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The eastern heir to the Roman Empire, Byzantium once possessed enormous holdings in Italy, Eastern Europe, Anatolia, the Middle East and North Africa, but by 1300 its domain was reduced to portions of Greece, the Balkans, and western Anatolia. In the 14th century, Byzantium power was fading rapidly. It was unable to fully pacify the region, and Osman I took advantage of Byzantine weakness to push west toward Byzantium. As the Sultanate declined in power (following crippling invasions by Mongols), the neighboring power of Byzantium sought to expand into Anatolia. Bithynia had until recently been a part of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, a Muslim empire that had ruled much of Anatolia for over two centuries. Osman was a prince of Bithynia, a small province in Anatolia (Turkey), strategically located bordering the Black Sea, the Bosporus, and the Sea of Marmara. The Ottoman Empire is named for Osman I (1259-1326). Temperatures in Egypt in the summer can rise to as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and in Hungary they can fall to well below freezing during the winter. They ruled over mountains, hills, plains, swamps and desserts. With enormous holdings of land on three continents, it's impossible to generalize about the Ottoman terrain or weather. This is a great pity, for the Ottoman Empire was vast, powerful, and extremely interesting.Īt its peak, the Empire stretched from Hungary in the north to Basra in the east to the shores of the Indian Ocean in the south to Morocco in the west. Many Americans know very little about the Ottoman Empire (it occupies the blind spot Americans have for pretty much everything between Greece and China). It expanded into three continents and thrived for some six centuries. The Ottoman Empire was born in Anatolia (in modern Turkey) at the start of the 13th century. Then move in for the kill with siege equipment, rest to recover your forces and continue the push! Your fleet will be invaluable as support.and later, in the Modern Era, an unstoppable engine of destruction! Use the Sipahi cavalry to recon enemy lands and devastate their improvements, then the Janissary corps to decimate their armies. In the Renaissance Era the Ottomans' unique units become available, allowing them to make a powerful push towards victory. And of course, develop the Exploration tree to maximize your maritime infrastructure. Look for every opportunity to enter naval combat, both to gain XP and new units. If you start building up your fleet early (by fighting Barbarians, for example), you will have an impressive number of ships come the Renaissance Era, which you can use to start conquering other coastal nations. Their unique ability is a bit similar to that of the Germans, but oriented towards naval units - they pay less for their maintenance, and they have the ability to convert defeated enemy ships to their side, which allows them to expand their naval power very quickly. The Ottomans are a seafaring nation designed for a domination victory.