W-SR 11 The rise of the Ottoman Empire

Birth of Osman I

Jan 1, 1258

Osman was born in Sogut, Anatolia. He was born into Royalty.
His father was Ertuðrul Gazi, Chief of the Kayi Tribe. The Kayi's are an ancient tribe that inhabited modern day Turkey and his mother was Mal Hatun, daughter of Sheik Edebali.

Osman becomes chief of the Kayi Tribe

Jan 1, 1281

Osman becomes chief when his father dies. Mercenaries began coming into his kingdom from all over the Islamic world to fight against the weakening Byzantine Empire. Most of the Mercenaries were Gazi warriors ran westward by the Mongols. This is when the foundation for Osman's Empire was layed.

Osman Announces Independence of his own Small Kingdom

Mar 3, 1299

Osman claimed independence from the Seljuk Turks. He got pushed west by the Mongol invasions. This led more toward an Anatolian principality which Osman was eager to adopt. As the Byzantine Empire declines, the Ottoman Empire rose quickly.

Death of Osman I

Jan 1, 1324

Osman died in his birth city of Söğüt, Anatolia. He died at the age of 66 which was unheard of at his date in time. Due to age and increasing illness, he had placed his eldest son Orhan at the head of his troops. On his deathbed, Osman lived long enough to hear from his son of the surrender of Bursa.

Battle of Nicaea

Jan 1, 1331

The city of Nicaea (second only to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire) surrendered after a three-year battle in 1331. This is when the conquest of Orhan I began to expand towards Europe.

Orhan I's change of strategy

Jan 1, 1345

Instead of aiming to gain land from non-Muslims, Orhan took over a Turkish principality, Karesi. According to Islamic philosophy of war, the areas under Islamic rule were to be "abodes of peace,"and the other areas "abodes of war." In these war zones, starting a war was considered to be a good deed. Ottomans had to have special justification for conquering fellow Muslim Turkish principalities. Orhan's reason for invasion was that he was acting as a bringer of peace.

Consolidation Period

Period: Jan 1, 1346 to Jan 1, 1366

A twenty-year period of peace followed the conquering of Karesi. During this time, the Ottoman Empire was actively occupied in perfecting the civil and military institutions which Orhan's brother had introduced: securing internal order, funding and building mosques and schools, and the construction of vast public beliefs, many of which still stand. Orhan did not continue with any other conquests in Anatolia.

Death of Orhan I

Jan 1, 1361

Orhan I died at the age of seventy-nine, after a reign of thirty-seven years. He is buried in a tomb with his wife and children in Bursa. During his reign, some of the most important civil and military institutions of his state were founded in the western provinces of Anatolia, but were also planted on the European continent.

Battle of Kosovo

Jan 1, 1389

Effectively marked the end of Serbian power in the region, paving the way for Ottoman expansion into Europe. This battle was essentially the main turning point that led the Ottomans to begin expanding into Europe again.

Battle of Nicopolis

Jan 1, 1396

Widely regarded as the last large-scale crusade of the Middle Ages, and still failed to stop the advance of the victorious Ottomans. With the extension of Ottoman dominion into the Balkans, the strategic conquest of Constantinople became a crucial objective. At this point, the Empire controlled nearly all former Byzantine lands surrounding the city.