 Despite this expansion, the seat of the empire's political power remained in Constantinople.The relationship between the Ottomans and the Mamluks had been adversarial since the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453; both states vied for control of the spice trade, and the Ottomans aspired to eventually take control of the Holy Cities of Islam.An earlier conflict, which lasted from 1485 to 1491, had led to a stalemate.