ETHNOLOGY. The Turkish Empire presents an extraordinary medley of nationalities. The ril ing raee, the Osmanli Turks, whose blood is great ly mixed with various foreign elements (Slavic, Greek, and Albanian in European Turkey), con stitute a minority of the population even in the regions actually under the rule of the Sultan. The only section of the Empire in which they are numerically dominant is the interior of Asia. Minor. The most important peoples in Asiatic Turkey after the Osmanlis are the Arabs (Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia ), Armenians (who are found in large numbers outside of Armenia), and Kurds. The Greeks and Jews (in addition to the Armenians) are important elements in the urban population of a large part of Asiatic Turkey. There are less than a million persons of Turko Tatar blood in Turkey in Europe. and these are chiefly in the portions nearest to Asia. The Turks form a large element in the population of Constantinople and Adrianople, in the interior of Thrace. and in parts of Macedonia. All the remain der of the population of European Turkey, with a small exception, is divided between Slavic peoples and those belonging to the Mediterranean race, chiefly Creeks in the south and east, and Alba nians (Shkipetars) on the Adriatic. The Slays of Turkey are of Serb and Bulgarian stock. There are a number of Wallachs (Romans) in the southwest, who are known as Tsintsars. The Jews are numerous in Constantinople and Sa loniki, and the Armenians are also well repre sented in the urban population of European Turkey. The trade of the Turkish Empire is to a great extent in the hands of the Greeks (who carry on much of the sea trade), Armenians, Jews, and Arabs. For the religion of the non Turkish inhabitants, see ALBANIA. ARMENIA, KURDS, etc.
llisTouv. In the first half of the thirteenth century, at the time of the Mongol invasions un der Genghis Khan, a small body of Mohammedan Turks moved westward from their home in Iran, and made their way to Asia Minor. Under the lead of Ertogrul, they entered the service of Ala ed-Din. the Sultan of Iconium (or of Rum, as the State was known to the Moslems), the last surviving remnant of the great empire estab lished by the Seljukian Turks in Western Asia. Ala-ed•Dill granted them some land in Pln•ygia. The son of Ertogrul, Osman or Othman (128S 1326), laid the foundations of the independent power of his tribe (to which his name became at tached) on the ruins of the Seljuk dominion in Asia Minor. ()small's son and successor, Orkhan (1326-59), continued the aggressive policy of his father. Ile made Brusa, the ancient capital of Bithynia, which had been wrested from the Byzantines, his residence. and gained a foothold in Europebythetaking of Gallipoli ( l 354 ). Orkhan was the organizer of the Ottoman power. He ex acted a tribute of children from conquered Chris tian peoples, and these, reared as :Mohammedans and trained under rigid military discipline, were organized into that ellieient fighting machine, the Janizaries (q.v.). He was succeeded by Annu•ath I. (1359-59), tinder whom the Otto man realm became a European as well as an Asiatic power. At this time, by the side of the declining Byzantine o• Greek Empire, the King dom of Se•via had risen to considerable power. Eastward to the Itlaek Sea, south of the Danube, the Bulgarian czars held sway, and beyond the Danube the principalities of Moldavia and Wal lachia had been struggling into existence. Venice
and had extended their power and do minion into the eastern Mediterranean. Anmrath I. conquered Adrianople in 1361 and made it his capital. The Turks began to close in upon the Byzantine Empire, and the dominion of Con stantinople was reduced to Thrace, Macedonia, and parts of Grove. Amurath greatly extended the Turkish dominions in Asia Minor. and in 1389 he broke the power of Servia in the bloody battle of Kosovo. The Sultan was struck down in the moment of victory and was suc ceeded by his son. Bajazet I. (1389-1402). Ba jazet began his reign with the conquest of Bulgaria and with a war against the Wal laehs. A crusading army of Hungarians, Poles, and French, under the command of Sigis mund, King of Hungary, was totally routed at Nieopolis in 1396. In 1402 Timur with his :Mon gol horde swept over Asia Minor, overthrew Bajazet at Angora, and carried him off a cap tive. On the fall of Bajazet (who died in 1403) there was a struggle for dominion between his 5011S, which lasted a decade. Finally, in 1413 the youngest son, ;Mohammed 1., found himself in undisputed possession of the whole empire. Anntrath IT, (1421-51) extended the Turkish dominion over Macedonia, conquered part of Greece, waged fierce wars with the Hungarians, over whom he finally triumphed, and attacked the Albanians, although without success. The most memorable event of his reign was his vic tory over the Hungarians under king Ladislas Ill. (q.v.) and Hunyady (q.v.) at Varna in 1444. Mohammed II. (1451-81), the son of Anmrath 11., prepared immediately on his accession to ef feet the conquest of Constantinople. The city fell on May 29, 1453, and the Byzantine Empire was at an end. An offshoot from the Greek realm, the Empire of Trebizond, was conquered in 1461, and about the same time the Turks com pleted the conquest of the Morea. The seat of the Ottoman Empire was transferred from Adria nople to Constantinople. The Turks, merciless as they were toward their conquered foes, allowed the Christian churelies to maintain their organi zation. In 1456 Mohammed 11. undertook the siege of Belgrade, the key to Hungary, but the city was delivered by the signal victory of Hun yady. A few years later Servia was incorporated into the Turkish Empire and Bosnia was sub dued. In 1470 Negropont (Enbwa ) was wrested from the Venetians and in 1475 the Tatar Khan of the Crimea became a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan. Albania, which under the lead of Scan derbeg had long heroically held out against the Turks, was at last subjugated. In 14S0 the Knights of Saint John successfully defended Rhodes against a Turkish attack. At this time the Turks obtained a momentary foothold in Italy by the conquest of Otranto. The reign of Bajazet TI. (1481-1512), the successor of Mo hammed II., was uneventful, but under Sell= 1. (1512-20) the tide of Ottoman eonqugst rolled irresistibly eastward and southward. Ile carried his arms successfully into Persia, conquered Syria (1516), annexed Egypt (1517), and as sumed the guardianship of the sanctuary of Mecca, thus proelaiming himself the suecessor of the caliphs. At this time Moldavia became tributary to the Porte, a position to which the sister principality of Wallachia had been pre viously reduced.