Ottoman Empire (Napoleonic Age)

The Ottoman Empire was an encompassing all of Turkey and much of the Middle East and Balkans. First established in 1299, it soon spread it reach throughout most of the Middle East and nearly all of the Mediterranean, and was often regarded by historians as being the preminent world power around 1600. From here until the 1830s, however, the country endured a slow decline, caused by external threats, bureaucratic corruption and bloating, inefficient administration and leadership (in the form of inept Sultans), and military defeats, particularly those dealt by the nearby Russian Empire. Following the initiation of the Great Reform under Mahmud II, however, the country's prospects turned around, experiencing several large waves of economic and industrial growth throughout the 19th century. Her military, though not the best in Europe, was in such shape that it was able to fight the entire Allied coalition during the Balkan War and gave itself a good name. Until this time, the Empire was commonly known as "the Sick Man of Europe".