The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) existed for 623 years, once defeated formidable opponents such as the Roman Empire, but when it fought with Russia, it began to go downhill.
The Ottoman Empire was formed in what is now known as Anatolia , founded by a Kayi tribal leader named Osman in the late 13th century. The Ottoman Empire arose at a time when the two most powerful empires at that time were the Ottoman Empire. The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman) were both weakened by constant war.
The Ottoman Empire used to fight everywhere, until it reached the land of Russia.
By the mid-14th century, the Ottoman Empire had moved westward, taking control of the Balkans. 100 years later, the Ottoman Empire helped overthrow the Roman Empire and by the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire controlled a large area, stretching from Western Asia, southeastern and central Europe, north and east. North Africa, Caucasus region.
At its height, the Ottoman Empire controlled more than 5.6 million square kilometers of territory with a population of 15 million. The Ottoman Empire has always been known as one of the largest and most powerful empires in human history. The only thing this empire could not do was compete for power with the Russian empire.
The rivalry between Russia and Ottoman (Turkey) dates back to the 16th century . That was when the Russian empire rose strongly, reaching out to influence Eastern Europe and Northern Europe. The Russian tsar considered himself the protector of the Christian community in the East after the fall of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire of the Turks. The Ottoman Empire later took Constantinople as its capital and became a “thorn” in the eyes of Russia.
Russo-Ottoman tensions peaked as the empire continued to expand into the Middle East and the Balkans, an Orthodox Slavic region inhabited by Russia.
From 1568 to 1878, the Ottoman Empire of the Turks waged 12 wars with the Russian Empire, aiming to expand its territory towards the Black Sea and the Caucasus region. In these wars, Russia won 8 times, and the Turks won only 4 times.
The Ottoman Empire at its most powerful.
Constant battles and largely defeats by the Turks weakened the Ottoman Empire. The sultans (kings) at this time usually only enjoyed pleasure in the harem. When rivals in Europe and the Russian Empire rose strongly, the Ottoman sultans rushed to reform, but it was too late.
In the period 1568-1570, the first war between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire broke out only because the Ottoman king planned to build a canal, passing through the land captured by Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
The Turks at that time were not too worried about Russia, so they only brought a small army and engineers to the Balkans. The war ended when the Ottoman army was both frozen to death, and had to confront a skilled army from the east.
In 1676, the Ottoman Empire again went to war with Russia in what is now Ukraine. The Turks wanted to further expand their territory deep into Slavic territory, using the Crimean Slavs themselves to wage war on the Russian Empire. The war ended in Russia’s favor, although the territories of both sides remained unchanged;
In 1686, the situation became difficult when the nations of Europe, Austria, and the Polish-Lithuanian alliance turned to Russia to push the Ottoman Empire out of Hungary, Poland, and the Balkans. While the Turks suffered heavy losses, the Russian Empire expended almost nothing, leaving most of the burden to its Western allies.
In 1710, the Swedish king Charles XII was defeated in Russia and fled to the Turkish stronghold in what is now Modolva. The Russian army led by Tsar Peter the Great demanded that the Turks hand over Charles XII. But the Ottomans responded by rushing out to attack, causing heavy Russian losses. Overcoming victory, the Ottoman Empire recaptured the lost Azoz region and made Russia pledge not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance – an ally of the Ottomans at that time.
The Ottoman Empire once held control to present-day Ukraine and Crimea.
The battle that started the decline of the Ottoman Empire was the war with Russia in the period 1768-1774. The Turks were considered superior in this war because the Russian empire was somewhat weakened and dominated by the problem of rebellion in Poland.
The Ottoman navy in the Black Sea then occupied all the power at sea, while the infantry was one of the most elite forces at that time. But the outcome of the battle was completely unexpected. The Russians defeated the Ottoman Empire despite British, French, and Austrian attempts to intervene diplomatically. The Russians continued to sink the Ottoman fleet in the Mediterranean, Caucasus and Crimea.
Thirteen years later, the Turks repeatedly demanded that the Russian Empire return Crimea and the important seaports in the Black Sea. In response, Russia allied with Austria and pushed deep into Ottoman territory, even coming right in front of the stronghold of Istanbul. It all ended when the Ottoman Empire signed a treaty recognizing Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and what is now Ukraine.
During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the Ottoman Empire won its last victory over its arch-rival, Russia. The Ottomans were so weak that they needed France, and Britain stepped in to intervene because of the conflict in the division of power in the land of the Turks. This victory did not help the Ottoman Empire gain any more land, while the Russian Empire was blockaded in the Black Sea.
On October 29, 1914, the Ottoman Empire launched a war with Russia on the Black Sea coast, which later escalated into World War 1. Britain and France at this time changed sides, allied with Russia to wage war with the Ottoman Empire. That was when the modern powers tore through Ottoman territory.
Under the 1920 treaty, France and Great Britain occupied lands in the Middle East. The Allies entered the capital Constantinople under the pretext of ending the war. The Ottoman Empire now controlled only a small area of Anatolia.
That’s when the Turkish nationalists stood up to fight for independence. In 1922, the Ottoman Empire officially ceased to exist, laying the foundation for the state of the Turkish Republic today.