Territorial evolution of the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire disintegrated and was partitioned after its defeat in World War I. The empire had already been in decline for centuries, struggling to maintain a bloated bureaucracy or a centralized administrative structure after various attempts at reform. The problem was exacerbated further by the rise of more localized interests across the empire, such as the rise of nationalist movements. Upon the Ottomans’ defeat in World War I, a combination of nationalist movements and partition agreements among the Allied powers forced its disintegration into numerous territories, with Turkey as the

The Ottoman Empire was founded in Anatolia, the location of modern-day Turkey. Originating in Söğüt (near Bursa, Turkey), the Ottoman dynasty expanded its reign early on through extensive raiding. This was enabled by the decline of the Seljuq dynasty, the previous rulers of Anatolia, who were suffering defeat from Mongol invasion.

The Ottoman Empire began at the very end of the 13th century with a series of raids from Turkic warriors (known as ghazis) led by Osman I, a prince (bey) whose father, Ertugrul, had established a power base in Söğüt (near Bursa, Turkey). Osman and his warriors took advantage of a declining Seljuq dynasty, which had been severely weakened by the Mongol invasions. The Ottoman dynasty continued to expand for several generations, controlling much of southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa at its peak. Osman’s grandson Murad I laid the foundation for an institutionalized Ottoman stat