The Balkan Wars

Long War - Ottoman wars - happened in 1591.

Before the modern state of Turkey was formed after World War I, it was the Ottoman Empire. Towards the end of its existence, the Ottoman Empire was called the Sick Man of Europe because it was losing a lot of wars and the territory it once controlled.

The Ottoman Sultans extended their empire beyond the Middle East by occupying land in Europe. In 1389, the Ottoman victory at Kosovo paved the way for Ottoman expansion into Europe. The Ottoman army was the largest army in Europe.

Since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Europe had been a scene of quiet conflict. The grudges from the Wars of German Unification, the Ottoman control and loss of control in the Balkans, the conflicts over land in Africa and many other issues kept Europe on the brink of war.