Ottoman Empire

Osman I built a powerful and strong state in Anatolia. Osman's son, Orhan I, succeeded to conquer parts of the Byzantine Empire. The key to the Ottoman's success was their military. As their empire grew, the Ottomans enslaved Christian boys from conquered area. The boys were converted to Islam and trained as elite soldiers called Janissaries. Later on, there was a military leader, Mehmed II, who was to take Constantinople because it controlled a major trade route between Asia and Europe. By using massive cannons, Ottoman forces battered the city's walls and seiged Constantinople. Mehmed II rebuilt the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, which was no longer a Christian cathedral. Ottoman Empire reached its peak during Suleyman's ruling. He swwpt through the Safavid Empire, Egypt, and North America. He reformed the tax system, overhauled the government bureaucracy, improved the court system, and established new laws to reduce corruption. Therefore, Suleyman is known as Suleyman the Magnificent.