The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors - Episode 2

BBC Worldwide Learning

Continuing his exploration of their impact on European history, in this program Rageh Omaar discusses the spread of the Ottoman Empire, its golden age, and factors that led to its decline by the early 20th century. Omaar explains how Suleiman the Magnificent consolidated his million-square-mile realm by combining religious law with political power, setting a precedent that would have consequences for the next four centuries. The lasting repercussions of the Siege of Vienna, the Wahhabist movement’s challenge to the sultanate’s spiritual authority, and threats from Christian Europe by the time of Abdul Hamid II—the last sultan—are also examined. A BBC Production. A part of the series The Ottomans. (60 minutes)

The Ottomans: Europe’s Muslim Emperors - Episode 1

BBC Worldwide Learning

The roots of the Ottoman Empire go back to 13th-century Turkic nomads who staked claim to a portion of Anatolia and then, strengthened by mercenaries fleeing the Mongol invasion, began hammering at the walls of Byzantium. In this program Rageh Omaar explains how the Ottomans rose and with extraordinary speed conquered parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, changing history in ways that are still being felt today. Traveling to Greece and Bosnia, Omaar learns that the Fall of Constantinople remains fresh in the collective memory of Orthodox Christians; and finds a geopolitical rationale for current enmity between Sunnis and Shiites in the 1514 Battle of Chaldiran. A BBC Production. A part of the series The Ottomans. (Portions with English subtitles, 60 minutes)