The History of the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire began on the fringes of this world, and that marginal position is essential to remember when we try to understand how and why it developed. Mehmet had spent several years battling the Akoyun, the white sheep Turkamans, a tribal confederation that ruled most of what’s now Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. With the death of their great ruler, Uzun Hassan, instability had set into the east. This presented both an opportunity and a challenge to a rudderless Ottoman Empire.