The Ottomans nearly broke Europe — but their rise wasn’t just about armies. Weather, pirates, and shocking alliances decided history.

Historian Si Sheppard joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the surprising reasons behind the Ottoman Empire’s explosive power — and why its wars looked nothing like what you learned in school.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:51 – Meet Si Sheppard

01:32 – How the Ottoman Empire shaped the modern world

04:43 – Was this the first global war?

07:03 – Key leaders on both sides

09:51 – The Protestant Reformation’s role

13:03 – Why Morocco mattered so much

16:03 – The Ottoman–French alliance explained

16:34 – Barbary pirates & imperial influence

17:14 – Eyewitness accounts from the frontlines

20:01 – Portugal vs. Ottoman exp ...