How many countries in the ottoman empire

Ottoman Syria refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the Levant, usually defined as the region east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south of the Taurus Mountains.

Palestine: Ottoman Rule. Syria: Early History and the Ottoman Empire. State and Society in Ottoman Syria. History of Lebanon under Ottoman Rule. Beirut: Ottoman Rule. The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon Jordan: History: The Ottoman Empire government website. By comparison, Abdullah Pasha al-Azm, the governor of Damascus, had gathered an army of over 30, The Ottoman forces were made up of Sipahis, Mamelukes and other brave but outdated warrior classes.

It was then that Napoleon arrived with about 2, men, not enough to match the numbers in the Ottoman army but enough to distract them by sending a few hundred men to attack and loot the Ottoman camp. He ordered a general retreat, at which point the two French forces charged the disengaging Ottomans, and the orderly Ottoman retreat turned into a messy rout.

Total losses of Ottoman soldiers were around 6, killed and another captured, versus two dead French soldiers. An army of around 4, had fought an army of over 30, and not only won, but sustained just two fatalities. It was a devastating humiliation for the sultan Selim III, and a spectacular triumph that allowed Napoleon to continue his siege of Acre although he would not take the port and this would mark the furthest extent of his conquests in the Middle East.

From the middle to the end of the empire, when it was on its long slow decline to collapse, the empire faced three main rival powers that crop up again and again in Ottoman history: to the east, the Persian Safavids; to the north, the tsars of Russia; and to the west, the Habsburgs. Similarly, as the tsars of Russia began to spread their power south towards the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea, the Ottomans began to lose ground and were forced to fight multiple wars with the tsars.

The most famous of these in the west is the Crimean War , when France and Britain joined sides with the Ottomans to prop up the failing state against the rising star of Russian power.

However, the sultans were still seated in power when the last tsar, Nicholas II, was first deposed and later shot. The Habsburgs and Ottomans fought so regularly that Vienna was twice besieged by Ottoman forces. There were so many clashes between the two empires that some of the war names sound half-hearted, such as the Long Turkish War However, during the last war the Ottoman empire was involved in the First World War the Ottomans were on the same side as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, led by a Habsburg.

The empire was dismantled by the victorious Allied powers of First World War, and a way of life that had lasted from the Middle Ages into the 20th century was gone by , when the last sultan, Mehmed VI, was forced into exile. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses.

Home Period Medieval 6 lesser-known facts about the Ottoman Empire. Turkish chieftain Osman , who is regarded as the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Elaborate mosques and public buildings were constructed during this period. Science was regarded as an important field of study. The Ottomans learned and practiced advanced mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, physics, geography and chemistry.

Additionally, some of the greatest advances in medicine were made by the Ottomans. They invented several surgical instruments that are still used today, such as forceps, catheters, scalpels, pincers and lancets.

When a new Sultan was crowned, his brothers would be imprisoned. This system ensured that the rightful heir would take the throne. But, not every Sultan followed this harsh ritual. Over time, the practice evolved. In the later years, the brothers would only be put in prison—not killed.

A total of 36 Sultans ruled the Ottoman Empire between and For many of these years, the Ottoman Sultan would live in the elaborate Topkapi palace complex in Istanbul. It contained dozens of gardens, courtyards and residential and administrative buildings.

Part of the Topkapi palace included the harem, a separate quarters reserved for wives, concubines and female slaves. These women were positioned to serve the Sultan, while the men in the harem complex were typically eunuchs. The threat of assassination was always a concern for a Sultan. He relocated every night as a safety measure.

Some millets paid taxes, while others were exempt. In the 14th century, the devshirme system was created. This required conquered Christians to give up 20 percent of their male children to the state.

The children were forced to convert to Islam and become slaves. Although they served as slaves, some of the converts became powerful and wealthy. Many were trained for government service or the Ottoman military. The elite military group, known as the Janissaries, was primarily made up of forced Christian converts. Starting in the s, the Ottoman Empire began to lose its economic and military dominance to Europe.

Around this time, Europe had strengthened rapidly with the Renaissance and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Other factors, such as poor leadership and having to compete with trade from the Americas and India, led to the weakening of the empire. In , the Ottoman Turks were defeated at the Battle of Vienna. This loss added to their already waning status. Over the next hundred years, the empire began to lose key regions of land.