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The progressions of empires often follow the same predictable cycles. The ascension with territorial conquests and strong leadership; then, the peak of the empire, where its boundaries extend to their furthest reaches and its culture and administration are producing significant achievements; and finally, the decline, weak leaders, poor decisions, military defeats, etc., usually culminating in the drastic reduction or total dissolution of the empire. The Ottoman Empire was no exception to this cycle. The rise of the empire began in Anatolia, where in 1071 CE the Ottoman defeated the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Manzikert and seized control of the peninsula. At the conclusion of the Mongol conquests, in 1280, the Turks began slowly seizing more holdings in Anatolia and the Balkans. In 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror takes Constantinople and it becomes the center of Sunni Islam.
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