The Ottoman Empire

After centuries of conquest and expansion, the Ottoman Empire reached its zenith in the late 17th century, covering modern-day Turkey, the Middle East, large parts of North Africa and much of South-Eastern Europe, twice reaching the gates of Vienna.

Fighting on the losing side in World War I, the empire was broken up under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, leaving an enormous cultural and political legacy to its successor states.

Spanning, as it did, both East and West, the history of the Ottoman empire is of particular relevance to readers interested in the future of the European Union and the background history to the Balkan and Middle Eastern regions.