When Genghis Khan's hordes appeared in Europe, only to vanish again, and after their survivors, the Turkish Mamelukes, had settled in Egypt, newcomers, also from the high plateaus of Central Asia, appeared on the borders of the Empire of Rum. Unlike their predecessors, they were neither distinguished nor numerous so that there arrival went almost unnoticed.
At their head was valiant warrior called Ertughrul (or Tughril, 1231-1280). He was accompanied by his son Osman (or Othman, 1280-1324). His armies were only a tiny twig from the giant tree of the Turkish people. There were hardly more than two thousand of them living in four hundred tents. But these two thousand men were possessed of such drive that in a few generations they were to found one of the world's greatest empires.
As tradition has it, on crossing the Central Anatolian Plateau, Ertughrul one day spied a cloud of dust on the horizon. It had risen from the battle near Eskic;ehir - formerly Dorylaion - which a Seljuk detachment was fighting against Mongol invaders. Ertughrul took an historic decision, although probably unaware of what its consequences would be. He resolved to intervene in the battle, thus enabling the apparently losing side to win. That day the Ottomans saved the Empire of Rum.
To show his gratitude, the Seljuk Sultan Kaihusrev II (Kaikosrau) gave Ertughrul a strip of land encircling the battlefield. The land extended from Eskic;ehir along the Sakarya (in antiquity: Sangarios) Valley. It corresponded roughly with the Roman province of Bithynia which the Seljuks had taken from the Byzantines about a century previously
Osman I founded a small empire there, which he called "Memalik Osmanya", or "The Principality of Osman". He made Bursa its capital in 1305, captured Gemlik in 1326 and thus laid the foundations of what was to become the Ottoman Empire.
Osman I founded a small empire there, which he called "Memalik Osmanya", or "The Principality of Osman". He made Bursa its capital in 1305, captured Gemlik in 1326 and thus laid the foundations of what was to become the Ottoman Empire.
The Osmanli Kingdom of Bursa flourished quickly, while the Empire of the Seljuks of Rum declined. Eventually the latter was incorporated in the Ottoman Empire so that the tomb of the Seljuks became the cradle of the Ottomans. The latter, who had come from Khurasan, soon occupied the entire Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor. But their expansion was not yet at an end. The goals they had set themselves were the conquest of the Balkans and the capture of Constantinople. This task was undertaken by Osman's son, Sultan Orhan (1326-1359).
He had already conceived the notion of attacking "the far bank" of the Bosporus from Bursa, although he had established firm ties to the Emperor Johannes VI Kantakuzenos, whose daughter he had married. In 1356 a small band of about sixty Turks on rafts made of treetrunks lashed together with ropes landed at Gallipoli (Gelibolu) on the European side of the Dardanelles. That very morning the walls of the fortress had been destroyed by an earthquake; therefore nothing prevented their entry into the city. But the Turks' victory was not merely due to fortunate circumstances. It resulted, rather, from the creation of a standing army which was to make the Ottoman Empire the greatest military power of the time. Until then the Ottoman troops had consisted of a cavalry, which could be raised at need.
Orhan established regular standing cavalry formations ('akinci') to which he added infantry regiments known as "Yenic;eri" or "new soldiers". These were the celebrated "Janissaries", an awesomely well-disciplined body of troops, the like of which the world had not yet seen. They were recruited from Christian children, prisoners and inhabitants of subjugated provinces, who had been educated from early childhood at Muslim schools. There they were not only taught iron discipline, but also the teachings of the Defenders of the Faith ('Gazi') after the principles of Haji Bektash, the founder of the Bektashi Dervish sect. A regular cult grew up around him. His grave near Caesarea in Cappadocia has remained a place of pilgrimage to this day.
Orhan Gazi continued to extend the boundaries of the new country, adding Izmit and other places to his territories. Orhan gained a notable victory over a Byzantine army which attempted to lift the siege of Nice and added the principality of Karesi to his lands. Angora was regained from the Ahi Tribe and Cheembi Castle, Gallipoli, Bolayir, Malkara, Chorlou and Tekirdagh were added to Ottoman territories.
During the reign of Orhan Gazi coins were used for the first time in the Ottoman Empire. Orhan died in 1360, being succeeded by his son Murad I .
Orhan's son, Murad I (1359-1389) profited from his father's reforms. His armies marched about the Balkans in all directions.
They took Adrianople (today Edirne) in 1362, Sofia in 1385, Nish in 1386, Shumen in Bulgaria, Nicopolis (Nigbolu) and Silestre in Dobruja. Only at Turnovo was a tiny Bulgarian state left, which had to pay annual tribute to the conqueror until 1393.
Murad was not only active in the Balkans. In Asia Minor he captured Angora/Ankara (in antiquity: Ancyra) and subdued the East Anatolian Principality of Karaman as well as a dozen cities and extended his territory to include all of Anatolia.
Murad was not only active in the Balkans. In Asia Minor he captured Angora/Ankara (in antiquity: Ancyra) and subdued the East Anatolian Principality of Karaman as well as a dozen cities and extended his territory to include all of Anatolia.
Yet his work was not yet at an end. Two important tasks still stay ahead: conquering Serbia and raising Adrianople to the dignity of a capital (1362). After Ikonya and Bursa it was the third city in which the Sultan established his seat. But none of these cities was ever considered the final Royal Seat. They were simply stations on the inexorable westward advance of the Turks.
After the Serbian Tribe was defeated in 1371 their leader acknowledged the overlordship of the Ottoman Empire and agreed to pay 50 okkas of silver to the Sultan. He also agreed to send troops to fight for the Empire as and when needed. Following this victory Murad I returned to Bursa and married his son, Bayazid, to Solyman Shah's daughter, receiving Kutalya, Tavshanh, Simav and Emet as dowry.
The Battle of Kosovo (1389)
After taking possession of Anatolia, Murad I crowned his life's work by conquering Serbia. It was a rapid and ruthless campaign, culminating in the Battle of Kosovo Polye (also called "Blackbird Field"), in which Murad and the Serbian King, Lazar, stood face to face. Abandoned by the Occident, the Serbian knights were decisively defeated in 1389. The Turkish chroniclers describes the battle as follows: "Rivers of blood lent the diamond swords the hue of hyacinths and the glittering metal of the lances became rubies. Great numbers of severed heads and unravelled turbans had made the battlefield into a calourful field of tulips." At least sixty thousand men died that day. When it became apparent that the Serbians had lost and that King Lazar had been taken captive, Serbian sources relate that a Serbian nobleman, Milos Obilic, rushed with ten men into Murad's tent and thrust his dagger into the Sultan's breast. He was executed on the spot. King Lazar was dragged before the dying Murad and also executed. Thus the expiring Sultan had the satisfaction of seeing his enemy die before he himself did so.
His son, Bayazid I (1389-1402), who had fought in the front ranks, succeeded to the throne that very night. Murad's mortal remains were brought back to Bursa and interred in a splendid mosque.
Tribes such as the Menteske and Hamid Oghoullari seized the opportunity to declare war on the Ottoman Empire but Bayazid the Yilderim (Lightning) quickly moved against them and put an end to their challenge. Beysheheer was ceeded to the Empire and peace was declared.
His son, Bayazid I (1389-1402), who had fought in the front ranks, succeeded to the throne that very night. Murad's mortal remains were brought back to Bursa and interred in a splendid mosque.
Tribes such as the Menteske and Hamid Oghoullari seized the opportunity to declare war on the Ottoman Empire but Bayazid the Yilderim (Lightning) quickly moved against them and put an end to their challenge. Beysheheer was ceeded to the Empire and peace was declared.
Sultan Bayazid Khan now besieged Istanbul, an action which led to a new Crusade. At the Battle of Nighbolou the Crusaders were utterly defeated and the siege of Istanbul continued. The Anatolian Castle was built and Bayazid, leaving the siege in the hands of the Vezir Ali Pasha, passed on to Anatolia and annexed Koniah. Burhanuddin and Malatia were also conquered.
While Bayazid was away, a fleet under the command of Boucicant raised the siege of Istanbul and regained the castles. Bayazid renewed the siege in 1400 but the invasion of Anatolia by Timour caused him to lift it again.
In Anatolia Bayazid took Cappadocian Kayseri, Tokat and Sivas (1392/93). He secured Ankara, and incorporated into the Empire the province of Kastamonu as well as the cities of Amasya (the Amilous of antiquity), Konya and Sam sun on the Black Sea.
He secured the eastern borders of the country. After his first campaign he returned to the Balkans, where he clashed with the Hungarians under King Sigismund. The Hungarian army, which was quite a strong one, was reinforced by a division of French knights. According to tradition the Hungarians were decimated at Nicopolis on 25th September 1396 because the French knights were too quick to summon to the attack, shouting "May the Heavens fall if we do not spit all Turks on our lances!" Bayazid is supposed to have answered this challenge coolly:
"Quiet, boasters, I shall soon be feeding my horses oats on the high altar of St Peter's!" Tens of thousands of Hungarian prisoners were decapitated on the battlefield. News of Bayazid's overwhelming victory spread all over Asia Minor, carried by couriers who were accompanied by long trains of prisoners.
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