From a small frontier state in Anatolia to an empire spanning three continents, the Ottoman Empire shaped the history of Europe, the Middle East, and the Balkans for over 600 years. In this video we cover the entire Ottoman history in 10 minutes, from its founding to its collapse.

The empire began around 1299 under Osman I, growing from a border principality into a regional power. The conquest of Constantinople in 1453 under Mehmed the Conqueror ended the Byzantine Empire and turned the Ottomans into a true imperial power stretching across Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Under Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, the empire reached its peak, dominating the Balkans, the Middle East, and much of North Africa while becoming a major force in European politics. But by the 17th and 18th centuries, military defeats, internal rebellions, and the rise of rival European powers slowly eroded Ottoman control, especially across the Balkans.

The 19th and early 20th centuries brought reform movements, nationalist uprisings, and territorial losses, until the empire's final collapse after the First World War, giving way to the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923. We separate the documented history from the myths that followed.

Subscribe to Steps Through Time for forgotten wars, failed treaties, and decisions that quietly reshaped Europe and the Balkans.

#History #OttomanEmpire #EuropeanHistory #BalkansHistory