The Ottoman Empire had the
capacity, manpower and resources to take many lands, but going far beyond the
centre of their influence was not an easy affair.
When the Americas were discovered
in 1492 the Ottomans had still not conquered much of the territory they would
possess for centuries. It took them about a century more to create the
superpower they became. It was not until the time of Selim the Stern that they
were able to expand at a fast pace, defeating the Persians and Mamelukes,
adding parts of Mesopotamia and Egypt to their empire.
Selim Sert (The Stern), father of
Suleyman the magnificent.
By the time they were a world
power at the time of Suleyman the Law Giver, the Spanish had already subdued
much of the New World, with the Portuguese, English and French following suit.
The Ottomans used their Algerian and Moroccan vassals to raid in the Atlantic,
reaching even up to Iceland with the help of a Dutch turncoat, but conquering,
holding and sustaining a colony so far from home was not feasible. All other
powers had direct access to the Atlantic and their fleets outmatched the
Ottoman one. Out of the three only France was amiably disposed towards the
Ottomans, but that would go sour in case their interests were contested.
Keeping a continuous line of communication, support and supply from the
Mediterranean to America would demand a huge amount of resources, manpower and
effort. In all likelihood it would fail miserably, with convoys being cut off
and annihilated by the enemy fleets and buccaneers and the local garrison
attacked by the more numerous and powerful, long established enemy forces.
Suleiman the Law Giver also known
as the Magnificent.
To get land in the Pacific it had
to conquer all countries and kingdoms from Persia to China, reaching the shores
opposite Japan. Impossibility. In lieu of that, it struck a close alliance with
the Muslim Mughal Empire which gave them bases in the Indian Ocean and was a
thorn in their enemy's Persia’s side, keeping them in check. It also
established trade roots with all Muslim states of the region, some of them in
the Pacific.
The Russian bear in the north was
becoming a real threat, the Persian Empire was always an uncertain proposition
and Spain along with Austria were in a constant state of war with the Ottomans.
The Ottoman Empire’s failure to conquer Central Europe, even at the height of
its power under Suleyman, shows it was up to its limits and its potential for
far off conquests was not only curved but undesirable too.
No comments:
Post a Comment