How did the Ottoman Empire contributed to the European exploration?

Answer 1

As the Ottomans had a huge land they normally spread their religion to there. They didn't force people to be Muslims directly however by getting more taxes from non-Muslims they indirectly forced people under their control to be Muslims. That is why there are some Muslim countries in Africa and in Europe (in Europe there was no prior county with a Muslim-majority population).

For example, Bosnians and Albanians were Christians; and most of them had converted to Islam; while the Greeks and Bulgarians are still Christians.

Answer 2

The spread of Islam in the Ottoman Empire was due to the ease of motion and increase of privileges in the Empire by converting.

Taxes: Non-Moslems had a head tax and in some cases a land tax. Moslems in the Empire had neither.

Government: While there were certain positions available in the government for non-Moslems, there were far more openings for Moslems.

Answer 3

The Ottoman Empire did not contribute directly to the Age of Exploration and the Ottomans fielded no ships over the Atlantic.

However, the Ottoman Empire had the indirect impact of cutting off all direct European trade routes to East Asia, prompting Europeans to search for a sea-route to East Asia. This is what led to the Age of Exploration.

Answer 4

Answer 1
Very much so. For example, when they conquered Albania, they imposed heavy taxes on the Christian population, but not on the Muslims, so many of the wealthiest people converted to Islam. Their descendents didn't necessarily stay wealthy, but they stayed Muslim.

Answer 2
There were numerous ways that the Ottoman Empire spread the religion of Islam. As its borders expanded into southeastern Europe, many more people were exposed to Islam and Muslim proselytization. Additionally, many Christians in the Balkans were subject to the devşirme system, which would allow Ottoman sultans to steal Christian children as a tax on Christians. This had the dual benefit of increasing the number of Muslims since many Christians converted to Islam to prevent themselves from losing their children and all of the children taken were forcibly converted to Islam at the Sultan's court. It should be noted, though, that with the exception of the devşirme system, the Ottoman Empire did not forcibly convert non-Muslim communities but only incentivized conversions through the use tax differentials and settlement restrictions for non-Muslims.