Osman I

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	Osman I Ottoman Period
Preceded by: Ertuğrul	Ottoman ruler 1281–1326	Succeeded by: Orhan I

Osman I (1258–1326) (Ottoman: عثمان بن أرطغرل, Turkish:Osman Gazi or Osman Bey or I.Osman or Osman Sayed II) was the leader of the Ottoman Turks, and the founder of the dynasty that established and ruled the Ottoman Empire. The Empire, named for him, would prevail as a regional powerhouse for over six centuries == He was born in 1258 and inherited the title bey (chief) from his father, Ertuğrul, as the ruler of the village of Söğüt in 1281. The birth of what would become known as the Ottoman Empire originated with the conquest of the Turkish tribe of Eskenderum and the city of Eskişehir (Turkish for 'Old City') in 1301–1303, although Osman had already in 1299 declared the independence from the Seljuk Empire of his own small kingdom, the Ottoman Principality.

The westward drive of the Mongol invasions, many of whom were of Turkoman descent, had pushed scores of Muslims toward Osman's Anatolian principality, a power base that Osman was quick to consolidate. As the Byzantine Empire declined, the Ottoman Empire rose to take its place. Caught between feuding and declining empires this area had all the characteristics of a frontier. Beyond the limits of central control, power rested in the hands of independent Ghazi leaders who ruled over small tribes and parcels of land. These Ghazis were Turkish warriors fighting for the faith of Islam against the infidel, the Christian settlers in Byzantine areas. On horseback, the Ghazis raided and looted Christian villages, securing the goods on which their wealth was based.

Founding an empire

Ertuğrul, Osman's father and predecessor, had previously maintained himself as the vassal and lieutenant of the Seljuk Sultan of Rüm at Konya (Iconium). After the death of Sultan Ala-ad-Din (Kay Qubadh III) in 1307, Osman waged wars and accumulated dominions as an independent ruler. He had become the bey, or chieftain, of his tribe 12 years earlier, after Ertuğrul’s death in 1281.

After the last prince of the family of Ala-ad-Din, to which that of Osman's had been indebted for its foundation in Asia Minor, died, there was no other among the various emirs of that country who could compete with Osman for the headship of the whole Turkish population and dominion over the whole peninsula, save the Emir of Karamanogullari. A long and fierce struggle between the descendants of Osman and the Karamanogullari princes for the ascendency commenced in Osman’s lifetime and was protracted during the reigns of many of his successors. Osman himself had gained some advantages over his Karamanli rival, but the rich yet vulnerable possessions of the Byzantine Emperor in the north-east of Asia Minor were more tempting marks for his ambition than the Karamanoglu plains, and it was over Greek cities and armies that the triumphs of the last 26 years of Osman’s life were achieved.

Osman’s uncle, the aged Dundar, who had marched with Ertugrul from the Euphrates 70 years before, was still alive when Osman in 1299 summoned a council of his principal followers and announced to them his intention to attack the important Greek fortress Keaprihissar. His uncle opposed this enterprise, concerned that it would provoke the neighboring rulers, Turkish as well as Greek, to the detriment and possible destruction of Osman's tribe. Osman reportedly spoke not a word in reply but killed his old uncle on the spot, as a lesson to potential opponents.

Prophetic vision

Osman was 24 at the time of his accession, and had already both proven his skills as a leader and warrior. His early fortunes and exploits are favorite subjects with Near Eastern writers, especially in love stories of his wooing and winning the fair Mal Hatun. Ottoman writers attached great importance to these legends, characteristic of dynastic mythology in medieval and biblical chronicles.

There is a well known story about a sleepless night Osman spent before taking the throne. One day, when he was 19-years old, Ertugrul went to visit a distant friend with his family, where he would remain overnight. The host of the house shows Osman his room and everyone retires for the night. Just after he prepares to go to sleep Osman notices the Quran hanging on the wall. His respect for the holy book of Islam keeps him from laying down, and as he is a visitor, he cannot take the Quran out of the room. He decides not to sleep until morning and sits beside the sofa. He cannot bear to stay awake and falls asleep for a short time just before dawn.

As he sleeps, he dreams he sees a crescent coming out of the chest of his mentor sheikh Edebali and going into his body. Afterwards an enormous plane tree emerges from his chest and covers all the sky, shading the earth, the people enjoying and benefiting from his shade. He then wakes. When he and his family get back to their village he recounts this dream to his sheikh Edebali, who smiles after hearing the dream and tells Osman that Allah would grant him and his descendants an enormous empire and he will see the hand of sheikh Edebali's daughter Mal Hatun in marriage. Because of his loyalty to Islam, his sharpness, his courage and generosity, he was nominated to be the ruler of the Kayi Clan.

Ottoman sources often dwell on the prophetic significance of Osman's name, which means "bone-breaker", signifying the powerful energy with which he and his appeared to show in the following centuries of conquest. The name is also the name given to a large species of vulture, commonly called the royal vulture, which is considered the emblem of sovereignty and warlike power in the East, comparable to the eagle in the nations of the West.

Military victories

In 1301, after soundly defeating a Byzantine force near Nicea, Osman began settling his forces closer to Byzantine controlled areas. Large numbers of Ghazi warriors, Islamic scholars and dervishes began settling in Osman-controlled areas, and migrants composed the bulk of his army. The influx of Ghazi warriors and adventurers of differing backgrounds into these lands spurred subsequent Ottoman rulers to title themselves "Sultan of Ghazis"..

Alarmed by Osman's growing influence, the Byzantines gradually fled the Anatolian countryside and dedicated their resources to the Navy instead. Byzantine leadership was determined to prevent Osman from crossing into Europe and attempted to contain Ottoman expansion westward. Osman however continued to press westward and captured the Byzantine city of Ephesus near the Aegean Sea. Further galvanized by the influx of migrants into his territory, Osman also moved eastward and seized Byzantine domains in the Black Sea region of Anatolia.

Osman's last campaign, before dying of old age, was against the Byzantines in the city of Bursa. Although Osman did not physically participate in the battle, the victory at Bursa proved to be extremely vital for the Ottomans as the city served as a staging ground against the Byzantines in Constantinople, and as a newly adorned capital for Osman's son, Orhan.

Osman's legacy

The Ottomans, one of a number of Turkish tribes in Asia Minor, were notable in that they were able to transform military victories into effective political administration. Osman was as much a soldier as an able administrator. Although motivated by religious zeal, and capable of ruthlessness towards his enemies, he expanded his realm through tolerance and cooperation with Greek Christians. They welcomed the order, stability and security that Osman's rule brought in the face of a gradual breakdown in central administration from Constantinople. Freed from Constantinople's onerous tax burden, and allowed to conduct their affairs largely free from interference, intermarriage between Greeks and Turks became common, and a large number of Christians eventually adopted the Muslim faith. This religious tolerance became the hallmark of Ottoman rule for the next 600 years.

Literature about Osman Ghazi

Osman is celebrated by Near Eastern writers for his personal beauty, and for “his wondrous length and strength of arm.” Like Artaxerxes Longimanus of the old dynasty of Persian kings, Liu Bei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gautama the Buddha, and the Highland chieftain of whom Wordsworth sang, Osman is said to have been able to touch his knees with his hands when standing upright. He was claimed to be unsurpassed in his skill and graceful carriage as a horseman; and the jet black colour of his hair, his beard, and eyebrows, gained him in youth the title of “Kara,” meaning “Black”, Osman. The epithet “Kara,” which is often found in Turkish history is considered to imply the highest degree of manly beauty when applied to a person. He dressed simply, in the tradition of the first warriors of Islam, and like them he wore a turban of ample white linen, wreathed round a red center. His loose flowing caftan was of one color, and had long open sleeves.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Creasy, Edward S. History of the Ottoman Turks New and Revised Edition. London: Richard Bently and Son, 1878 Hardcover, ASIN B000NBHATK

Kinross, Lord. The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire. New York: Harper Perennial, 1979 paperback, ISBN 0688080936

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. New York: Gale Group, 2000 hardcover, ISBN 0787650153

Britannica DVD 2004 Ultimate Reference Suite Encyclopaedia. Brecon (UK): Bvg-Airflo Plc, 2003 DVD, ISBN 1593390858

Runciman, Steven. The Fall of Constantinople 1453; Reprint edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990 paperback ISBN 0521398320