An essential introductory textbook that provides students with an authoritative survey of the history of the Ottoman Empire: from its obscure origins in the fourteenth century, through its rise to world-power status, to the troubled times of the seventeenth century. Colin Imber explores how the Sultans governed their realms and the limits on their authority.

This is an ideal core text for modules on Ottoman History or the Ottoman Empire - or a supplementary text for broader modules on Mediterranean History, Early Modern History, Islamic History, Middle Eastern History, Turkish History or Imperial History - which may be offered at the upper levels of an undergraduate History, Turkish, European Studies or Middle Eastern Studies degree. In addition it is a crucial resource for students who may be studying the Ottoman Empire for the first time as part of a taught postgraduate degree in Early Modern History, Turkish, or Islamic Studies.