home

The Ottomans 1281-1566

About this course

 * This is part of your Paper 3, Higher Level course.
 * For this paper, you will study 3 special topics, of which one is the Ottoman Empire. (The other two are The Renaissance and The Crusades)
 * You will be assessed in a final exam lasting 2hrs 30m, and you will write 3 essays. (Two essays will be set on each topic.)

Further Details (from the IB course guide)
This section explores the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans, which represents a turning point in both Western and Islamic history. The Ottoman conquests of parts of the Islamic world and their expansion into the Balkans are key topics for study. The study of Ottoman leaders is important for an understanding of the evolution of Muslim government, administration and law.
 * Rise of the Ottomans: Anatolia and the Balkans
 * Ottoman invasion and capture of Byzantium; fall of Constantinople (1453) and its consequences;
 * effects of the foundation of the Ottoman Empire on Europe and Muslim lands
 * Reasons for Ottoman success
 * Rise of the Safavids and contest with the Ottomans
 * Ottoman expansion: the conquests of Egypt and Syria; fall of the Mamluks, impact and significance
 * Military and administrative nature of the Ottoman empire; changes to the Islamic world
 * Ottoman contributions to Islamic and European cultures
 * Case studies of **two** of the following (Mehmet II (1451-81), Selim I (1512-20), Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66)