ottoman empire

Osman I, the Founder of the Ottoman Empire, claimed it was a dream that predicted his divine destiny—the reality of his rise was far darker.

History remembers empires for their rise, but survival is the harder story. Over two thousand years, this one absorbed shocks and change, stretching from Rome to modern borders, until endurance slowly gave way to fracture.

Lasting until the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire is perhaps the most misunderstood and underappreciated empire in world history. The Ottoman Empire’s reign connected the East to the West, and the Middle Ages with...

Lasting until the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire is perhaps the most misunderstood and underappreciated empire in world history. The Ottoman Empire’s reign connected the East to the West, and the Middle Ages with...

There is a long history of people using psychological warfare tactics in order to gain an edge on the battlefields of history.

Mad kings and their deranged follies litter European history, but what about a mad sultan? Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire grew up in a gilded cage, and it broke his mind. The empire quaked under...