The Expanse of the Ottoman Empire

Many empires in human history "seem to have come from nowhere", and the Ottomans are no exception, but certain factors seem to stand out as possible causes (Montreal Review). These include:
-A Power Vacuum. The collapse of the Seljuk Turks, combined with the decline of Byzantium, left the Middle East free of a dominant power. The Ottoman empire rose, in part, to bridge the gap between the great powers of China and Europe.
-Reaction to Crisis: A crisis, in this case, is defined as "a general, sometimes abrupt worsening of economic, political, and social conditions, carrying with it a sense of impending change" (Di Cosmo). The aforementioned collapse and the situation of warring gazis caused fear and made people more vulnerable to the call of a rising leader.
-Militarization: a state of crisis meant that pastoral societies had to maintain standing armies. In such situations, military leaders abounded. Militarization also indicates a centralization of government, the creation of imperial guard units, and the general cohesion of a military-dominated society.
-The Charismatic Leader: Pastoral societies organized around a powerful leader, in this case Osman I.
-Centralized Government: Having chosen a leader around whom to center power, the Ottomans were able to centralize the military power structure and create localized authorities to complement it.
-Revenue and Territorial Expansion: Collecting tribute from subjects was supported by tradition, and a centralized state allowed more a more systematic collection of taxes. More funding fed and clothes the expansive armies already in place, which enabled expansion far beyond the original borders of the Turks' homeland all the way to Europe.

http://www.naqshbandi.org/ottomans/maps/expansionmap.gif

The effective military and bureaucratic structures of the previous century came under strain during a protracted period of misrule by weak Sultans. The Ottomans gradually fell behind the Europeans in military technology as the innovation that fed the Empire's forceful expansion became stifled by growing religious and intellectual conservatism. But in spite of these difficulties, the Empire remained a major expansionist power until the Battle of Vienna in 1683, which marked the end of Ottoman expansion into Europe. Various instances began to wear away at the Ottomans' influence, including a naval defeat by the Spanish which destroyed the image of naval supremacy and the discovery of new maritime trade routes which allowed Europeans to bypass the ottomans in trading with China. To Ottomans, " decline ” meant dislocation of the traditional order; hence, ” reforms " to check or reverse " decline " meant restoring the old order which had produced the Golden Age of Suleyman the Magnificent.” At times decline was checked but only temporarily. Decline was not only slow, gradual, interrupted, lasting rnore than three centuries, but also it was relative only to its own Golden Age and to the remarkable progress of its Christian European neighbors.

It was during this period that the Ottoman Empire was widely known as "The Sick Man of Europe".
http://www.naqshbandi.org/ottomans/maps/declinemap.gif

Reasons behind the Decline and Fall of the Ottomans:
-Colonialism: While European nations were getting rich through colonialism and the trade of goods they plundered there, the Ottomans could not expand and were preoccupied with their existing territories.
-Technology; While Europe was advancing technologically, Ottomans were left behind. The scientific mindset of Europe at this time encouraged development, while the more traditionalist philosophy of the audience kept them back.
-Over-Extension: Ottomans had a very wide expanse of territories to protect, so when localized rebellions started, with the provocation and the support of various European countries, the Ottomans lacked the money and military power to quell them all.
-Commercial Efforts: Europe was more successful economically, due to inflation, new trade routes that bypassed the Ottoman monopoly, and scientific advances in many areas.
-Competition: Strong, centralized, national monarchies or bureaucratic empires appeared not only in Western Europe but also along the Ottoman frontiers in Central and Eastern Europe just when centrifugal forces were weakening the previously centralized Ottoman bureaucratic empire.
-Lack of Middle Class Growth: While Europe's middle class was wildly successful in pushing economic and political development, the wealthy bourgeoisie which did exist in the Ottoman Empire was small and composed largely of either non-Muslim merchants and bankers, who were not acceptable as the sultan’s allies, or bureaucrats, who were a part of the "establishment ” anxious to protect their own interests and often resisting change.
-Trouble at Home: The Ottomans were concerned with their own problems of weak leadership, bribery and favoritism, a dissolving military heirarchy, severe inflation due to the silver drain, and a decline of intellectual advancement.
-Expansion Stopped: Expansion was a part of Ottoman culture from the beginning. When expansion stopped, the collective psyche of the people began to decay.
-Supposed Superiority: Similarly to Ming China, some experts say that the Ottomans were so firmly convinced of their own cultural superiority that they simply got lazy, forgetting to maintain what they had achieved.
-Too Many Autonomous Groups: There were many groups within the multicultural empire that had been allowed a great deal of autonomy throughout the years. Never had they been fully integrated into the Ottoman mindset; when they began to revolt, and territories began to leave the empire in their quest for political freedom, the failing state was unable to keep hold of them.
-World War I: Unfortunately, the Ottomans chose to support the losing side. The final end of the Ottomans was the Treaty of Versailles, when the Ottoman Empire was divided up by the victorious powers into areas of economic interest.

These dates are a compromise based on all available sources.
http://api.ning.com/files/hcVV5YwfoczUfC6zWNchQBoholt7wuDNJ3R*Sre75xkp8c0uV6V7dwGQRGci7IFS1gzKTspFT4G8Xk*QF5N4ZOtfgbVEVIjs/Ottoman_Empire_Coat_of_Arms_by_TurkForce.png
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_empire
Other relevant Wikipedia articles/supporting sources
http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1801?_hi=0&_pos=3
http://www.turizm.net/turkey/history/ottoman1.html
http://www.theottomans.org/english/history/empire.asp
http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Turkey2.html
http://www.turkeyforyou.com/travel_turkey_seljuks
http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-Ottomans.php
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/support/reading_11_3.pdf
http://www.naqshbandi.org/ottomans/maps/

Osman I (Not to be confused with Otto I, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 936-973) was a gazi leader who established a sizable realm in Western Anatolia. This was the true birth of the Ottoman Empire, with Osman I being credited as the eponymous founder of the ruling family.

The Empire began to spread, crossing into the Balkans in 1345 as an ally of the Byzantine Emperor to defeat the Serbs. After being called upon a second time, the Ottomans remained in Byzantium, setting up a base at Gallipoli. After failing to gain help from the Bulgars or Serbs to expel the Ottomans, the Byzantine Emperor abdicated, allowing the Ottomans to gain a further reach.

During this period, the Ottomans succeeded in subjugating Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and much of Albania, building a fairly stable kingdom in the Balkans. After the death in captivity of Sultan Bayezid, in 1403, the kingdom dissolved into a ten-year dynastic struggle.

After the state was restored by Mehmet, the Ottomans regained much of their lost territory and expanded even further, fighting wars with Venice and provoking further crusades against them from Europe. In 1451, Mehmet II, known as the Conqueror, succeeded Murat II and launched a period of aggressive and successful territorial expansion; they take Bosnia, Albania, and several other small European territories.