Eli5 Why didn’t the Ottoman Empire expand more into Africa?
In: 228
A lot changes based on the era you’re talking about. The Ottomans at their maximum territorial extent in the mid 16th century did have the eastern half or so of the North African coast and Egypt / the lower parts of the Nile and a tiny part across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, so let’s go with that.
There are specifics like further west along the Mediterranean coast out to Morocco was tried and they at one point did have a vassal state there with a dynasty that was under Ottoman suzerainty. The dynasty succeeded that though was not having it and fought off Ottoman attempts at control as they were a formidable power of their own and were able to fight them off.
Really though it’s probably because throughout the course of the 16th century, European rivals became newly enriched with resources, land and technological innovations from mostly the New World allowing for further population growth and going into a positive feedback loop of even more maritime trade and technology which meant a massive shift in the balance of trade and the amount of material wealth and demographic size.
Latest Answers