In the ten years since the conquest of the remnants of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottomans under Sultan Mehmed II have grown to be one of the strongest powers in the Middle East and Europe. They are the uncontested rulers of the Balkan Peninsula and Anatolia, with a quickly expanding navy that will soon rival the traditional great powers of the Mediterranean such as the Mamluk Sultanate and the Republic of Venice. Since the fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire has been on the verge of controlling the Silk Road and with it, all trade between Europe and China. Over the last few years, tensions have been rising with the Christian world due to fear of the Ottomans' newfound power and now these tensions have finally boiled over into war with the dominant naval power in the region, Venice.