To compare Empires, we must compare their contributions and how they shaped the world history.

Being the some of the greatest empires in history, the Mings, Mughals and Ottomans have made
many significant contributions, however in this essay, we will discuss how the impact of the
Ottomans on world history was greater than that of the Mings and the Mughals.

The first point which proves the greatness of the Ottomans is the vastness of their territory and the
duration of their rule. The Ottoman Empire saw continuous expansion of territory for almost three
centuries. This was due to their military technology, internal organization and enterprising nature.
Using gunpowder warfare very early on, including cannons in siege warfare and handheld firearms,
gave them an edge over their opponents in the initial stages of expansion. The Janissary corps, which
was an important part of the Ottoman army, was formed by providing rigorous military training to
selected Christian boys. This gave the Ottoman Empire an army corps which was very close-knit and
excelled in warfare. Also, based on their performance the Janissaries could become administrators
and rise in ranks. Hence, the internal organization of the Ottoman Empire was based on a system of
meritocracy which made their military stronger.

The Mughals on the other hand came to India and established their empire in the Gangetic plains.
They received revenue from farmers, artisans, traders, etc., which was sufficient to fund the lifestyle
of the rulers. They successfully subdued the petty warring princes in India, but didn’t look to conquer
regions beyond India. The Ming Dynasty too had conquered the whole of China but didn’t go
beyond. They were most advanced in naval technology at their time, and had a strong navy which
they could have used to set-up colonies overseas. However, they missed this opportunity, and soon
their navy and the empire had begun to deteriorate. The Ottomans, though not pioneers in naval
technology, were involved in naval battles. The fact that the Ottomans were fighting not only over
land but also at sea shows their enterprising nature. Hence, while the Mings and the Mughals had
stopped expanding their territory after a while, the Ottomans continued expanding.

A very important conquest by the Ottomans was that of the ailing Byzantine Empire. It was
important because it marked the end of the East Roman Empire and the spread of Islam in East
Europe. After the Ottomans had made Constantinople their new capital, the Christian Europe was in
constant fear of Islamic intrusion into the continent. The Ottomans had laid siege to Vienna twice.
Many Greek and Balkan people fled westwards to Italy, taking with them their knowledge and art.
This was an important factor leading to Renaissance. Under the Mings and the Mughals, large areas
of land were unified, and there was development of art, architecture and literature within the
empire. Their conquests lead to expansion and unification of territory, but wasn’t the cause of an
event as historic as the Renaissance.

The geographical location of the Ottoman Empire was also an important factor which allowed it to
shape the world history the way it did. The Ottoman Empire had territory in three continents – Asia,
Europe, and Africa. The trade routes linking Asia and Europe passed through the Ottoman Empire,
thus giving it control over the trade. This control enabled the empire to flourish economically.
However the more important consequence of the Ottoman monopoly over trade was the beginning
of the age of exploration by the Europeans. This was the turning point in history, as emergence of
maritime trade routes and colonisation followed the age of exploration. Trade routes passed
through the Mughal and Ming Empires too, but the central location of the Ottoman Empire helped it
have a greater impact on world history.

Religion was an important binding force for the Ottoman Empire. Both the Ottomans and the early
Mughals showed religious tolerance. The Ming Emperors declared themselves the ‘Son of Heaven’,
and the mandate would be passed on to the next Emperor. The title must have gotten to their head,
due to which the policies of the Ming Empire were not favourable for the ordinary people. In fact,
the reason for the fall of the Ming Dynasty were peasant rebellions due to atrocities faced by the
lower sections of society. The Mughal Emperors who came latter, like Aurangzeb were intolerant
towards other religions. The non-Muslims were oppressed and heavily taxed. Unsurprisingly such
policies marked the beginning of the decline of the Mughals. The Ottomans, who patronised Islam
were tolerant towards other religions. They didn’t waste their time and effort in forcibly imposing
Islam on their subjects, rather concentrated on expanding the empire. The fact that they had
conquered Jerusalem and Mecca implied that the Muslims, Christians and Jews accepted their
authority.

Each dynasty has an end, but the Ottoman Empire didn’t really see an ‘end’, rather a transformation
for the better. The Ottomans started growing weak in the 19th century. The empire had grown too
big, and corruption was crippling the empire from within. However before the empire could go into
ruins, Mustafa Kemal a Turkish army officer abolished the Sultanate. The Empire transformed into a
group of smaller nation states. Hence while the Ming and the Mughals were overpowered by the
Qing dynasty and the British respectively, the Ottoman Empire didn’t end because they were
defeated by someone else.

Therefore we have seen various reasons which make the Ottomans the most historic – the vastness
of their empire, it’s strategic location which gave them an upper hand, the duration of their rule,
their enterprising nature, the policy of meritocracy and religious tolerance, crucial victories which
were turning points in history and the fact that they were undefeated till the end.