HISTORY OF TURKEY Turkey, formerly known as the Ottoman Empire, has a rich and tumultuous history dating back to the 13th century. It was founded by Osman I in 1299 and reached its peak under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. It was a Muslim state that controlled much of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The empire began to decline in the 18th century and was dissolved after WWI. In 1918, Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, was occupied by the Entente. The Sultan's government became a puppet of the occupying authorities. Because of this, in 1920, an alternative nationalist government was proclaimed in Ankara under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. It’s goal was to defend the independence of Turkey. _________________________ PRESIDENTS OF TURKEY: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1923 - 1938) Ismet Inonü (1938 - 1950) Celal Bayar (1950 - 1960) Cemal Gürsel (1961 - 1966) Cevdet Sunay (1966 - 1973) Fahri Korutürk (1973 - 1980) Kenan Evren (1982 - 1989) Turgut Özal (1989 - 1993) Süleyman Demirel (1993 - 2000) Ahmet Necdet Sezer (2000 - 2007) Abdullah Gül (2007 - 2014) Recep Tayyip Erdogan (since 2014)