Why is the Ottoman Empire so important?

The Ottoman Empire was important for two big reasons, it was powerful, and it was Muslim. Formed by muslim Turks who conquered the weakened remnants of the Byzantine empire, the Ottomans quickly became a transcontinental threat when they conquered land in the balkans. The balkans, even today, have always been fragmented. read more

In the 1700s the Ottoman Empire began to rapidly deteriorate following the Russo-Turkish Wars and a series of treaties during that time caused the empire to lose some of its economic independence. The Crimean War, which lasted from 1853-1856, further exhausted the struggling empire. read more

Christians, though encouraged to convert to Islam, were allowed religious toleration and mixed marriages, and the comparative freedom and contentment enjoyed by its people is one of the most important explanations why the Balkans remained under Ottoman rule for over 400 years. read more