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Season 4: Ottoman Domination
This season covers the 1396-1566, following the rise of the Ottoman Empire from Anatolian upstarts to one of the preeminent Empires in the world. Attempts at Bulgarian rebellion and liberation will flounder as more and more European armies are crushed beneath the Ottoman war machine.
Then, the question hangs in the air, will Europe be able to resist the Ottomans as they encroach further into the continent? Will the mighty walls of Vienna be enough?
Eric D. Halsey
Jan 28, 20191 min read
082 Looking Back on Ottoman Domination, Part 2
This episode recaps the Ottoman civil war, the doubling of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Selim, more intense fighting between the...
Eric D. Halsey
Jan 27, 20191 min read
081 Looking Back on Ottoman Domination, Part 1
This episode recaps the first century or so of Ottoman rule following the destruction of the Second Bulgarian Empire, focusing on the...
Eric D. Halsey
Dec 23, 20181 min read
080 Bulgarians in the Early Years of Ottoman Domination
Often, the Bulgarian experience in the Ottoman Empire is portrayed as a singular one. In this episode, I unpack why that's wrong by...
Eric D. Halsey
Dec 2, 20181 min read
079 Crescendo
The Ottomans are pushing on all fronts, attempting to exert control in the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, and Central Europe. But as...
Eric D. Halsey
Nov 28, 20182 min read
078 A New Frontier
As Suleiman juggles wars in the East and the West, he finally takes the bold step of extending the frontier farther towards the heart of...
Eric D. Halsey
Nov 18, 20181 min read
077 A Hungarian Requiem
As Sultan Suleiman marches toward the Hungarian border with the full might of the Ottoman Imperial Army at his back, who can stop him?...
Eric D. Halsey
Oct 28, 20181 min read
076 Suleiman the Magnificent
As a young man brimming with energy takes the Ottoman throne, the West is distracted. As shifting alliances and internal divisions turn...
Eric D. Halsey
Oct 14, 20181 min read
075 The Fall of the East
The West raises yet another crusade against the Ottomans as their new Sultan Selim I prepares for the greatest bout of conquest the...
Eric D. Halsey
Sep 29, 20182 min read
074 A Return to Conquest
Chaos engulfs Walachia and Moldavia while earthquakes and civil war come to the Ottomans. All the while, the rising power of the Safavids...
Eric D. Halsey
Sep 25, 20182 min read
073 The Second Ottoman-Venetian War
As the Europeans attempt to pull together an alliance for another anti-Ottoman Crusade and a second Ottoman-Venetian war comes into play,...
Eric D. Halsey
Aug 26, 20181 min read
072 A Game of Crowns
Two brothers will fight for the Hungarian throne as Eastern and Central Europe are reshaped by new rulers. Far to the West, a new...
Eric D. Halsey
Aug 25, 20182 min read
071 Brother vs Brother
Sultan Mehmed II's son Bayezid II has come to the throne while his brother starts a civil war to gain the throne for himself. The...
Eric D. Halsey
Jul 30, 20181 min read
070 Go West
The Ottomans are on the offensive following their victory over Venice. The question is: where will the blows strike and will Sultan...
Eric D. Halsey
Jul 16, 20181 min read
069 The Fall of Albania
Following his humiliation defeat in the depths of winter, Sultan Mehmed is out for revenge against Stephen the Great of Moldavia. Then,...
Eric D. Halsey
Jun 30, 20181 min read
068 Scorched Earth
Feeling secure in the Balkans despite his ongoing war with Venice, Sultan Mehmed moves to Anatolia to challenge another Turkic state...
Eric D. Halsey
Jun 14, 20181 min read
067 Skanderbeg
With the Ottomans dominant in Morea, they can focus their full attention on Albania and Skanderbeg. The question is, can Skanderbeg...
Eric D. Halsey
May 24, 20181 min read
066 The Ottoman Venetian War
Mehmed’s relentless expansion continues unabated as another kingdom falls and war begins with Venice. But can the Pope bring together a...
Eric D. Halsey
May 17, 20181 min read
065 Mehmed the Conqueror
After some setbacks, Sultan Mehmed really gets his conquests underway, mounting invasions in Anatolia, Albania, Greece, and Serbia. His...
Eric D. Halsey
Apr 28, 20181 min read
064 The Siege of Belgrade
Following his conquest of Constantinople, Mehmed sets his eyes on new conquests: namely the destruction of Serbia. The first part of this...
Eric D. Halsey
Apr 23, 20181 min read
063 The Death of Byzantium
It’s finally here, after years of preparation, Sultan Mehmed is ready to deal a killing blow to the Byzantine Empire. With an army at his...
Eric D. Halsey
Mar 31, 20181 min read
062 A Final Crusade
The militant regent of Hungary John Hunyadi won’t take no for an answer, so he musters the forces of the west for a final crusade.
Eric D. Halsey
Mar 24, 20181 min read
061 The Crusade of Varna
The west gathers its strength for a strike at the Ottomans on Bulgarian lands with the last Bulgarian royal in tow. But what will they...
Eric D. Halsey
Feb 27, 20181 min read
060 Conquest
The new Sultan is still a teenager but he’s got revolts to put down and enemies to conquer. But it’s not going to be easy.
Eric D. Halsey
Feb 25, 20181 min read
059 When Peace Won’t Come
The plan was that following the Ottoman Civil War, some peace and consolidation was what the Empire needed. But things turned out very...
Eric D. Halsey
Jan 28, 20181 min read
058 War in the House of Osman
Following its disastrous loss at the Battle of Ankara and the capture of its Sultan Bayezid, the Ottoman Empire descends into civil war....
Eric D. Halsey
Jan 14, 20181 min read
057 Timur
As the West reels from the Battle of Nicopolis, Beyazid goes to Anatolia to challenge a powerful new rival fresh off building a massive...
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