Final answer:
The Ottoman Empire emerged as a major political and economic power in the early fourteenth century, reaching its zenith during the sixteenth century under Sultan Suleiman I but entering a prolonged decline thereafter, culminating in its fall in 1918.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Ottoman Empire became a significant political and economic power starting in the early fourteenth century. By the 1320s-1330s, it had emerged as the dominant power in northwest Anatolia. Following the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire substantially increased its influence and territorial reach.
The height of the Ottoman power was during the reign of Sultan Suleiman I in the sixteenth century, where its military prowess was unmatched in the Mediterranean, and it expanded its boundaries to Vienna in the west, touched the Persian Gulf to the east, and included the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina to the south.
Despite its early success, a period of decline followed after the reign of Selim II, marked by a series of setbacks including military corruption, governmental decentralization, and economic downturns.
Notably, the Ottoman navy's defeat at Lepanto in 1571 marked the end of its naval supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean.
The empire remained influential, forging alliances with European powers like France and Britain, but by the 1800s, it entered a period of waning power characterized by the inability to counteract nationalistic movements, leading to parts of the empire gaining independence.
The failure to adapt to the changing economic landscape and military technology, along with the rise of European powers, hastened the crumbling of the Ottoman Empire, which eventually fell in 1918 following World War I.