Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 7, Lesson 2: The Ottoman Empire (pp. 170-177)
I. The Early Ottoman Empire
B. Around 1300, a Turkish Muslim chief named Osman began conquering Christian lands in Asia Minor.
C. Osman and his followers, who became knows as Ottomans, expanded the frontiers of Islam and established a powerful empire.
B. Wealthy or royal women played a public role as patrons to artists. They could make their own economic and social decisions.
C. The Janissary Corps was an elite, well-educated, and loyal group that served the sultan.
D. Jews and Christians were tolerated in the empire.
B. The Ottoman Empire reached new heights of power and culture under Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520 to 1566.
B. The old trade route through the Ottoman territory became less important as a new route around Africa took its place.
C. The sultans lost control over the powerful janissaries.
D. European countries took over many of the Ottoman lands.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. Driven from their homelands by the Mongols, some Turkish tribes settled in Asia Minor and established small Muslim states.
II. Rulers and Subjects
A. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire, the sultan, was advised on state affairs by the grand vizier, or prime minister, who ran the Imperial Council.
III. The Empire at Its Height
A. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who captured Constantinople in 1453, renamed the city Istanbul and made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
IV. Decline of the Ottoman Empire
A. After Suleiman, the Ottoman Empire began to decline, losing territory and military power over a 350-year period.
Back to Lesson at a Glance
Copyright © 1999 Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.