire, with the exception of Greek Morea, had converted to the Muslim religion. This helped the Ottoman authorities maintaining control and a fair level of taxation. The monthly income at this time was believed to have reached 30 golden ducats. The treasury itself had no less than 600 ducats in reserve. Ottoman goals at this time included the integration of Ak Koyunlu into the Empire as well as starting to meddle in the Balcans conflicts. Supported by bigger powers such as Hungary and Lithuania, the smaller states in the Balcans had been continuously at war with each other for the greater part of the fifteenth century. Mehmed II saw a potential for growth in this region.
With an excellent starting point in 1461, Mehmed II went on to strengthen Ottoman military forces. The recruitment of almost 30 000 troops was commissioned during the 1460s, preparing Ottoman plans of expansion in the west. An attack on the Duchy of Athens, and its Italian allies Genoa and the Papal States, was launched by the end of the decade. Ak Koyunlu, the Turkish ally, sent several divisions into Greece to aid the sultan. Mehmed II and Gedik Ahmed led Ottoman forces to an astounding victory, wrenching Albania from Greek hands. Ak Koyunlu then went on to annex Athens itself. The Italian powers were defeated in several sea battles and had to buy themselves off the hook. The sultan went on with his conversion campaigns and the peculiar Albanians soon adopted Islam as their religion. Military advances were made as well, positioning the Ottomans among the leading military powers of Europe and the Middle East.
The 1470s consisted of a continuation of small-scale wars in the southern Balcans. The Venetian alliance, which included The Knights and Moldavia, were assaulted in the mid-1470s. Ionia, Crete and Corfu were occupied by Mehmed II's forces and the latter ceded to the Ottoman realm. In the northern theatre of the war, Moldavia had to pay a large sum of war indemnities to retain control of their nation. Numerous sea battles during this war convinced the Ottomans of the need for a larger navy, as the Venetians and Knights had much naval success. Ak Koyunlu was paid a generous sum by the Italians to withdraw from hostilities. The people of Corfu quickly attained the state religion. By 1481, the Ottoman Empire had secured all of Greece as well as Anatolia. Relations with Ak Koyunlu were also improved considerably, preparing a future union between the two Turkish powers. The next Ottoman battles would be fought in the northwest and southeast, versus the neighboring great powers, Hungary and the Mamelukes respectively. Bayezid II rose to the throne of Osmania after his father in 1481.
Meanwhile the Ottomans and Ak Koyunlu had amassed territories in the southwest of Europe, France had won the Hundred Years' War, liberating all of France from English and Burgundian occupation. Castile and its Portuguese and Basque allies had taken almost all of North Africa, save Mameluk Egypt. Ottoman adversaries Hungary had swallowed up their minor neighbors and allies, making an effective barrier between Italy and the growing Ottoman Empire. The Austrians had taken control of the southern part of Germany and threatened to recreate an integrated Holy Roman Empire. To the north of Turkey, Poland-Lithuania had consolidated their hold on Eastern Europe, barring Muscowy and the Golden Horde from westward expansion.
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Ottoman ressurection
Yes guys, it seems as if the sultan has been practising the art of necromancy. I wonder if that is popular among the Muslim clergy...
Next necromancer up is Bayezid II...
Yes guys, it seems as if the sultan has been practising the art of necromancy. I wonder if that is popular among the Muslim clergy...
Next necromancer up is Bayezid II...
The Long Period of Wars in the West
The Long Period of Wars in the West 1481-1512
Bayezid II 1481-1512
The 1480s would bring endless wars to the Ottomans and their Turkish allies. A strong contingent of Ottoman forces were sent into a second war against the Venetians. Bayezid II was convinced that the Venetians and their smaller allies, The Knights and Moldavia were ripe for the taking. The powerful Austrian alliance was also assaulting the continental holdings of Venice during these years. The Turkish alliance quickly secured most of the Venetian colonies, save Kerch in far off Crimea. Numerous naval battles were fought, but this time the Turks were better prepared for this kind of warfare. In the middle of the war, a certain Cem in the mountainous regions of Anatolia stirred a great revolt against the sultan. The joint forces of the sultan and the White Sheep crushed the rebels soundly. By the end of the Venetian war Ak Koyunlu annexed Moldavia while The Ottoman Empire was awarded Istria, Crete and Ionia by a Venetian government weary of conflicts. Bayezid II planned to consolidate these new parts of the empire economically and religiously, as the people Corfu - taken in the first Venetian war - had adopted the state religion by then. The integration of Ak Koyunlu into the empire was another pressing goal for the sultan.
These plans would however have to be postponed, since the Hungarian juggernaught - at this time covering all lands from Poland to Venice to Greece - decided to launch a surprise attack on the White Sheep as they presumably felt threatened by the recent annexation of neighboring Moldavia. By the mid-1480s, a great war was raging across the Balcans and Carpathians. Initial Hungarian successes against an Ottoman army partially reduced due to the recent campaign against Venice seemed to win the war for Corvino, Hungary's successful monarch and military leader.
A big Ottoman mobilization both on land and sea would however turn the tide in the sultan's favor. After demolishing the Hungarian fleet, the Ottoman army led by the sultan himself went on to occupy Serbia, Kosovo and Bujak - a minor Hungarian holding on the Black Sea coast. Numerous revolts in the Balcans - no doubt stirred by the recent Hungarian integration of these areas into Greater Hungary - would however exhaust Hungarian war efforts.
Just as the Turkish alliance was defeating Hungary, the latter's Christian supporters in the north - Poland-Lithuania and their German vassals - declared war. As Hungary was not yet completely on its knees, this two front war proved to be a tremendous threat to Ottoman victory. Tens of thousands of Polish, Lithuanian, Pommerianian and Brandenburgian troops swarmed across the border into Moldavia and the Ottoman Balcans. Though the harsh winter diminished these forces, both The Ottoman Empire and Ak Koyunlu suffered several bitter losses. On sea, the Turkish fleet - led by admiral Kemal Reis - met with great success, sinking all enemy fleets.
Although the Ottomans would be able to defeat both these great adversaries, Sultan Bayezid II deemed it necessary to concentrate on concluding a successful war versus Hungary. The Polish-Lithuanian alliance was therefore asked to return to a status-quo. Their refusal angered the sultan, and Ottoman land forced besieged Lithuanian Wallacia on the Ottoman border. By the end of the 1480s the Poles made peace with the Ottomans, offering a symbolic sum of gold. A Hungarian nation threatened by revolts in the south chose to give up Serbia and Bujak to the Ottomans, giving the sultan peace for the first time in many years.
The eastern allies of The Ottoman Empire went on to attack Georgia in 1491, but after a few successful battles against the minor Caucasian nation, the sultan made peace with them, taking a minor sum of gold. With the renewed peace, Bayezid II dreamed of building up the economy and continue his father's dream of religious unity throughout the Empire. By 1492 the newly acquired provinces had their tax levels increased, contributing to a poor Ottoman treasury.
The one recent event which made Sultan Bayezid II upset was the new-born alliance of Poland-Lithuania and Greater Hungary. With their German vassals and the Polish-integrated kingdom of Bohemia taken into account, this monster alliance controlled all lands from the Baltic to the Black to the Adriatic sea, save the Turkish holdings in the southern Balcans. The Ottoman victories during the 1480s had still proved that the sultan was the strongest man in the Eastern Mediterranean region. During the summer of 1494, a vengeful Lithuania attacked Ottoman allies Ak Koyunlu, and all the great powers were drawn into the war. The Ottoman Empire was this time better prepared for war and aimed at demolishing Greater Hungary before all, but also Poland-Lithuania. The time for major expansion seemed to have come. Ottoman strategy was to gradually take out one nation at the time, leaving Hungary alone in the end.
The major conflict between the Catholic and Muslim alliances of southeastern Europe lasted for several years. Ottoman strategy was to take out Lithuania early. The Turkish army was split in two parts in order to besiege both the Lithuanian Black Sea coast and the Hungarian plains and mountains. During the first year after the outbreak of the war, the Austrian alliance declared war on Hungary, drawing their alliance into yet a big conflict. Austrian military successes in the west gave the Ottomans room and time for major expansion. The fortresses of Wallacia, Jedisan and Crimea fell rapidly to Hadim Sinan's cavalries, and the Ottomans were awarded all three provinces through a desperate Lithuanian peace request. Most of the Hungarian Balcans were besieged by Bayezid II and his troops, mostly infantry. Banat, Kosovo and Bosnia fell quickly. Due to internal instability and war exhaustion in Hungary, rebels took Hungarian Ragusa and threatened to thwart Ottoman sieges in Dalmatia. Hungary, hard pressed by Austria in the northwest offered the sultan Banat, Kosovo and Bosnia. Sultan Bayezid II accepted, intending to rebuild the economy in the six recently acquired provinces. Pommern left the war during the first year, and the Polish alliance leader accepted to return to status-quo, no doubt more interested in throwing Austrian troops out of Poland itself. The Ottomans had great success in the wars and was a dangerous power by 1499.
The situtation in Europe did not change dramatically during these years. The Spanish realm had expanded into France in addition to spreading Christianity to their North African holdings. The English kingdom had annexed most of the Lowlands and part of northern Germany, making them a feared adversary of both France and Austria. The Moskowites on the Russian steppes had united most of the Russian principalities under their banner. The leading military power would however remain the French, despite their recent losses in Aquitaine. Austria took almost half of Hungary during their recent war, and were almost rivalling the strength of France. The Ottomans were in terms of military technology in second place among the great powers.
The turn of the century would promise more wars for the Ottomans. Sultan Bayezid II had reigned for several years, expanding the Ottoman realm more than his forebears. Following the last Hungarian war, the sultan decided to stay out of conflicts for some years, giving his empire a chance of strengthening economy and technological advance. A rapid technological advance in the north-west of Europe prompted Ottoman development too, including both the art of war and new methods of trade and production. When the Ottoman allies, Ak Koyunlu, were assaulted by Hungary and their alliance in 1501, Bayezid II refused to honor the alliance, fearing the great instability which would hit his realm if he broke the promises of truce with the Hungarians. The sultan was however quick to invite the Sheep into a new alliance.
The following year would see a great advance in Ottoman fighting capability. Technologies and armies were discovered and recruited. When Hungary declared war again during the second part of the decade, the Turks were prepared. Ottoman strategy would be to conduct a defencive campaign. Letting the Hungarian, Lithuanian and German forces struggle before the walls of the Turkish fortresses throughout the Balcans, and then make sweeping attacks on their reinforcements moving through Ottoman territory worked out well.
By the end of the second year of the war, the tide had turned in favor of the Turks. Lithuanian and Hungarian cities fell to the sultan, and Hungary awarded the Ottomans with Croatia, Pest and Transylvania, making a land bridge to Ottoman Istria at last. The Lithuanians long refused to make peace, but after the Ottoman occupation of Ragusa and Krementjug, these provinced were handed over, leaving only the North German states in the war. Pommeranian and Holsteinian military technology was too advanced, even for a numerically superior Ottoman army, and during these last months of the war, sultan Bayezid II died of old age, leaving the throne to Selim I.
The Long Period of Wars in the West 1481-1512
Bayezid II 1481-1512
The 1480s would bring endless wars to the Ottomans and their Turkish allies. A strong contingent of Ottoman forces were sent into a second war against the Venetians. Bayezid II was convinced that the Venetians and their smaller allies, The Knights and Moldavia were ripe for the taking. The powerful Austrian alliance was also assaulting the continental holdings of Venice during these years. The Turkish alliance quickly secured most of the Venetian colonies, save Kerch in far off Crimea. Numerous naval battles were fought, but this time the Turks were better prepared for this kind of warfare. In the middle of the war, a certain Cem in the mountainous regions of Anatolia stirred a great revolt against the sultan. The joint forces of the sultan and the White Sheep crushed the rebels soundly. By the end of the Venetian war Ak Koyunlu annexed Moldavia while The Ottoman Empire was awarded Istria, Crete and Ionia by a Venetian government weary of conflicts. Bayezid II planned to consolidate these new parts of the empire economically and religiously, as the people Corfu - taken in the first Venetian war - had adopted the state religion by then. The integration of Ak Koyunlu into the empire was another pressing goal for the sultan.
These plans would however have to be postponed, since the Hungarian juggernaught - at this time covering all lands from Poland to Venice to Greece - decided to launch a surprise attack on the White Sheep as they presumably felt threatened by the recent annexation of neighboring Moldavia. By the mid-1480s, a great war was raging across the Balcans and Carpathians. Initial Hungarian successes against an Ottoman army partially reduced due to the recent campaign against Venice seemed to win the war for Corvino, Hungary's successful monarch and military leader.
A big Ottoman mobilization both on land and sea would however turn the tide in the sultan's favor. After demolishing the Hungarian fleet, the Ottoman army led by the sultan himself went on to occupy Serbia, Kosovo and Bujak - a minor Hungarian holding on the Black Sea coast. Numerous revolts in the Balcans - no doubt stirred by the recent Hungarian integration of these areas into Greater Hungary - would however exhaust Hungarian war efforts.
Just as the Turkish alliance was defeating Hungary, the latter's Christian supporters in the north - Poland-Lithuania and their German vassals - declared war. As Hungary was not yet completely on its knees, this two front war proved to be a tremendous threat to Ottoman victory. Tens of thousands of Polish, Lithuanian, Pommerianian and Brandenburgian troops swarmed across the border into Moldavia and the Ottoman Balcans. Though the harsh winter diminished these forces, both The Ottoman Empire and Ak Koyunlu suffered several bitter losses. On sea, the Turkish fleet - led by admiral Kemal Reis - met with great success, sinking all enemy fleets.
Although the Ottomans would be able to defeat both these great adversaries, Sultan Bayezid II deemed it necessary to concentrate on concluding a successful war versus Hungary. The Polish-Lithuanian alliance was therefore asked to return to a status-quo. Their refusal angered the sultan, and Ottoman land forced besieged Lithuanian Wallacia on the Ottoman border. By the end of the 1480s the Poles made peace with the Ottomans, offering a symbolic sum of gold. A Hungarian nation threatened by revolts in the south chose to give up Serbia and Bujak to the Ottomans, giving the sultan peace for the first time in many years.
The eastern allies of The Ottoman Empire went on to attack Georgia in 1491, but after a few successful battles against the minor Caucasian nation, the sultan made peace with them, taking a minor sum of gold. With the renewed peace, Bayezid II dreamed of building up the economy and continue his father's dream of religious unity throughout the Empire. By 1492 the newly acquired provinces had their tax levels increased, contributing to a poor Ottoman treasury.
The one recent event which made Sultan Bayezid II upset was the new-born alliance of Poland-Lithuania and Greater Hungary. With their German vassals and the Polish-integrated kingdom of Bohemia taken into account, this monster alliance controlled all lands from the Baltic to the Black to the Adriatic sea, save the Turkish holdings in the southern Balcans. The Ottoman victories during the 1480s had still proved that the sultan was the strongest man in the Eastern Mediterranean region. During the summer of 1494, a vengeful Lithuania attacked Ottoman allies Ak Koyunlu, and all the great powers were drawn into the war. The Ottoman Empire was this time better prepared for war and aimed at demolishing Greater Hungary before all, but also Poland-Lithuania. The time for major expansion seemed to have come. Ottoman strategy was to gradually take out one nation at the time, leaving Hungary alone in the end.
The major conflict between the Catholic and Muslim alliances of southeastern Europe lasted for several years. Ottoman strategy was to take out Lithuania early. The Turkish army was split in two parts in order to besiege both the Lithuanian Black Sea coast and the Hungarian plains and mountains. During the first year after the outbreak of the war, the Austrian alliance declared war on Hungary, drawing their alliance into yet a big conflict. Austrian military successes in the west gave the Ottomans room and time for major expansion. The fortresses of Wallacia, Jedisan and Crimea fell rapidly to Hadim Sinan's cavalries, and the Ottomans were awarded all three provinces through a desperate Lithuanian peace request. Most of the Hungarian Balcans were besieged by Bayezid II and his troops, mostly infantry. Banat, Kosovo and Bosnia fell quickly. Due to internal instability and war exhaustion in Hungary, rebels took Hungarian Ragusa and threatened to thwart Ottoman sieges in Dalmatia. Hungary, hard pressed by Austria in the northwest offered the sultan Banat, Kosovo and Bosnia. Sultan Bayezid II accepted, intending to rebuild the economy in the six recently acquired provinces. Pommern left the war during the first year, and the Polish alliance leader accepted to return to status-quo, no doubt more interested in throwing Austrian troops out of Poland itself. The Ottomans had great success in the wars and was a dangerous power by 1499.
The situtation in Europe did not change dramatically during these years. The Spanish realm had expanded into France in addition to spreading Christianity to their North African holdings. The English kingdom had annexed most of the Lowlands and part of northern Germany, making them a feared adversary of both France and Austria. The Moskowites on the Russian steppes had united most of the Russian principalities under their banner. The leading military power would however remain the French, despite their recent losses in Aquitaine. Austria took almost half of Hungary during their recent war, and were almost rivalling the strength of France. The Ottomans were in terms of military technology in second place among the great powers.
The turn of the century would promise more wars for the Ottomans. Sultan Bayezid II had reigned for several years, expanding the Ottoman realm more than his forebears. Following the last Hungarian war, the sultan decided to stay out of conflicts for some years, giving his empire a chance of strengthening economy and technological advance. A rapid technological advance in the north-west of Europe prompted Ottoman development too, including both the art of war and new methods of trade and production. When the Ottoman allies, Ak Koyunlu, were assaulted by Hungary and their alliance in 1501, Bayezid II refused to honor the alliance, fearing the great instability which would hit his realm if he broke the promises of truce with the Hungarians. The sultan was however quick to invite the Sheep into a new alliance.
The following year would see a great advance in Ottoman fighting capability. Technologies and armies were discovered and recruited. When Hungary declared war again during the second part of the decade, the Turks were prepared. Ottoman strategy would be to conduct a defencive campaign. Letting the Hungarian, Lithuanian and German forces struggle before the walls of the Turkish fortresses throughout the Balcans, and then make sweeping attacks on their reinforcements moving through Ottoman territory worked out well.
By the end of the second year of the war, the tide had turned in favor of the Turks. Lithuanian and Hungarian cities fell to the sultan, and Hungary awarded the Ottomans with Croatia, Pest and Transylvania, making a land bridge to Ottoman Istria at last. The Lithuanians long refused to make peace, but after the Ottoman occupation of Ragusa and Krementjug, these provinced were handed over, leaving only the North German states in the war. Pommeranian and Holsteinian military technology was too advanced, even for a numerically superior Ottoman army, and during these last months of the war, sultan Bayezid II died of old age, leaving the throne to Selim I.
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The Making of the Ottomans as a World Power
The Making of the Ottomans as a World Power 1512-
Selim I 1512-1520
Sultan Selim I quickly defeated the smaller regiments of Germans still ravaging the Balcans countryside, and shortly after his ascension to the throne, peace was restored in the Empire, securing Ottoman control of the Balcans. Selim's next venture would be the conquest of the Mameluke empire to the south. Naval expansion, including the construction of the Halic shipyard enabled Selim I to move more than forty thousand men under his command to the coast of Egypt. A declaration of war followed by a brutal mass besiegeing of Cairo itself stunned the Mamelukes and the Islamic world. The fall of Cairo almost without any resistance at all by the few scattered Mameluke regiments sealed the doom of that long lived realm. Sultan Selim I was declared Caliph of the Islamic world, annexing all lands from Anatolia to Tunisia in the west and south to Mecca itself. Friendship was also secured with the endangered sultanates of Tunisia and Morocco which were bordering Spanish North Africa. An Ottoman explorer found the routes into the interior of Africa during those years, establishing contact with Islamic empires there. The remaining years of Selim I's short reign were spent on rebuilding Ottoman economy, such as raising the tax levels throughout all the newly acquired provinces. By 1520, Suleiman I rose to the throne, a seemingly blessed young man.
Suleiman I 1520-
The Making of the Ottomans as a World Power 1512-
Selim I 1512-1520
Sultan Selim I quickly defeated the smaller regiments of Germans still ravaging the Balcans countryside, and shortly after his ascension to the throne, peace was restored in the Empire, securing Ottoman control of the Balcans. Selim's next venture would be the conquest of the Mameluke empire to the south. Naval expansion, including the construction of the Halic shipyard enabled Selim I to move more than forty thousand men under his command to the coast of Egypt. A declaration of war followed by a brutal mass besiegeing of Cairo itself stunned the Mamelukes and the Islamic world. The fall of Cairo almost without any resistance at all by the few scattered Mameluke regiments sealed the doom of that long lived realm. Sultan Selim I was declared Caliph of the Islamic world, annexing all lands from Anatolia to Tunisia in the west and south to Mecca itself. Friendship was also secured with the endangered sultanates of Tunisia and Morocco which were bordering Spanish North Africa. An Ottoman explorer found the routes into the interior of Africa during those years, establishing contact with Islamic empires there. The remaining years of Selim I's short reign were spent on rebuilding Ottoman economy, such as raising the tax levels throughout all the newly acquired provinces. By 1520, Suleiman I rose to the throne, a seemingly blessed young man.
Suleiman I 1520-
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