Europe Claims Muslims Lands Ch. 11.3 Death of Suleyman I • 1) A succession of Weak Rulers • 2) Division into Factions, Corruption, Economic and Technological decline Rise of Nationalism • Inspired Greeks, Serbs and other groups in Ottoman Empire to fight for self-rule Geopolitics-taking land for its strategic location or products • Access to sea trade routes focuses attention on Ottoman lands • 1) World powers forced alliances or waged war to gain control of the Ottoman Empire because of its strategic geographic location. Crimean War • To gain land on the Black Sea, Russia fought and lost a war against the Ottomans and their allies the British and the French • The war highlighted the military weakness of the Ottoman Empire and ultimately the Ottomans lost most of their land. Construction of the Suez Canal • When Egypt ran into problems paying for the construction, Britain insisted on overseeing financial control of the canal and, in 1882 occupied the country. Discovery of Oil in Persia (Iran) • Lacking capital to develop its resources, Persia granted concession to European businesses • Rebellion followed and eventually Britain and Russia divided Persia into a sphere of influence The policies European nations used to gain control of Muslim Lands • Created sphere of influence • Practiced economic imperialism