Examine the rise and spread of the Ottoman Empire. Who were the important leaders in this process? What role did the sense of holy war play in this expansion?

The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest lasting empires in history, spanning a territory from the Middle East to parts of eastern Europe and Northern Africa from 1299 to 1922 (worldatlas.com).
The Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 by Osman I, establishing and expanding the territory of the Ottoman Turks. By 1453, Mehmed II and the Turks conquered Constantinople, which had been the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Control of the city therefore changed from Christian to Muslim rule and effectively ended the dominance of the Byzantine Empire. The Turks renamed the city Istanbul and it became a major center of art, trade, and culture.
By 1517, Sultan Selim I expanded the Ottoman Empire to include Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and Palestine. The empire then reached its cultural and political height under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. Suleiman's rule included the height of the Ottoman Empire's territorial empire, and he helped gain control of much of eastern Europe through military conquest. Suleiman not only made the Ottoman Empire a dominant military power but also greatly expanded and strengthened its navy, creating one of the most powerful naval forces in the world and gaining control over the Mediterranean Sea.
The Ottoman Empire succeeded not only militarily but also culturally. Mosques such as the Blue Mosque exemplified Turkish architecture. The Turks also made advances in science and medicine, inventing catheters and scalpels. The Ottomans also integrated other cultures and religions into their empire, especially as they expanded their territorial rule. The devshirme system required Christians in the empire to provide young males for the Ottoman army.
Throughout the 1800s, the Ottoman Empire experienced decline due to poor leadership, economic issues, lack of modernity, and the rise of European and Asian empires. World War I marked the true end of the Ottoman Empire, as Britain, France, and Russia took control of former Ottoman territories.
http://umich.edu/~turkish/links/ottemp_brhist.html