Why was the ottoman empire important to european imperialism ?
When the Ottoman Turks conquered the Byzantine empire (they took Constantinople in 1453 AD), it blocked the way to the eastern riches (silk road, spice road, etc…) so the European powers needed to find am alternative way to the riches of the far east. That’s why Christopher Columbus set sail westward in an attempt to reach India. The Ottoman empire was a “muslim” empire so the Christian west had to maintain a vigil against any sudden westward expansion from the Turks. Edit: It’s also worthy to note that the Ottoman Turks allied themselves to Germany durring World War One. The Ottoman empire fell after the war.
