The Ottoman Empire and Europe

Abstract

In the six centuries of its history the Ottoman Empire fought a long series of wars, first during the swift advance of the Turks into Europe, then during their slow and hard-fought withdrawal. In most of these wars, they fought alone, sometimes against one, sometimes against several enemies, but virtually without allies. This was natural enough, since in his own perception and that of his people the sultan was the sovereign of the House of Islam engaged in perpetual battle against the unbelievers in the House of War. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Ottoman Empire found itself militarily involved more than once in European battles, first against Napoleon and then against the British. With the outbreak of the Crimean War between the Ottoman Empire and Russia in 1853 an entirely new situation arose. Keywords: Europe; Islam; Majesty; Napoleonic Wars; Ottoman Empire; Ottoman government