Sultans
The Ottoman Empire was ruled by 36 sultans across more than six centuries, each leaving a distinct mark on history. This category explores the lives, reigns, and political legacies of Ottoman rulers, from Osman I, the founder of the dynasty, to the final sultan Mehmed VI Vahdettin. The dynasty’s emergence is rooted in the broader story of how the Ottoman Empire was founded, mixing frontier warfare, marriage alliances, and gaza ideology. Discover how Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, how Suleiman the Magnificent expanded the empire to its zenith, and how later sultans navigated decline and reform. Articles cover royal succession, harem politics, military campaigns, court culture, and the relationships between sultans and their grand viziers; for the inner workings of the palace, see our piece on harem life: facts, myths and rules. We also examine governance through the lens of the Imperial Council (Divan-i Humayun), the body through which sultans exercised executive, judicial and legislative authority. From the dynasty’s nomadic origins to its dissolution after World War I, this section offers in-depth biographies and analyses of Ottoman sovereigns.
Bayezid I and the Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara, fought on 28 July 1402 between Bayezid I and Timur: its causes, the course of the battle, why the Ottomans lost and what followed.
Bayezid I and the Battle of Ankara →
Who Was Osman Gazi and What Did He Achieve?
Who was Osman Gazi and what did he achieve? The son of Ertuğrul Gazi, the raids on Kulaca and Bilecik, the victory at Bapheus in 1302, his family, his death and his tomb.
Who Was Osman Gazi and What Did He Achieve? →
Who Was Mehmed the Conqueror? The Conquest of Istanbul
Who was Mehmed the Conqueror? The sultan who came to the throne twice, took Constantinople in 1453 and built a centralist empire: his life, campaigns, state order and death.
Who Was Mehmed the Conqueror? The Conquest of Istanbul →
Who Was Hürrem Sultan, Really?
Who was Hürrem Sultan, really? Her real name, her capture in a Crimean raid, her marriage to Suleiman the Magnificent, her influence in the palace and her charitable works.
Who Was Hürrem Sultan, Really? →
Ottoman Empire During the Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent
What happened in the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent? Belgrade, Rhodes, Mohács, the Two Iraqs, Preveza, the Peace of Amasya, the princes’ struggles and Szigetvár.
Ottoman Empire During the Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent →
The Reign of Murad II and the Battle of Varna
How was the Battle of Varna (10 November 1444) won? Murad II’s abdication and return, the Crusader army, the Second Battle of Kosovo and the campaigns of the period.
The Reign of Murad II and the Battle of Varna →
Who Were the Ottoman Sultans in Order?
Who were the Ottoman sultans in order? The 36 sultans from Osman Bey to Mehmed VI Vahdeddin with their reign dates, those who came to the throne twice and how the rules of succession changed.
Who Were the Ottoman Sultans in Order? →
Osman Bey’s Title: His Laqab Fahreddin and the Title Gazi
What was Osman Bey's title, what did his laqab mean and in which sources does it appear? We examine the founding bey's names through the title gazi and the forms Osmancuk and Atmanes.
Osman Bey’s Title: His Laqab Fahreddin and the Title Gazi →
The Army That Defeated Napoleon at Acre
Which army defeated Napoleon at Acre? Cezzar Ahmed Pasha, the siege of 1799, the British fleet, the Nizam-ı Cedid unit and the consequences of the French failure.
The Army That Defeated Napoleon at Acre →
Ottoman Sultans and State Administration: Governance Strategies and Reforms
How did the Ottoman sultans govern the state? Istimalet, succession, the eyalet and timar systems, the divan, the Tanzimat and the Kanun-ı Esasi.
Ottoman Sultans and State Administration: Governance Strategies and Reforms →
