63
votes
Accepted
Is there a reason why Turkey took the Balkan territories of the Ottoman Empire, instead of Greece or another of the Balkan states?
The borders of Turkey were established first by the Treaty of Sevres and then by the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkey lost as a party of WWI, and the negotiations followed.
Turkey did not accept the first ...
- 38.1k
60
votes
Why did the Ottomans not change their capital to an Arab city?
The Ottoman Empire was not an Arabian empire, but a Turkish one. So they had no reason to uproot their capital from Turkish lands and move it to an Arabian region.
In addition, Constantinople ...
- 6,004
36
votes
Accepted
Why is it called the "Ottoman" Empire in English language?
The explanation seems to be related to the attempted spelling of the Arabic for Osman, which came out as utman or Uthman. From wiktionary.org
From Middle French Ottoman, from post-classical Latin ...
- 36.3k
35
votes
Accepted
Did the Ottoman empire suppress the printing press?
There is some truth in it, but the printing press adoption delay was only a late symptom of an attitude that began much earlier. In short is was more of contempt for the culture and aesthetics of ...
- 79.9k
32
votes
Why did the Ottomans not change their capital to an Arab city?
Location: it is a strategic point, the central point for which Black Sea trade must pass. If you are under siege and you have a fleet, you can get supplied indefinitely; if the enemy assaults the ...
- 12.3k
27
votes
Is today's Old City of Jerusalem the Jerusalem of the Crusades' period?
Yes. Quite closely resembling:
See that structure in the South-East? The temple mount? That's were the Knights Templar took their name from. This is almost a fixed point in time.
...
- 79.9k
25
votes
Accepted
Who is in this c.1866 photo?
It looks to be a photograph of Abdül Aziz, the 32nd Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He reigned between 25 June 1861 and 30 May 1876, which fits with the 1866 date.
Here is a similar photograph by an ...
- 76.9k
23
votes
Accepted
How significant was the Fall of Constantinople as an event leading to the Age of Exploration?
The Fall of Constantinople had a negligible effect on the launching of the Age of Discovery, school textbooks notwithstanding. It was well under way a generation earlier, due to the perfection of the ...
- 70.2k
21
votes
Why did the Ottomans not change their capital to an Arab city?
Two more factors: The Ottoman Turks considered themselves to be the successors of the Roman Empire. Before they captured Constantinople, their territory was known as the Sultanate of Rum. After ...
- 211
20
votes
Why did nationalism in all of Europe surge in the 19th century?
Who protects your daily security? Who does your loyalty belong to?
Initially (in the middle ages), the answer was your local nobleman, and, through him, via the duke and/or kind, to the Holy Roman ...
- 26.6k
18
votes
Why didn't "Europe" support the Byzantine Empire against the Turks?
There was a certain amount of natural antagonism between the west and the Byzantines. Part of this was religious: They belonged to different sects of Christianity, and thus often viewed each other as ...
- 114k
18
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Ottomans conquer (what is now known as) Morocco?
To put it simply, the Ottomans did invade Morocco multiple times, and they were also allies with various Moroccan Dynasties too. The relations boil down to rivaling Dynasties in Morocco in the 16th ...
18
votes
Did the Ottoman government rationalize the Armenian Genocide and other instances of ethnic cleansing as a response to Russian expansion?
This question can be very much opinable, but I want to address some points:
Did the architects of the Armenian Genocide during World War I plan their actions in part as a reciprocal population ...
- 12.3k
17
votes
Accepted
When was the Ottoman mosque within the Parthenon demolished?
There were actually two mosques built within the Parthenon, the first was mostly destroyed when the explosion took place in 1687. The second mosque, which you are referring to is discussed in The ...
- 36.3k
15
votes
How did the ruling class in the Muslim world react to the discovery and colonization of the Americas?
During the time period from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until its dissolution in 1918, the Ottoman Empire was pre-occupied with the Balkans, Middle East, and North-East Africa. During the ...
- 70.2k
15
votes
Does the Ottoman Empire count as a colonial power?
Colonialism in its strict and historic sense means the practice of settling a large number of colonists in subject countries, as did the British in North America, Ireland, Southern Africa, Australia, ...
- 9,578
14
votes
Accepted
Why did Ottoman Army use camels in the Siege of Vienna 1683?
SHORT ANSWER
The Ottomans used camels because they have several advantages over horses. Among other things, they can carry more than horses and adapt well to a variety of climates (even cold ones) ...
- 107k
13
votes
Why didn't "Europe" support the Byzantine Empire against the Turks?
Please keep in mind that the IVth Crusade mentioned in the first answer has resulted in taking of Constantinople by mostly Venician troops in 1204.
This has resulted in a long-lasting civil war ...
- 131
13
votes
Was it not clear to the WWI allies that they were over-reaching with the treaty of Sevres?
You are correct, the Turkish National Movement heavily resisted treaty of Sevres which culminated in the Turkish War of independence...the treaty didn't last long.
Isn't it obvious that that treaty ...
- 2,712
12
votes
Why didn't the European Christians take back Constantinopole?
There was no "good" time for Europeans to take back Constantinople. As late as 1683, the Ottomans had the upper hand, besieging Vienna. Up to that point, Europe was more concerned about defending ...
- 104k
12
votes
What does it mean: "French was a lingua franca in the Ottoman caliphal court?"
A small edit to put this answer into a broader perspective.
In a broader perspective, French acquired the status of lingua franca amongst the European powers in the areas of commerce, science and ...
- 221
12
votes
Which submarine was invented first?
The first submarine was developed by Cornelis Drebbel, a Dutchman, in 1620.
The first submarine that went into action was the Turtle, developed by David Bushnell in 1776. It went in action, but never ...
- 19.1k
12
votes
Is there a reason why Turkey took the Balkan territories of the Ottoman Empire, instead of Greece or another of the Balkan states?
Let's look at the map in 1913:
(click for large)
Detail view 1913:
Omniatlas: Europe 1913: Aftermath of the Balkan Wars
"Greece according to the Treaty of Sèvres", in Wikipedia: ...
- 79.9k
12
votes
Accepted
Was there a bribery attempt by the UK to get the Ottomans to switch sides in World War I?
Short answer
Yes, there was an attempt to bribe the Ottomans but it was an attempt to keep them out of the war, rather than to change sides.
During WWI, the British offered, or considered offering, ...
- 107k
12
votes
Accepted
What was the status of Shia Muslims in the Ottoman empire?
This is very complicated for several reasons: (1) the time period is long, (2) regional / local factors and (to varying degrees) perceived external and internal threats meant changing policies, and (3)...
- 107k
11
votes
How significant was the Fall of Constantinople as an event leading to the Age of Exploration?
It had a significant effect. It was not just Constantinople itself that was important but several other strategic areas as well. Constantinople was a key trading center on both the northern and ...
- 37.6k
11
votes
Why were Albanians the only nation in the Balkans who converted to Islam during the Ottoman occupation?
Albanians are not the only nation in the Balkans to accept Islam. All societies had groups accepting Islam. The difference of the Albanians is that they are the only nation in the Balkans, who managed ...
- 737
11
votes
Was Napoleon's General Joachim Murat of Turkish descent?
A valid premise for research might be that simply "Murat" is looking and perhaps even sounding like a word or name of Turkish/Arabic origin, therefore Joachim Murat may have a family name of similar ...
- 79.9k
11
votes
Does the Ottoman Empire count as a colonial power?
The Ottoman Empire, like China, did not fit the "classic" definition of colonial power.
The European countries are considered "colonists" because they colonized or settled lands far from their ...
- 104k
11
votes
Accepted
What would the Wikipedia page for Spain have said in 1490?
First, there would have been no Wikipedia page for Spain, because:
The internet and the Wikipedia wouldn't be exist for 5 centuries, and
There was no "Spain"; there were Castilla, Aragón and Navarra (...
- 12.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible