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| | The Islamic World to 1600: The Rise of the Great Islamic Empires (Ottomans: Empire Building) |
 | | In 1301, with the victory of the Ottomans over the Byzantines at Nicaea, the former Byzantine capital, the Ottoman emirate established itself as a powerful military force. |
 | | Because the Ottoman was the last empire Timur attacked, he brought a wealth of experience and a veteran army with him, since his empire already included Central Asia, northern India, Persia, Iraq, and Syria. |
 | | Although Timur was not eager to face the Ottomans, whose reputation as a strong military force preceded them, he was convinced to do so by a number of Turkish emirs who had been defeated by the Ottomans and pushed out of Asia Minor, seeking refuge in Timurid lands. |
| www.ucalgary.ca /applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/ottoman/ottoman2.html (855 words) |
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