''Rise of Empires: Ottoman'' is a Turkish historical

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

, starring

Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu (born 1 March 1994) is a Turkish actor. He came to fame by appearing in the youth series '' Adı Efsane'' as Hakan. Life and career Üzümoğlu was born on 1 March 1994 in Istanbul. He is a graduate of Hacettepe University ...

, Tommaso Basili and Daniel Nuță. Its first season, which consists of 6 episodes, is directed by

Emre Sahin Emre * Emre Altuğ (born 1970), Turkish musician * * Emre Aracı (born 1968), Turkish music historian, conductor, composer * Emre Aydın (born 1981), Turkish rock singer * Emre Aşık (born 1973), Turkish footballer * Emre Zafer Barnes (born 1 ...

and written by Kelly McPherson. It became available for

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

on 24 January 2020. It deals with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

and tells the story of the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. The second season also has 6 episodes and premiered on 29 December 2022, focusing on the 1462 campaign against

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

(in present-day

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Premise

In Season 1, ''Rise of Empires: Ottoman'',

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

wages a campaign to take the

Eastern Roman The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

capital of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

in 1453, resulting in the capture of the city and establishment of the

. In Season 2, ''Mehmed and Vlad'', Mehmed the Conqueror and

, childhood companions in the Ottoman court, go head-to-head in the 1462 Ottoman invasion of

Cast

* Tommaso Basili as

Constantine XI Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος, ''Kōnstantînos Dragásēs Palaiológos''; 8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453) was the last List of Byzantine em ...

(season 1) * Daniel Nuță as

(season 2) * Radu-Andrei Micu as Dimitrie (season 2) * Ali Gözüşirin as

Radu the Handsome Radu III of Wallachia, commonly called Radu the Handsome or Radu the Fair ( ro, Radu cel Frumos; tr, Radu Bey; 1437/1439 — January 1475), was the younger brother of Vlad III and Prince of the principality of Wallachia. They were both sons of ...

(season 2) *

Tuba Büyüküstün Hatice Tûba Büyüküstün (; born 5 July 1982) is a Turkish actress. She is the recipient of several awards and one of Turkey's most popular and highest paid actresses. Personal life Büyüküstün's parents are from Erzurum. The maternal sid ...

Mara Branković Mara Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Мара Бранковић) or Mara Despina Hatun (c. 1416 – 14 September 1487), also known as ''Sultana Marija'' or ''Amerissa'', was the daughter of Despotate of Serbia, Serbian monarch Đurađ Branković and Eire ...

* Yasemin Eti as

Gülbahar Hatun Gülbahar is a Turkish given name for females and may refer to: *Gülbahar Hatun, consort of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, and Valide Sultan as the mother of Sultan Bayezid II *Gülbahar Hatun, consort of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II and the mother of Sul ...

(season 2) *

Damla Sönmez Tilya Damla Sönmez (born 3 May 1987) is a Turkish actress and voiceover artist. She gained worldwide recognition for her movies ''Sibel'' and ''I Am You''. Her prominent TV roles include Ceylan in ''Bir Aşk Hikayesi'', Gülru in '' Güllerin Sa ...

as Ana *

Osman Sonant Osman Sonant (born 1 March 1979) is a Turkish actor. He started his career in 1997 at Bahçelievler Municipal Theatre and was trained by Yılmaz Gruda. In 1998, he continued his career at Ortaoyuncular Nöbetçi Theatre run by Ferhan Şensoy an ...

Loukas Notaras Loukas Notaras ( el, Λουκᾶς Νοταρᾶς; 5 April 1402 – 3 June 1453) was a Byzantine statesman who served as the last '' megas doux'' or grand Duke (commander-in-chief of the Byzantine navy) and the last '' mesazon'' (chief minister) ...

(season 1) *

Tolga Tekin Tolga Tekin (born 19 March 1973, in Ankara) is a Turkish actor. After finishing his studies at Private Arı College in 1992, he enrolled in Hacettepe University State Conservatory and graduated in 1996 with a degree in theatre studies. He then pa ...

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

* Ushan Çakır as

Zaganos Pasha Zaganos or Zagan Pasha ( ota, زاغنوس پاشا, tr, Zağanos Paşa, sq, Zognush Pasha; fl. 1446 – 1462 or 1469) was an Albanian Ottoman military commander, with the titles and ranks of ''kapudan pasha'' and the highest military rank, ...

Nik Xhelilaj Kreshnik Xhelilaj (born 5 March 1983) known professionally as Nik Xhelilaj, is an Albanian actor. He began his international career with the movie The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider, directed by Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani and was the leading actor ...

as Mahmud Pasha (season 2) *

Selim Bayraktar Selim Bayraktar (born 17 June 1975) is an Iraqi- Turkish actor best known for his role as "Sümbül Ağa" in ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl''. He received international recognition with his role in the Netflix original series '' Rise of Empires: Ottoman'' ...

Çandarlı Halil Pasha Çandarlı is a coastal township with own municipality within the district of Dikili in western Turkey's İzmir Province. It is a well-developed town and an important tourist resort. It is a fishing village, were a lot of daily life revolves aro ...

(season 1) *

Birkan Sokullu Birkan Sokullu (born 6 October 1985) is a Turkish actor. Life and career Birkan Sokullu was born in Istanbul on 6 October 1985. Sokullu's grandparents were Bosnian immigrants. He left his basketball career after 10 years due to his leg injury ...

Giovanni Giustiniani Giovanni Giustiniani Longo ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Lóngos Ioustiniánēs''; la, Ioannes Iustinianus Longus; 1418 – 1 June 1453) was a Genoese captain, a member of one of the greatest families of the Republic of Genoa, a kinsman to the powerful ...

(season 1) *

Tansu Biçer Tansu Biçer (born 4 July 1978) is a Turkish actor. Life and career Biçer was born on 4 July 1978 in Ankara. He is a graduate of Karşıyaka Şemikler High School in İzmir. He finished his studies at Anadolu University State Conservatory wit ...

Orban Orban, also known as Urban ( hu, Orbán; died 1453), was an iron founder and engineer from Brassó, Transylvania, in the Kingdom of Hungary (today Brașov, Romania), who cast large-calibre artillery for the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. ...

(season 1) * Nail Kırmızıgül as Hızır Çelebi (season 1) * Eva Dedova as Katarina (season 1) * Tuğrul Tülek as

George Sphrantzes George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza ( el, Γεώργιος Σφραντζής or Φραντζής; 1401 – c. 1478), was a late Roman (Byzantine) historian and Imperial courtier. He was an attendant to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, ''p ...

(season 1) *

İlayda Akdoğan İlayda Akdoğan (born 21 July 1998) is a Turkish actress and YouTuber. Life and career İlayda Akdoğan was born on 21 July 1998 in Istanbul. She started her career at the age of six in 2004 when she appeared in a children show titled ''En İyi ...

as Therma Sphrantzes (season 1) * Erdal Yıldız as

Suleiman Baltoghlu Baltoghlu Suleiman (Turkish: Baltaoğlu Süleyman or Süleyman Baltaoğlu) was an Ottoman admiral in the 15th century, of Bulgarian origin. He led the Ottoman fleet against the Byzantine Empire in 1453 during the final siege of Constantinople, b ...

(season 1) *

Baki Davrak Baki Davrak (born 1971) is a Turkish-German actor who is known for his leading role in the film ''The Edge of Heaven (film), The Edge of Heaven'' (''Auf der anderen Seite'') which won the Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival), Prix du sc� ...

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...

(season 1) * Ryan OL as Genovese Nobleman (season 1) *

Roger Crowley Roger Crowley (born 1951) is a British historian and author known for his books on maritime and Mediterranean history. Life and career Roger Crowley was educated at Sherborne School and read English at Emmanuel College Cambridge. As the child ...

, historian (season 1) *

Lars Brownworth Lars Mehrling Brownworth (born c. 1975) is an author and former United States history, political science and humanities teacher at The Stony Brook School in Stony Brook on Long Island, New York, who created the top 50 podcast, 12 Byzantine Ru ...

, historian (season 1) *

Jason Goodwin Jason Goodwin (born 1964) is an English writer and historian. Biography Goodwin attended Sussex House School. He studied Byzantine history at Cambridge University. Following the success of ''The Gunpowder Gardens or, A Time For Tea: Travels in ...

, historian (season 1) *

Marios Philippides Marios Philippides (born 1950- died December 27, 2022) was an American historian who was Emeritus Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Biography Marios Philippides was born in 1950 and taught at t ...

, historian (season 1) * Michael Talbot, historian (season 1) *

Emrah Safa Gürkan Emrah Safa Gürkan (born 16 January 1981) is a Turkish historian, professor of Ottoman studies and academic. Academic career Having received his B.A. in International Affairs at Bilkent University (2003), Gürkan wrote his M.A. thesis titled ' ...

, historian (season 1) * Andrei Pogăciaș, historian (season 2) * Mihai-Florin Hasan, historian (season 2) *

Celâl Şengör Ali Mehmet Celâl Şengör (born 24 March 1955) is a Turkish geologist. He is currently on the faculty at Istanbul Technical University, Department of Geological Engineering. Şengör is a (foreign) member of the American Philosophical Society ...

, geologist * James Waterson, author of ''Dracula's Wars'' (season 2)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2022)

Critical response

Generally, the reception is positive. ''Rise of Empires: Ottoman'' delivers, with a similarly novel approach, a chronicle of historical events. Daily History concludes that "the series uses correct timeline and description of the attack on Constantinople is incredibly accurate from the Ottoman perspective."

References

External links

* *
How Historically Accurate is the Rise of Empires: Ottoman Series?
a
DailyHistory.org
{{Ottoman battles 2020 Turkish television series debuts 2020 Turkish television series endings Television series set in the 15th century English-language television shows Netflix original programming Television series about the Ottoman Empire Turkish-language television shows Turkish drama television series Television series produced in Istanbul Television shows set in Istanbul Cultural depictions of Mehmed the Conqueror Fall of Constantinople Documentary films about Romania Cultural depictions of Vlad the Impaler

Premise

Cast

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2020)

Season 2 (2022)

Critical response

See also

References

External links