by Royal Ottoman Society | Mar 13, 2026 | Member Contributions
In 1520, the 20-year-old Habsburg Charles V became Holy Roman Emperor, and the 26-year-old Suleiman I became Ottoman Sultan. Charles – ruling over the Roman-German Empire, Burgundy, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain with its American colonies – ceded the Austrian...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Mar 12, 2026 | Member Contributions
The story of African achievement in the Ottoman Empire reaches new heights literally with the remarkable tale of Ahmet Ali Çelikten, the world’s first Black military pilot. While history books often celebrate Eugene Bullard as the first Black aviator, the truth...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Mar 12, 2026 | Member Contributions
Social Welfare One of the reasons the Ottoman Empire lasted for 600 years was the foundation system. It cared for the sick, the poor, the homeless, and animals. The Ottoman social welfare network was very developed. VAKIF – Charitable Systems of the Ottoman...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 27, 2026 | Member Contributions
Written by Ehtesamul Hoque In the mid-1800s, Sultan Abdülmecid I of the Ottoman Empire looked toward the city of Madinah with a heart full of longing. He didn’t just want to repair Masjid e Nabawi; he wanted to rebuild it in a way that the world had never seen...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 27, 2026 | Member Contributions
From the Ottoman Empire’s rise in the fourteenth century to the upheavals of the First World War, Christians lived as protected subjects within a Muslim-ruled imperial system. As the Ottoman Empire increasingly expanded, it incorporated vast Christian populations:...
by Royal Ottoman Society | Feb 27, 2026 | Member Contributions
Ottoman Innovations and Inventions Advanced Military Technology and the Great Bombards One of the most dramatic technological achievements of the Ottoman Empire was its development and deployment of massive cannons, especially during the conquest of Constantinople in...
