The Ottoman And Hapsburg Power Struggle

After being considerably weakened by constant invasions and being cut off from its neighbors by the Ottoman Turks, Constantinople was officially conquered by the Ottomans, led by Sultan Mehmed II on May 29, 1453 after a 53-day siege. During the siege, the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI, died while defending his city. Almost immediately, Constantinople was named as the capital of the Ottoman Empire and its name was changed to Istanbul.

Religion was also an important factor that helped convince Queen Isabella to employ Columbus. Ferdinand and Isabella were large supporters of the church, a powerful organization at the time. They wanted to spread Catholicism, which was predominant in Spain. The Franciscans, a group of related mendicant religious orders within the Catholic church, were already somewhat interested in a foreign mission as well. If Spain had more control over Asia through a new trade route and began missions there, they could begin to convert the people living there to Christianity. Furthermore, if more Europeans were Christians, they could be stronger than the Muslims. Columbus was also in support of spreading Christianity, and he wanted to spread the word of Jesus Christ as he believed God had intended him to sail the Atlantic Ocean to do so.

Throughout history there has been many religious conflicts. Of those, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empire are two of them. The Habsburg Empire was considered a Catholic Empire and the Ottoman was an Islam Empire. Charles V owned the Habsburg Empire. He inherited castile-Aragon (Spain) and the Habsburg territories. He also became the ruler of Aztec and Inca Empires in the Americas. (Sivers, Desnoyer, Stow 2012 Pg. 537) After battling against France in 1519, Charles was the title of emperor. In 1299, Osman Bey was in charge of the Ottoman Empire when he established independent rule in Anatolia. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire began in 1453.

During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.

While taking the class of Early Modern European History there was two states that really stuck out and peaked my interest the most. They were the Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe. If you compare and contrast both the Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe during the 16th Century through the 18th Century, you will see that there are a number of similarities as well as differences when you look at the expansion of the states. You will also see many of these contrasts as well when you look in terms of each states military and commerce. Although the Ottoman Empire existed before the 16th century and continued to exist past the 18th century and in great decline until the early 20th century, when looking at the state as a whole the time

The Ottoman Turks emerged on the periphery of the Byzantine Empire and the Saljuk Turks. Under a Turkish Muslim warrior named Osman, raids were conducted in western Anatolia on Byzantine settlements and a vast number of Turks were united under his banner. Those Turks who flocked to Osman's banner and followed him into the history books came to be called the Ottomans. The word Ottoman, fits these Turks well as it roughly translates from Turkish as "those associated with Oman."

There were various reasons why the apocalyptic beliefs in Europe influenced the first European voyages of exploration. First, the failure to reconquer Jerusalem from Mamluks did not deter Europeans from having a spiritual revival, especially within the monks of the Franciscan and military orders of Iberia who were believers in the revelations (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 464-466). Second, since the second coming of Christ could only occur in Jerusalem, Christians had a sense of urgency to reconquer the holy city (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 466). The training and education Christopher Columbus received influenced influenced and prepared him for his voyages. As von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow infer that Columbus obtained substantial

Though it may sound heartless and selfish, the needs and aims of countries usually are the primary factor controlling their foreign relations. During the period of the czars, from 1547 to 1917, Russia’s need for land and modernization shaped its relationships with Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire, causing Russia’s leaders to respect and imitate Western Europe while competing with the European powers to fill the power vacuum of the failing Ottoman Empire.

Differing religious beliefs between the Muslim Ottomans and the Christian Europeans, deterred the Christian Europeans from interactions in the Middle East, forcing them to explore new areas for trade and missionary efforts. In Document 4, written by Christopher Columbus, he states that as a Christian, he wants to engage in trade with India, but is going to find a route to India that avoids their proclaimed enemies the Muslim Ottomans. His own Christian beliefs propelled him to come up with an alternative way to sail to India, as to avoid specifically the contrasting religious views of Islam. Although it may be skewed, Christopher Columbus writes as if he has the support of many other Christians, showing that the exploration of another route

During the Crusades, Europeans brought luxury good from Italian merchants, who got them from Arab traders; Europeans taste for luxury items greatly increased. During the 13th and 14th explorers like Marco Polo claimed that Asia had the luxury goods the Europeans desired. This began the race towards finding a trade route to Asia. Christopher Columbus and many other explorer seek funds from Kings,Queens, and wealthy businessman to fund their explorations. After gaining funds from the King and Queen of Spain .Columbus set sail off on August 3, 1492 from Spain to investigate this a all-water route to Asia. This letter written by Columbus foreshadows the clash of two completely different cultures.

The slow collapse of empires allowed for the unintentional transfer of colonial powers which allowed for the preservation of the European imperialistic system. The slow disintegration of the Ottoman Empire demonstrates the unintended transfer of colonial states which ultimately preserved imperialism during World War One. The Ottoman empire faced large economic and political strain with the Italian invasion of Northern Africa in 1911 and the internal threat of the Balkan Wars in 1912-13. This ultimately created pressure on the Ottoman empire and the decline of imperial conquests. As large tracts of internal territories began to disappear Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Bulgaria declared war on the Ottoman empire in 1917 which ultimately led

The Ottoman and Habsburg Empires were two well recognized empires of the 1400’s. They were conquerors with fairly large imperial goals. Though both of them were strong and formidable, they both had their own share of weaknesses. The Ottoman Empire was more than capable of holding their own on land, but when it came to the waters, the Habsburg held the upper hand. This come from the Habsburg looking to the seas for expansion. This is how they became advantageous across the sea.

Christopher Columbus wrote this letter in the hopes of outlining his discoveries to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. They along with other backers helped him in his pursuit of finding a quicker route to the Chinese trade markets. Columbus wanted many things from his voyage, fame and fortune being the front runners. The King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella wanted the the fame and fortune like Columbus, and also the ability to bring their religion to many lands all over the globe. His crew set sail from Spain in the three well known ships listed as the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria. Columbus sailed from new island to new island for many months on end, in what we now know as the modern day Caribbean. Christopher Columbus’s efforts were groundbreaking, and his letter served to further his efforts of another voyage by showcasing his success of discovering the Indies, routes, the people, and their natural resources. The promise of new trade routes, silver, spices, silk, and other merchandise were replaced with his belief he “conquered” new islands, set up a colony, and brought back a small supply of gold and slaves.

Under Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire was a force to be reckoned with, it ruled the Middle East and Suleiman was quickly realizing his goal of advancing into Europe. However in 1529 a major military upset in the Austrian city of Vienna would halt the Islamic Ottoman expansion and save Europe from the possibility of Ottoman control. However this might not had been the case if it were not for several key disadvantages the Ottoman Empire had against the Viennese. Suleiman the Magnificent’s defeat during the siege of Vienna, 1529, was caused by poor weather conditions, chaos and disorganization amongst the Ottoman ranks, and a much stronger Viennese defense than was anticipated.

Today, there are virtually no multinational states remaining and one would be hard-pressed to find a government that has remained in place since the pre-World War I era. In that sense, it is highly unlikely that the Ottoman Empire could have survived the tumultuous 20th Century. Nevertheless, it may have had a chance. If not for European intervention, Ottoman reforms may have succeeded. However, even with those reforms, they had to compete with the rise of nationalism, which would have been difficult.