With the conquest of Constantinople and the extinguishing of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Ottoman Empire moved into a new phase of expansion during which it emerged in the sixteenth century as a dominant political player on the world scene. With territory stretching around the Mediterranean from the Adriatic Sea to Morocco, and from the Caucasus to the Caspian Sea, the Ottomans reached the apogee of their military might in a period seen by many later Ottomans, and much later historians, as a golden age in which the state was strong, the sultan's might unquestionable, and intellectual life and the arts flourishing. Volume 2 of The Cambridge History of Turkey examines this period from the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 to the accession of Ahmed I in 1603. The essays, written by leading scholars in the field, assess the considerable expansion of Ottoman power and the effervescence of the Ottoman intellectual and cultural world through literature, art, and architecture. They also investigate the challenges that faced the Ottoman state, particularly in the later period, as the empire experienced economic crises, revolts, and long drawn-out wars.