Question

Which of the following best describes the impact of the Ottoman Empire’s establishment on global trade?

Answer 1

The Ottoman rise (especially capture of Constantinople in 1453) put key East–West land and sea routes under central control, allowing the Ottomans to tax and regulate Mediterranean and Silk Road traffic. That both facilitated secure overland and regional trade inside their empire and raised costs/risks for western European merchants — prompting Europeans to seek direct maritime routes to Asia. The result was greater Ottoman-centered trade in the eastern Mediterranean but also a major incentive for the Age of Exploration and the long-term shift of global commerce toward Atlantic sea routes and European colonial empires.