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Ottoman Empire Timeline
The Ottoman Empire was one of history's greatest empires — a Turkish state that grew from a small principality in Anatolia into a civilization spanning three continents, lasting more than 600 years before collapsing after World War I.
Put the Events in Order
The events shuffled, to number from first to last. With answer key.
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The Ottoman Empire began as a small warrior state on the frontier of the Byzantine Empire — just a few thousand soldiers loyal to a chieftain named Osman. Over the next 600 years, his descendants built one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. At its height under Suleiman the Magnificent, the empire stretched from Hungary in the west to Persia in the east, from Egypt in the south to the Black Sea in the north. It was a center of law, art, and scholarship, and its capital Constantinople was one of the world's great cities. After 1683 it lost lands in Europe and changed its laws and army to keep up; in the 1850s some Europeans called it the 'Sick Man of Europe.' Its breakup after World War I shaped the modern map of the Middle East.
- c. 1299
Osman I Founds the Dynasty
A Turkish warrior named Osman I establishes a small principality in northwestern Anatolia and begins raiding the weakening Byzantine Empire.
Why it mattered: Osman's small state was the seed from which one of history's great empires grew — his successors would expand it into a civilization covering three continents at its height.
- 1453
Fall of Constantinople
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II captures Constantinople — capital of the Byzantine Empire for over a thousand years — using massive cannons that breach its legendary walls; he makes it his capital, still officially called Kostantiniyye.
Why it mattered: The fall of Constantinople ended the Byzantine Empire and made the Ottomans masters of key trade routes between Europe and Asia — one of several reasons Europeans kept looking for sea routes to Asia.
- 1520–66
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I rules at the height of Ottoman power — the empire stretches from Hungary to Baghdad; law, architecture, and the arts flourish; the Ottoman navy dominates the Mediterranean.
Why it mattered: Suleiman's reign was the height of Ottoman power — the empire was larger than any state in Europe, and became a center of scholarship, art, and law that rivaled Renaissance Europe.
- 1571
Battle of Lepanto
A coalition of European Christian powers defeats the Ottoman navy off the coast of Greece — a heavy defeat, though the Ottomans took Cyprus that same year.
Why it mattered: Lepanto showed the Ottoman navy could be beaten, but the Ottomans rebuilt their fleet within a year and kept control of the eastern Mediterranean.
- 1683
Failed Siege of Vienna
Ottoman forces surround Vienna in their deepest push into Europe, but are defeated by a combined Polish-Habsburg army — marking the high-water mark of Ottoman expansion westward.
Why it mattered: Vienna was the turning point: after 1683, the Ottomans were steadily pushed back in Europe, and in 1699 the Treaty of Karlowitz gave up most of Hungary; the empire lasted more than 200 more years, reforming as it went.
- 1800s
The 'Sick Man of Europe'
The Ottoman Empire loses territory in a series of wars and nationalist rebellions; some Europeans call it the 'Sick Man of Europe' (from the 1850s) and compete for influence over its lands, while the sultans' Tanzimat reforms (from 1839) modernize laws, schools and the army.
Why it mattered: European powers' rivalry over Ottoman lands, especially in the Balkans, was one of the causes of the tensions that led to World War I.
- 1914–18
World War I
The Ottomans enter World War I allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary; they fight on multiple fronts and commit genocide against Armenian Christians; they lose the war and their Arab territories are divided by the victorious Allies.
Why it mattered: World War I destroyed the Ottoman Empire — the Arab lands were placed under British and French rule, and parts of Anatolia were occupied.
- 1922–23
Republic of Turkey Founded
Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) wins a war of independence; the Ottoman sultanate is abolished in 1922, and the modern secular Republic of Turkey is proclaimed in 1923.
Why it mattered: The Ottoman Empire — lasting over 600 years — was replaced by a modern nation-state; its collapse also created the modern map of the Middle East, drawn by European powers with consequences felt to this day.
Ottoman Empire Quiz
Check what you learned — read on screen, or download the Quiz with Answer Key above for a worksheet version.
Who founded the Ottoman dynasty around 1299?
- A) Saladin, a Kurdish sultan who recaptured Jerusalem
- B) Osman I, a Turkish warrior chieftain in Anatolia
- C) Suleiman I, a sultan known as the Magnificent
- D) Mehmed II, the sultan who captured Constantinople
What happened when Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453?
- A) He ended the Byzantine Empire and made the city the Ottoman capital
- B) He signed a peace treaty and left the Byzantine emperor in power
- C) He destroyed the city and moved the Ottoman capital to Ankara
- D) He gave the city to Venice in exchange for control of sea trade
Why is Suleiman called 'the Magnificent'?
- A) He created the Republic of Turkey and ended the rule of the Ottoman sultans
- B) He captured Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire in 1453
- C) He ruled when the empire was at the height of its power
- D) He founded the Ottoman dynasty and won its first lands in Anatolia
What was the significance of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571?
- A) An Ottoman army beat the Byzantines and captured the great city of Constantinople
- B) An Ottoman fleet beat a European coalition and took control of Italy
- C) A Polish-Habsburg army beat the Ottomans and ended their siege of Vienna
- D) A European coalition beat the Ottoman navy, its first big defeat in a century
What happened at the Siege of Vienna in 1683?
- A) Ottoman forces were defeated, starting their long retreat in Europe
- B) Ottoman forces captured the city, opening the way into western Europe
- C) Ottoman forces made peace, gaining Austria and Hungary by treaty
- D) Ottoman forces won at sea, destroying the Habsburg fleet on the Danube
Why did Europeans call the Ottoman Empire the 'Sick Man of Europe' in the 1800s?
- A) Because its sultans refused to trade with any European country
- B) Because plague outbreaks had killed most of the people in its cities
- C) Because it was losing land, facing revolts, and struggling economically
- D) Because its sultan was too ill to rule and had no heir who could replace him
What happened to Ottoman territories after World War I?
- A) Arab lands stayed under the sultan, and the empire kept its old borders
- B) Arab lands were joined into one kingdom ruled from Istanbul by Atatürk
- C) Arab lands were given to Germany and Austria-Hungary as a reward for the war
- D) Arab lands were split between Britain and France, and Anatolia was occupied
What did Atatürk establish in 1922–23?
- A) The Arab League, uniting the former Ottoman provinces in one group
- B) The modern secular Republic of Turkey, replacing the Ottoman sultanate
- C) A new Ottoman Empire, keeping the sultan under a written constitution
- D) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, replacing Ottoman rule in all the Arab lands
Show answer key
1. B · 2. A · 3. C · 4. D · 5. A · 6. C · 7. D · 8. B
Teaching packThe Ottoman Empire Teaching Pack, $7 — A two-week unit for grades 6 to 8: 45 lesson slides with guided notes, illustrated readings, labeled and blank maps, Watch It Grow on four real maps from 1400 to 1683, a labeled picture of the siege of Constantinople in 1453, Istanbul in the real 1537 painting by Matrakçı Nasuh, the devshirme in steps, how the sultan ruled, Busbecq and Evliya Çelebi as primary sources, three gunpowder empires compared, a timeline sort, a quiz and answer keys.See the pack
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How to print
Every sheet above is a ready-to-print PDF sized for US Letter paper (8.5 × 11"). The fill-in version keeps the dates and gives students lines to write each event, with the events listed at the bottom to place — good for review. The ordering activity and the quiz each end with an answer key.
Frequently asked questions
How long did the Ottoman Empire last?
The Ottoman Empire lasted from approximately 1299, when Osman I established his principality, to 1922, when the sultanate was abolished; the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed in 1923 — over 620 years. At its height in the 16th and 17th centuries under Suleiman the Magnificent, it was one of the largest and most powerful empires in the world, controlling territory across three continents: southeastern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa.
How did the Ottoman Empire affect the modern Middle East?
The Ottoman Empire's collapse after World War I directly created the modern map of the Middle East. Britain and France divided the Ottoman Arab territories between themselves under the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drawing borders that created the modern states of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, and Jordan. These borders often cut across ethnic, religious, and tribal lines without regard for local populations, creating tensions and conflicts that continue today. The Ottoman period also shaped the religious, cultural, and legal traditions of the entire region.
What paper size should I print this on?
The timeline is sized for standard US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 in.). The Download PDF button gives you a print-ready file that fits the page automatically.