The book by the authoritative English historian and orientalist William Miller presents a comprehensive account of the history of the last one and a half centuries of the Ottoman Empire, the reasons for its fall, as well as the liberation movements that swept through the European possessions of the Sublime Porte. The author describes in detail the Serbian uprisings of 1804–1817, the Greek War of Independence, the Crimean campaign, and the unification of the Danubian Principalities. Special attention is given to the Balkans Crisis of 1875–1878, which, alongside the rise to power of the Young Turks and the loss of most territories, led to the division of the Ottoman Empire and the proclamation of several independent states in Southeastern Europe and the Middle East.