history of Osman Gazi

 Osman I, also called Osman Gazi, (born c. 1258—died 1324 or 1326), ruler of a Turkmen principality in northwestern Anatolia who is regarded as the founder of the Ottoman Turkish state. Both the name of the dynasty and the empire that the dynasty established are derived from the Arabic form (ʿUthmān) of his name.

Osman was descended from the Kayı branch of the Oğuz Turkmen. His father, Ertugrul, had established a principality centred at Sögüt. With Sögüt as their base, Osman and the Muslim frontier warriors (Ghazis) under his command waged a slow and stubborn conflict against the Byzantines, who sought to defend their territories in the hinterland of the Asiatic shore opposite Constantinople (now Istanbul). Osman gradually extended his control over several former Byzantine fortresses, including Yenişehir, which provided the Ottomans with a strong base to lay siege to Bursa and Nicaea (now İznik), in northwestern Anatolia. Osman was succeded by his son Orhan, who captured Bursa on April 6, 1326. Ottoman tradition holds that Osman died just after the capture of Bursa, but some scholars have argued that his death should be placed in 1324, the year of Orhan’s accession.

Osman became Chief, or Bey, upon Ertuğrul's death in 1281. At that time, mercenaries flocked to his kingdom from all over the Islamic world to fight and hopefully plunder the Orthodox Empire which was weakening. The Turkish troops were constantly reinforced by a flood of refugees fleeing the Mongols. Among these, many were Ghazi warriors, or fighters for Islam, border fighters who believed they were fighting for the expansion or defense of Islam. After the death of the last prince of the family of Ala-ad-Din, to whom Osman's family had been indebted for its founding in Asia Minor, there was no other among the various emirs of that country who could compete with Osman for the head of the entire Turkish population and dominance over the entire peninsula except the Emir of Karamanogullari. A long and fierce struggle between the descendants of Osman and the Karamanogullari princes for ascendancy began during Osman's lifetime and continued through the reigns of several of his successors. Osman himself had gained some advantages over his rival Karamanli, but the rich but vulnerable possessions of the Byzantine emperor in northeast Asia Minor were more tempting marks for his ambition than the plains of Karamanoglu, and c It was over the cities and the Greek armies that the triumphs of the last 26 years of Osman's life were achieved. The Turkish peoples were called Osmanli until the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Potential Rival Osman's uncle, the old Dundar, who had walked with Ertugrul from the Euphrates 70 years before, was still alive when Osman, in 1299, called a council of his main supporters and announced his intention to attack the important Greek fortress Keaprihissar. His uncle objected to this venture, fearing that it would provoke neighboring leaders, Turkish and Greek alike, to the detriment and possible destruction of the Osman tribe. Osman would not have answered a word, but would have killed his old uncle on the spot, as a lesson to potential adversaries. Military victories In 1301, after firmly defeating a Byzantine force near Nicaea, Osman began to locate his forces closer to areas controlled by the Byzantines. Large numbers of Ghazi warriors, Islamic scholars and dervishes began to settle in areas controlled by Osman, and migrants made up the bulk of his army. The influx of Ghazi warriors and adventurers from different walks of life to these lands prompted later Ottoman rulers to call themselves "Sultan of Ghazis" (Runciman 1990, p. 32). Alarmed by Osman's growing influence, the Byzantines gradually fled the Anatolian countryside and devoted their resources to the navy instead. The Byzantine rulers were determined to prevent Osman from entering Europe and attempted to contain the Ottoman expansion to the west. Osman, however, continued to push west and captured the Byzantine city of Ephesus near the Aegean Sea. Even more galvanized by the influx of migrants to his territory, Osman also moved east and seized Byzantine domains in the Black Sea region of Anatolia. Osman's last campaign, before he died of old age, was against the Byzantines in the city of Bursa (Runciman 1990, p. 33). Although Osman did not physically participate in the battle, victory at Bursa proved 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 the son of 'Osman, Orhan. Prophetic Vision Osman was 24 years old at the time of his accession and had already proven his skills as a leader and warrior. His early fortunes and exploits are favorite subjects with Middle Eastern writers, especially the love stories of his courting and his victory at the Mal Hatun Fair. Ottoman writers attach 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, his father Ertugrul went to visit a distant friend with his family, where they would spend the night. The host of the house shows Osman his room and everyone retires for the night. Right after he prepares for sleep, Osman notices the Quran hanging on the wall. His respect for the holy book of Islam prevents him from going to bed, and since he is a visitor, he cannot take the Quran out of the room. He decides to only sleep in the morning and sits down next to the sofa. However, he is unable to stay awake and falls asleep for a short time just before dawn. While he sleeps he dreams that he sees a croissant come out of the chest of his mentor, Sheikh Edebali, and enter his body. Then a huge plane tree emerges from its chest and covers the whole sky, shading the earth, people taking advantage and taking advantage of its shadow. He then wakes up. When he and his family return to their village, he tells this dream to Sheikh Edebali, who smiles after hearing the dream and tells Osman that Allah will grant him and his descendants a frormous empire and he will receive the hand. of Sheikh Edebali's daughter, Mal Hatun, in marriage. Due to his loyalty to Islam and his acuteness, courage and generosity, he was appointed leader of the Kayi clan. Ottoman sources often emphasize the prophetic significance of Osman's name, which means "bonebreaker," signifying the mighty energy with which he and his followers showed over the following centuries of conquest. The name is also given to a large species of vulture, commonly referred to as the king vulture, which is considered the emblem of sovereignty and warlike power in the East, comparable to the eagle in the nations of the West. Osman's Legacy The Growth of the Ottoman Empire The Ottomans, one of the many Turkish tribes in Asia Minor, were distinguished by their ability to transform military victories into effective political administration. Osman was as much a soldier as he was a skilled administrator. Although motivated by religious zeal and capable of cruelty to his enemies, he expanded his kingdom through tolerance and cooperation with Greek Christians. They praised the order, stability and security that Osman's rule brought in the face of a gradual collapse of the central administration in Constantinople. Freed from the heavy tax burden of Constantinople and allowed to conduct their affairs largely without interference, intermarriages between Greeks and Turks became common and large numbers of Christians eventually adopted the Muslim religion. This religious tolerance became the hallmark of Ottoman rule for the next 600 years. In literature Osman is celebrated by Middle Eastern writers for his personal beauty and for "his wonderful arm length and strength". Like Artaxerxes Longimanus of the ancient dynasty of Persian kings, Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms novel, Gautama the Buddha, and the Highland ruler of whom Wordsworth sang, Osman could have touched his knees with his hands while standing. law. He was claimed to be unmatched in his skill and graceful demeanor as a rider, and the jet black color of his hair, beard and eyebrows earned him in his youth the title of "Kara," which means "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 early warriors of Islam, and like them, he wore a loose white linen turban, wrapped around a red center. Her loose, loose kaftan was one color and had long, open sleeves.

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