introduction

  The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest lasting empires in history. Their leader was Othman Bay. In the 1400’s, the Byzantine Empire had been in decline for nearly two centuries. They faced a threat from the Ottomans; they were a group of nomadic people that migrated from central Asia to Asia Minor. In 1453, the Ottomans surrounded the capital of Constantinople. During a two-month siege, Ottoman cannons pounded Constantinople's city walls allowing attackers to break through and capture the city. The Ottomans changed the name of the city to Istanbul and made the ancient Christian city the capital of their Muslim empire. Which was the beginning of the Ottoman Empire.

  The Ottoman Empire ruled a very large area, which included many different people. There was a very big difference on how people lived in every social class in the Ottoman Empire. The Empire consists of 4 social classes. The highest class of the Ottoman Empire is the men of the pen and then men of the sword and then men of negotiation and then men of husbandry.