Greatest Empire Builders

[TETurkhan]

Everyone keeps talking about odd ball civilizations. No offense but here are 17 different Turkish "civilizations", not a SINGLE one of them is in Civ3. A number of these empires were at the time one of the strongest most powerful in the world. Starting with Attila the Hun, Tamerlane, Sulieman the Magnificent. From China, through Central Asia, into the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. That is some serious empire building... many people are talking about Spain and how powerful it was, Spain was a part of the Holy Roman Empire (consisting of present day Germany, Austria and more), under the rule of Charles V. There cheif rival of this mighty European Empire was Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Turks. Read any history book and it will tell you, the Turks were feared through out Europe, the only reason Christopher Columbus searched for new world was because they were looking for different routes to the East so they could avoid the taxes applied by the Turks, who had virtually turned the Mediteranean Sea into an Ottoman Lake.

Anyhow, I just looked at a poll, showed the Turks only at 6.9% - check the "MOST POPULAR VOTED CIV?" thread.... if you want the game to be more realistic from a historical point of view, then you have to have the key and major players of history in there, its as simple as that.

My picks once again and I REALLY hope you guys at Firaxis are listening: TURKS, ARABS, MONGOLS, ETHIOPIANS, KOREANS & JEWS...

In addition here are 17 different empires built by the Turks, check them out and you tell me, how you can overlook all of this, 17 different empires over history and yet they have no place in the game....


The 17 Great Turkish Empires

1) The "GREAT HUN EMPIRE" - 204 B.C - 216 A.D
Founder - Mete (Bagatir)
Area - At the north, Siberia; south, Tibet - Kashmir; east, Pacific Ocean; west, Caspian Sea; (Total Area - 18,000,000 Km 2)

2) The "WESTERN HUN EMPIRE" - 48 - 216 A.D
Founder - Panu
Area - The area over present Central Asia

3) The "EUROPEAN HUN EMPIRE" - 275 - 454 A.D
Founder - Muncuk, Oktar, Rua & Aybars (brothers)
Area - Southern Russia, Romania, Northern
Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Chekoslovakia, Southern & Central Germany; The area from eastern France to the Ural mountains; from northern Hungary to the Byzantine Empire; (Total Area - 4,000,000 Km 2)

4) The "WHITE HUN EMPIRE" - 420 - 552 A.D
Founder - Aksuvar (Aksungur)
Area - Half of northern India,
Afghanistan, parts of Turkistan (Total Area - 3,500,000 Km 2)

5) The "GOKTURK EMPIRE" - 552 - 743 A.D
Founder - Bumin Khan (Tumen)
Area - The inacessible valleys of the Altay Mountains (Ergenikon) (Total Area - 18,000,000 Km 2)

6) The "AVAR EMPIRE" - 562 - 796 A.D
Founder - Bayar Khan
Area - The area between the Volga, Hungary and Bessarabia


7) "Khazar Empire" - 8th - 10th A.D
Extended from the northern shores of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to the Urals and as far westward as Kiev, including the Volga & Crimea.


8) The "HAZAR EMPIRE" - 602 - 1016 A.D
Founder - There are no historical data as to the original founder, however, its greatest ruler was Hakan Yusuf.
Area - The Hazars who are believed to be an offshoot of the Gokturks migrated to the West and formed a state stretching from the Caucasian Mntns to the Danube and to the middle of and Southern Russia.

9) The "UYGUR EMPIRE" - 740 - 1335 A.D
Founder - Kutlug Bilgekul Khan
Area - Central Asia and Northern Mongolia.

10) The "KARAHAN" - 932 - 1212 A.D
Founder - Saltuk Bugra Han
Area - All the Trans-Oxus area including the area between the Issyk and Balkash Lakes

11) The "GAZNELI EMPIRE" - 962 - 1183 A.D
Founder - Alptekin
Area - The area from the Trans-Oxus to the Ganges River, and from the shores of the Caspian to the steppes of the Pamir. (Total Area - 4,700,000 Km 2)

12) The "SELCUK EMPIRE" - 1040 - 1157 A.D
Founder - Seljuk
Area - At the East, Balkash and Issyk Lakes and the Tarim Derya; At the West, Aegean and the Mediterranean shores; At the North, Aral Lake, Caspian Sea, Caucasian and the Black Sea; At the South, the area including Arabia and the sea Omman. (Total Area - 10,000,000 Km 2)

13) The "HARZEMSHAH" - 1077 - 1231 A.D
Founder - Kudrettin Mehmet (Harzemshah)
Area - Persia, Southern Caucasia, Dagistan, Afghanistan and most of Central Asia. (Total Area - 5,000,000 Km 2)

14) The "GOLDEN HORDE" - 1224 - 1502 A.D
Founder - Batur Han
Area - Eastern Europe, the Western Ural Area, the Crimea and the area to the north of the Volga.

15) The "EMPIRE OF TIMUR KHAN" - 1369 - 1501 A.D
Founder - Timur Gurgani
Area - At the West, Balkans; At the North, Volga shores; At the South, Indian Ocean; At the East, Central Asia;

16) The "EMPIRE OF BABUR-MOGHULS" - 1526 - 1858 A.D
Founder - Babur Shah
Area - Afghanistan and India (Total Area - 2,700,000 Km 2)

17) The "OTTOMAN EMPIRE" - 1299 - 1922 A.D
Founder - Osman Bey
Area - Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Anatolia, Caucasia, the Crimea, Bessarabia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, the Sudan,.....and, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea were for a time - Turkish Lakes. (Total Area - 20,000,000 Km 2)

 

[TETurkhan]

Here is a map of the Ottomans

 

[TETurkhan]

Great Hun Empire Map

 

[TETurkhan]

I highly recommend putting the Turks in their original lands. Central Asia... the "Yeni Ceri" units are famous in Europe but the Turks were a elite fighting force before them... Much like the Mongols they were expert horsemen archers...

those are my thoughts...

 

[smallstepforman]

First of all, I agree that the Turks deserve a Civ mention for crafting a large empire. But there is one important factor which you overlook - Firaxis had at its disposal 16 slots for Civs. They did not have time/resources to create the graphics needed for additional Civs.
Some other Civs missing - Macedonians (Alexander), Carthegians, Huns, Prussians, Byzantians, Spanish, Vikings etc. Thats just from Europe, and there are countless others.

Now for some political words:
- invaders come and go. The great nations of today can become the primitive barbarians of tomorrow.
- dont apriori accept the cultural indoctrination imposed by your society. Most societies are guilty of illusions of grandour, take what your history teachers teach you with a grain of salt.
- Some of those tribes listed are central asian, but not Turkish. The Turks today have nothing in common with the Huns, Ugyars, Moghuls etc. Think Canada and Napoleon.
- Just because an Army marches through a territory, it doesn't mean that they owned it. Think Hitler in Russia or America in Japan.

 

[TETurkhan]

"- dont apriori accept the cultural indoctrination imposed by your society. Most societies are guilty of illusions of grandour, take what your history teachers teach you with a grain of salt. "
***********
true, especially so with history... however I based most of my information on wide range of sources... Education here in Canada is neutral with very little bias...


"- Some of those tribes listed are central asian, but not Turkish. The Turks today have nothing in common with the Huns, Ugyars, Moghuls etc. Think Canada and Napoleon. "
************
Huns have very little left with their original Turkic roots, same with the Bulgars etc... however the Uygurs are a different matter, they do speak Turkic, and I understand them and have friends from there, they consider themselves Uygur Turks... The key point though is that these peoples were Turkic, they all share that common root... like the Canadians, Australians and the English have... there is a lot of misinformation about the Turks, Europe only remembers two kinds, one the Seljuks and two the Ottomans.. the reason for this is simple, Crusades were fought partially against the Seljuk Turks and the Ottomans wages a "counter crusade" against them from 14century onwards until the end of the 17th century...

Just look up any of the empires I listed, and you will find almost all sources refer to the people as Turkish. Furthermore, look up Huns, or Avars, Bulgars and Moghuls and you will find they are all referred to as Turkic people...




"- Just because an Army marches through a territory, it doesn't mean that they owned it. Think Hitler in Russia or America in Japan"
*************
Rome took over territory also, doesnt it mean they owned it? When I stated the lands the Turks owned, I did not mean the inhabitants were Turkish, on the contrary, the Turks usually conquered lands where they were in the minority... but they still owned that land....

 

[TETurkhan]

The Western Turks
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A group of Huns who migrated towards the West first settled in a region to the north of the Black Sea extending to the Danube River. First the Huns made raids on Iran and Anatolia via the Caucasia, and then they attacked the territories of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

They fought with the Franks in 428, and two years later, reached the areas which are presently the Netherlands and Denmark. The Western Huns, who were known as the first Turkish state founded in Europe, became a great state with territories extending from the banks of the Rhine to the Volga River, under the leadership of Attila the Hun.

This state played an important role in transmitting Eastern civilization to the West, and organized campaigns to Italy, the Balkans and Gaul in the reign of Attila. The Western Hun State collapsed a short time after Attila passed away (470).

During the collapse of the Hun Empire in Europe, a new wave of tribal migrations started in Central Asia. The north of the Black Sea was confronted with a new wave of Turkish migration. The first tribes to arrive were the Sabirs, Sarogurs and Onogurs.

These Ogur tribes, who settled to the north of the Caucasus, raided the Byzantine territories from Macedonia to Thessaly. It is known that the Bulgarian Turks also came to this region along side the Ogur Turks. Byzantine sources refer to the name "Bulgarian" for the first time in 482. In fact, the Avars, with the Bulgarian Turks under their sovereignty, sieged the Byzantine capital at the beginning of the seventh century.

The Avars , who left their homeland in Central Asia and who escaped towards the West when the Gokturk State was founded in 552, had an important place in the history of Europe. They first came to Caucasia and the north of the Black Sea, made an agreement with the Byzantines and fought against, and defeated, Turkish tribes such as the Sabirs and Onogurs on behalf of the Byzantines.

They expanded to the banks of the Danube River, over the lands of the Ants, a Slavic tribe. From time to time, they made raids throughout the Balkans and even as far as the Peloponnese in Greece. They sieged Istanbul in 626 together with the Bulgarian Turks. The borders of the Avar Empire extended from the Dnieper to the Elbe River and from the North Sea to the Adriatic Sea during the reign of their famous ruler Bayan Khan.

The Avar Empire collapsed between 776-803 due to the concurrent attacks of Kurum Khan, the leader of the Bulgarian Turks and Charlemagne (Charles the Great). Present excavations and research in Hungary and Central Europe reveal that the Avars had an exemplary organization within the state and the army and attained a high level of civilization.

During the period of disintegration of the Sabir State in the east of Europe, a new Turkish state called the Khazars came into existence. The Khazars, who were considered to be the continuation of the Western Gokturks, took over their military and civilian organizations. This state, which ruled for over 300 years bears the name of "Turk" in Arabian, Syrian and Byzantine sources.

The Khazars acted as an allied force of the Byzantines in the war between Byzantium and Iran. It is observed that the Arabs who occupied Azerbaijan around the beginning of the eighth century, also raided Khazar territories and occupied their capital city Belencer (in Dagestan).

The war between the Khazars and the Caliphate continued for almost 25 years. The Khazar armies once again went to the south of the Caucasus from 762 AD and occupied all of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Ras Tarhan, the Khazar commander advanced up to Georgia.

The Khazars were threatened afterwards by other Turkish tribes, and especially by the Russians. Their state collapsed towards the end of the tenth century due to their long lasting wars against the Pechenegs. Another Turkish tribe living in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and the Balkans was the Pechenegs.

The Pechenegs, an Oghuz tribe, whose initial settlement around Balkhash Lake moved on to the nearby Aral Sea during the fight between the Gokturks and Uigurs. Then they moved further towards the West and fought against the Khazars. They occupied the Cuman plains and expelled the Hungarians ruling the lands between the Don and Dnieper Rivers towards the West.

Giving assistance to the Russians in their fights with the Khazars, they played a role in the founding of this state. The Pechenegs, who ruled a territory extending from the Don River to the Danube River in the tenth century, made raids on Byzantine territories from the middle of the eleventh century. However, they were decisively defeated by the joint forces of the Cumans and Byzantines beside the Lower Maritsa River in 1091.

Some of the separate Pecheneg groups who could not represent a political existence after this defeat, were settled in the territories of the Byzantine Empire. Those who stayed in the Balkans and Hungary settled there and were assimilated.

 

[TETurkhan]

Turkish History in the Islamic Period
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After the decline of the Uigur State, the Karahanid State was founded in 840 by the Turkish tribes such as the Karluks, Cigils and Arguls. The reign of the Karahanids is considered to be a turning point in Turkish history, because Islam was accepted as the official religion during the reign of Satuk Bugra Khan, the Karahanid leader. Being the first Muslim Turkish state established in Central Asia, they laid the foundations of an historical development called Turkish-Islamic culture and civilization.

The Karahanids, whose first city of governance was Kash- gar and second was Balasagun to the north, was divided between two brothers in 1042: the Eastern Karahanids and the Western Karahanids. The Eastern Karahanid State surviv- ed until 1211 and then accepted the sovereignty of the Great Seljuk State. Islamic-Turkish literature was developed during the rule of the Karahanid State which was custom- arily governed by just, religious, and culture loving Khans and Kashgar and Balasagun became important cultural centers.

At the time of the rule of the Karahanids, there was another Turkish state of which the capital city was Ghazna in Afghanistan. The most powerful period of the Ghaznavid State (936-1187) was the reign of Mahmud of Ghazna who used the title of "Sultan" for the first time. Sultan Mahmud, who organized many campaigns to India, took these places under Turkish rule, Islamized them and laid the foundation for today's State of Pakistan. The rulers succeeding Sultan Mahmud could not maintain this brilliant period. The Ghaznavids had to retreat to India after the Dandanakan War with the Seljuks in 1040 and finally came under the sovereignty of the Seljuks.

Another great Turkish state was the Seljuk State (1040-1157) founded by the Seljuk Bey who was a member of the Kinik tribe of the Oghuz Turks. The borders of the state covered an area from the Marmara Sea to the Balkhash Lake in Central Asia and from the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea to the borders of India and Yemen. There- fore, it was named the Great Seljuk State.

At the time of Seljuk rule, there were also two other great and strong Turkish states, namely the Karahanids and Ghaznavids. The Seljuks entered into a struggle of hegemony with these two Turkish states and were successful in establishing Turkish unity. Togrul Bey, the Sultan of the Seljuks, entered Baghdad, the Abbasid Caliphate capital and ended the domination of the Buwayhids, a Persian Shiite dynasty, in 1055. Therefore, the Caliph bestowed on Togrul Bey the title of "Ruler of the World".

During the reign of Sultan Alp Arslan, the successor of Togrul Bey, the territories of the country expanded signi- ficantly. The most significant events of this period were the clashes with the Byzantine Empire. Sultan Alp Arslan inflict- ed a crushing defeat on the Byzantine army un- der the leadership of Romanus Diogenes at Manzikert (Malazgirt) in 1071. This victory firmly established Turkish rule in Anatolia. During the reign of Sultan Malik Shah, one of the most powerful rulers of the Seljuks, the Seljuk State experienced her most successful period in the fields of military, science, politics and literature. Madrasahs (theological schools) were opened all over the country. The most important of these was the Nizamiye Madrasah constructed by the Vizier Nizam al-Mulk which was the foundation for the architecture of the Western universities.

After Sultan Malik Shah died, the country was divided into small states. The Syrian Seljuks (1092-1117), Iraq and Khorasan Seljuks (1092-1194), Kirman Seljuks (1092-1187) and the Anatolian Seljuks (1092-1194) were among the small states. During the disintegration period of the Great Seljuk State many small beylics and atabeylics were also established on the Anatolian territories of the state. These beylics played an important role in making Anatolia Turkish through the Turkish population they brought and also the architectural works they made. These beylics played an important role in the strengthening of the Anatolian Seljuk State which was established later in Anatolia.

Moreover, the Khorezm Shah State (1097-1231) was estab- lished by Mohammed Khorezm Shah, the son of Anushtegin, the palace servant of Sultan Malik Shah, on the territories of the Great Seljuk State. The Khorezm Shah State made significant progress in science and politics.

The most important state established in the place of the Great Seljuk State is definitely the Anatolian Seljuk State. Suleiman ibn Qutulmish who established himself at Nicaea (Iz- nik) in 1078 tried to expand Turkish rule in Anatolia and he managed to spread his rule all over Anatolia in a short period of time. During the reign of his son, Kilic Arslan I, the First Crusade began, Iznik was seized by the Crusaders and given to the Byzantines. Kilic Arslan I then established himself in the city of Konya and started a war of attrition against the invaders. However, he could not stop the Crusaders who were heading towards Syria. The efforts to unify Anatolia under Turkish rule were also continued during the reign of his successor, Sultan Mesud I. He repelled the Byzantine army headed for Konya and defeated the Crusaders near the Ceyhan River. Sultan Kilic Arslan II, the successor of Mesud I, made the Byzantine intrigues against the Turks ineffective and inflicted a heavy defeat on the Byzantine army under the leadership of the Emperor Manuel Comnenus I, at Myriokephalon near Denizli (1176). Following this victory, the influence of the Byzantine Empire over Anatolia was completely lost. Thereafter, trade flourished and construction activities accelerated. Caravan- serais were built on the roads and shipyards were constructed in Sinop and the Mediterranean, the madrasahs were opened and important developments were made in science. The most brilliant period of Turkish history was experienced during the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I. However, the death of the Sultan by poisoning created chaos in the country.

The religio-political rebellion of the Babais was followed by the Mongolian invasion and Anatolia was occupied by the Mongolians after the Kosedag War between the Seljuks and Mongolians in 1243. Along with the weakening of the Mongolian rule towards the end of the thirteenth century, the Turkoman groups who were settled at the frontiers during the Seljuk period, founded many beylics (principalities) of varying sizes in Anatolia. The Karaman, Germiyan, Esref, Hamid, Mentese, Candar, Pervane, Sahib Ata, Karesi, Saruhan, Aydin, Inanc and Osmanogullari were among the Turkoman beylics founded in Anatolia in this period. In this period, which is called the Beylics Period, all of Anatolia came under Turkish rule and a new period of welfare began in the country which had been previously exposed to a great extent to Mongolian destruction. As a matter of fact, the Ottoman state was founded on these solid foundations.

In Egypt, the army commander Izzeddin Aybeg was declar- ed the Sultan, after the death of es-Salih Necmeddin, the last Ayyubid ruler and thus the Turkish Kolemen Mameluke) State (1250-1382) was founded. The Mameluke State has an important place in Turkish history, because during the reign of Sultan Aybeg, the Mansure Victory was won which made the Seventh Crusade ineffective. During the reign of Seyfeddin Kotuz, the Mongolian-Armenian-Crusaders alliance which tried to invade Egypt suffered a heavy defeat and the Mongolians were not able to enter Syria.

During the period of the later Sultans, the Christian hegemony in Syria would end and the territories extending to Kayseri in Anatolia would be taken under the rule of the Mameluke Sultanate. In addition, trade between the east and the west developed during this period. The Mameluke Sultans were bestowed the title of "Hadimu'l-Harameyn" (the Servant of Mecca and Medina), due to their services to Islam, and acquired a justified fame in the Islamic World. The Mameluke State was wiped out by the Ottoman State. One of the most important states of the fourteenth century was the Tamerlane State (1370-1507). It was founded by Tamerlane, who was a provincial governor in one of the Cagatay khanates. The borders of the state extended from the Volga River to the Ganges River in India, and from the Tanri Mountains to Izmir and Damascus.

Tamerlane, who had a violent character, caused great damage during his military expeditions.The state became an empire in a period of 35 years. It disintegrated just as rapidly as it was established after the death of Tamerlane. Muhammed, his grandson, founded a state in Samarkand. Pir Muhammed and Iskender, his other grandsons, founded a state in Iran. Miranshah, his son, founded states in Baghdad and Azerbaijan. Shahruh, his younger son, founded a state in Khorasan. During the period of Shahruh, who tried to establish unity by enlarging the borders of his state, a brilliant cultural life was started.His son Ulug Bey ascended the throne as a well-known astronomer. Only Huseyin Baykara from the Tamerlane dynasty could manage to hold out in Khorasan. Herat, the capital city, became one of the most significant cultural centers of Turkish history. Ali Sir Nevai, the Turkish poet and statesman, was educated here. Herat was seized by the Uzbeks after the reign of Baykara and the Tamerlane dynasty disappeared.

When the Tamerlane State was established, the Turkoman group of the Karakoyunlu, which settled between Irbil and Nakhichevan, founded a state, the center of which was Tabriz. This state formed by the Yiva, Yazir, Doger and Avsar tribes of the Oghuz Turks was called the Karakoyunlu State (1380-1469). The Karakoyunlu State fought with Tamerlane. Kara Yusuf, the ruler of the Karakoyunlu State, had to take refuge in the Ottoman state during the reign of Yildirim Beyazid as a result of pressure by Tamerlane. This strained relations be- tween the Ottomans and the Tamerlanes and was considered to be a reason for the Ankara War of 1402. Kara Yusuf, who managed to recover after this war, reestablished his state after 1406 and captured Mardin, Erzincan, Baghdad, Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Kazvin, and Sultaniye. After his death, the country was dragged into chaos. Although Cihan-shah managed to reunify the state, he was defeated by Akkoyunlu Uzun Hasan at Mardin and the country entered under the hegemony of the Akkoyunlu State.

The Akkoyunlu State (1350-1502) was founded by Turko- man tribes who settled around Diyarbakir. It emerged as a union under the leadership of Tur Ali Bey. The Akkoyunlu State fought against the Trabzon Greek Empire to the north in this period. The real founder of the state is known to be Kara Yuluk Osman Bey. The most powerful period of the Akkoyunlu State was the reign of Uzun Hasan. During his reign the borders of the state extended from the Caspian Sea to Syria, and from Azerbaijan to Baghdad. For this reason, Uzun Hasan saw himself as the person who could establish the union of the Turks and identified himself with Tamerlane and made plans to abolish the Ottoman State and the Egyptian Sultanate. He established political relations with the European states, namely the Christian world, to obtain firearms to realize his goal. However, his defeat in the Otlukbeli Battle in 1473 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet I was a heavy blow for Uzun Hasan. This defeat helped the collapse of the Akkoyunlu State and paved the way for the founding of the Safavid State (1501-1736) by Shah Ismail who managed to get the Turkoman groups of Ustacli, Rumlu, Musullu, Tekeli, Bayburtlu, Karadagli, Dulkadirli, Karamanli, Varsak and Avsar on his side. At the time when Shah Ismail established the Turkish political union in Iran, a great part of the Indian subcontinent was also united under Turkish rule. Meanwhile, the Ottoman State took almost all of Anatolia under its rule and also started to expand its Eastern and Western borders.

Shah Ismail, who founded a political union in Iran, expanded his territories. In his conquests the religious fervor of the Shiite sect played a role. However, his activities in Anatolia, and also his attempts to annex Anatolia, provoked the reaction of the Ottoman Sultan Selim I (Selim the Grim). Shah Ismail's army was seriously defeated at the Battle of Caldiran in 1514. Still, all his successors, especially Shah Tahmasp continued fighting against the Ottomans. However, they were defeated in almost all the battles they fought. When Nadir Shah of the Avsar tribe established his own dynasty following the reign of Abbas III, the Safavid period came to an end.

The reign of the Safavids had an important place in history. Shah Ismail and the other members of the dynasty were known for their love of art. In this period, literature, architecture and handicrafts such as tile-making, pottery and textiles developed and great advances were made in bookbinding, decoration and calligraphy.

Zahiruddin Babur, a member of the Tamerlane dynasty, entered India and founded the Turkish-Indian (Babur) Empire (1526-1858). He became famous for his work written in Turkish called Vekayi Baburname. After his death, in the reigns of his sons, Humayun and Ekber, this state developed even more and a large portion of the Indian subcontinent was united under a single rule. The period of Hurrem, who had assumed the name of Shah-Cihan (Shah of the World) upon ascending the throne, was the most brilliant period of the empire in politics and art. The Taj Mahal at Agra, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in the world, was constructed during his reign. Architects were also sent from the Ottoman State for the construction of the monument. These good relations with the Ottoman State also continued during the reign of his son, Alemgir I. He gave asylum to the Ottoman governors of Basra who were fighting against the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The internal turmoil which began after the death of Alemgir I continued until the reign of Shah Bahadir II. The British who suppressed a revolt in the country in 1857 annexed India to Britain and Queen Victoria was officially declared the Empress of India.

 

[TETurkhan]

The Ottoman State (1299-1923)
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Following the weakening of the Anatolian Seljuk State, several beylics from various Turkish tribes emerged in Anatolia. One of these beylics was the Ottoman Beylic, a member of the Kayi tribe of Oghuz Turks from the Sogut-Yenisehir-Bilecik region. The Ottoman Beylic succeeded in establishing the union of the beylics in Anatolia in a short period of time.

The Ottomans who fought against the neighboring Byzantine State, first crossed into Rumelia and then captured Constantinople in 1453 during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481), putting an end to the Byzantine Empire and thus, to the Middle Ages. In the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, who assumed the title of "the Conqueror", the Ottoman State entered into an era of rapid development which would last until the end of the sixteenth century.

The Ottomans fought with the Serbs, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Venetians, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Britain, the Vatican, Spain and also France and Russia from time to time in the West; and in the East and the South, the Akkoyunlus, Tamerlanes, Mamelukes, Safavids and the Karamanids, which were all Turkish states. During the reign of Sultan Selim I (1512-1520), Egypt was conquered and the "Caliphate" passed from the Abbasids to the Ottoman dynasty. During the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566), the Ottoman State had a developed state organization, a powerful army and finances. The borders of the Empire extended from the Crimea in the North to Yemen and Sudan in the South, and from Iran and the Caspian Sea in the East to Vienna in the Northwest and Spain in the Southwest.

However, the Ottoman Empire lost its economic and military superiority vis-a-vis Europe, which had developed rapidly with the Renaissance and the geographical discoveries starting with the sixteenth century and failed to adapt to the new developments. Thus, the balance of power developed in favor of the European States starting in the same century. The nationalist movements that started in the nineteenth century and the rebellions of the Balkan nations organized and supported by the European States and Russia, brought about the emergence of independent states within the Ottoman territories in the Balkans. The military defeats which exacerbated the process of dissolution of the Empire forced the Ottoman administration to take steps to modernize the country. Thus, reform efforts were made constantly in the Empire throughout the nineteenth century.

The most significant characteristic of the First Constitutional Period in 1876, which coincided with the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909), was that it provided a constitution in the Western model for the first time.

The constitution, which had been prepared by a group of intellectuals called the "Young Turks" forced Sultan Abdulhamid to accept this constitution and the Ottoman state was transformed into a constitutional state. However, Sultan Abdulhamid disbanded the Parliament in 1877 and terminated constitutional rule, using the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1879 as a pretext. The Committee of Union and Progress which started activities as an opposition organization founded by the Young Turks, first forced the Sultan to repromulgate the Constitution in 1908 and later seized power.

However, the liberalization which started after Abdulhamid with the Second Constitution did not last long. The Tripoli War (1911-1912) against the Italians and the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) which erupted in the wake of these political developments, weakened the new administration and the environment of freedom that started with the Second Constitution transformed the democratic environment into a single-party autocracy.

The territories of the Ottoman State, which had allied with Germany in the First World War (1914-1918), were occupied by Britain, France, Russia and Greece following the Moudhros Armistice signed in 1918, after the Central Powers were defeated. The occupation of the homeland and the helplessness of the Istanbul government left no other choice but resistance for the Turkish people in Anatolia and Thrace. The Greek occupation accelerated the establishment of small defense fronts and the formation of regional resistance organizations.

The Selimiye Mosque, one of the masterpieces of Ottoman art which was constructed at Edirne by Sultan Selim II. The Ottoman Empire had a state identity which provided the most tolerant administration of its age throughout the Middle Ages and the New Age. In fact, throughout the six hundred years of its administration it was able to hold together people of different religions, languages and races and undertook an important role in the protection of cultures and languages of these nations by providing freedom of religion and conscience. Furthermore, it contributed significantly to the history of civilization with both scientific and cultural masterpieces due to its cultural, scientific, artistic and state admin- istrative experience and acquisitions of the previous Turkish states.

The Ottoman Empire created rare masterpieces with its unique architecture, stone and wood carving, the art of tilemaking, ornamentation, the art of miniature painting, calligraphy and bookbinding. Above all, it was influencial for hundreds of years in world politics.

 

[jayco312]

did you actually waste your time writing all of the that. Noone is going ot read that and waste all their time by reading your stupid turk history

 

[TETurkhan]

I wrote it down for people that MIGHT take interest in it... you are not obligated to read it if you dont want to... BUT you dont have to be ignorant and call Turkish history stupid....

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

teturkhan: thanx! I`ve long been in favor of inculding at least one 'modern' (i.e. not Persian/Babylonian) 'Middle East' Civ, and also wanted to see the Huns.
As for the history: it is an almost totally overlooked story, and thank you for writing it down. I really appreciate it.

@ jayco312: It is stupid people like you, not stupid history! I hope a mod sees you ****ty response and gives you a smack on your fingers! Most people here are interested in history - one of the reasons why we play Civ. And if someone brings something to our attention that might be interesting, noone should look down on him, his post, and especially all the work he put into it

 

[akinkhoo]

for some reasons, i doubt it a little on your 16 empire...
looking at the leader's name suggest that some are totally different people.
it so, then the culture is not a complete singular one...
it should be more easier to refer to regional group like (modern) turk and mongol.

"HUN" group are well know to chinese.
They were refer to as "barbaries-nomad-raider" etc.
noticablely the chinese have spead alot of resourse to pacf them, which show they were indeed strong.
They are believed to be from several tribes orginated in a region west of china, which later, divided into 2 regional group.
a group moved northeast and another moved west toward europe.

interestingly, the western ones gave problems to the romans!
and the northeastern ones gave problems to the chinese!
I would say turk civilisation really took shape with islam.

It is difficult to properly refer to those empire as civilisation.
they were nomadic most of the time and as the game start,
it tell you "they decided to settle down" etc.

therefore it is best to localize them in the more current position.
I agree that turk have a great impact.
sad that the empire was lost in WW.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by jayco312
did you actually waste your time writing all of the that. Noone is going ot read that and waste all their time by reading your stupid turk history

I read it. Thanks for the post, teturkhan.

 

[Kryten]

So have I. I'm always ready to absorb a bit more history.

And there is nothing wrong with trying to put your views across to others, that's what this forum is all about (it's something I've done several times in the past, and no doubt will continue do so in the future! ).

And if you do want to add one or more of the many Turk nations to your game, here is a unit for you

 

[akinkhoo]

nice, a bow horseman

erm, how do you guy make it?
nevermind I will head to the creation forum for answer

 

[Kryten]

Originally posted by akinkhoo
nice, a bow horseman

erm, how do you guy make it?
nevermind I will head to the creation forum for answer

Look for the "Eastern Horse Archer", which is buried several pages deep in the Units Forum. There is also a very nice "Arab/Muslim Horseman" by Labmonkey as well.
(And even a German "Eindekker" type monoplane by Kinboat, which is what the Turks used in WWI )

 

[TETurkhan]

I would say turk civilisation really took shape with islam.
******************
For Europe and the Western world this might be the case, but it wouldn't be right to exclude other Turkic people just because they were not Muslim. Khazars were Turkic yet they were Jewish, Some of the Central Asian Turks in around Mongolia were Christian. I am sure this does not sit well with many people who have their history's and based on the wars against the Muslim Turks, but the facts remain that the Turks were a force before Islam.


It is difficult to properly refer to those empire as civilisation.
they were nomadic most of the time and as the game start,
it tell you "they decided to settle down" etc.
*******************
this is a valid point, early Turkic people were nomadic and huge migrations did take place... but the fact is they did form empires, with distinct borders and areas under their control into the areas they migrated to... America is considered a civilization in the game, and they were primarily composed of people migrated to the area from Europe - the natives being the original inhabitants...

The view that Turks were always Muslim is wrong. Its almost like they didn't exist until Islam. I have listed many Turkic empires that were not Islamic, are they now to be considered irrelevant and non-existant?

I am Turkish, and for me Turks come from Central Asia, many of the tribes migrated to other parts of the world, but their root is still Central Asia. The Ottoman Turks are like the Americans, they migrated to a new land, formed an empire/state. Ask the Greeks, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, Serbs and many more and they all know that the Turks are not originally from Turkey... and I am sure they would love to see us back in Central Asia

 

[Civ3Lover]

Originally posted by jayco312
did you actually waste your time writing all of the that. Noone is going ot read that and waste all their time by reading your stupid turk history

I mentioned that the Turks should be included as well! I didn't read the history, but I'm probably going to.

And little kid... it's probably the ADULTS that are more than likely interested in it, and not the lazy, impatient, disrespectful 16-year olds like you. It takes a real BRAT to spew off nasty comments like that for no reason. You didn't have a SINGLE CONSTRUCTIVE THING TO SAY THERE! You should be ASHAMED!

Let me give you a little tip kiddo...

The next time you spew venom, HAVE A POINT!

 

[akinkhoo]

very interesting,
I didn't know much until this thread.
indeed very infomative.

certainly a turk civilisation would be nice in the game,
which sub-culture do you think turk would be under?
i think it could be with romans, persian or maybe asian?

I feel that the sub-culture should be totally updated too.
maybe also give us the ability to adjust the sub-culture bias level,
so scenario maker can have have fun creating likely world wars etc...