Dynastic Origins of the Ottomans

This is the last of my posts in this little trilogy, aimed at explaining the ethnic, religious and dynastic origins of the Ottomans. When I was a little girl my grandfather, Prince Ali Vâsıb, told me that being a Turk, a Moslem and an Ottoman, all rolled into one, was what made us special. I still remember him telling me that. So, I felt it was important to give an insight into the background of these three characteristics. Not because they applied to him or to me, but because they account for the make-up of all members of my family and of the characters in my novel. I know there will be many Turks who will relate to this sentiment too.

Süleyman Shah

The Ottoman family can trace their line back to the early 12^th century – to a line of tribal chiefs of the Kayı clan. Their territory is believed to have been near Mahan, between Khorasan and Turkestan. The Mongols, under Gengiz Khan, invaded these lands which caused the Kayı to flee.

Legend recounts that their leader, Süleyman Shah, led his tribe westwards, away from the danger, in search of new and fertile lands. They reached the Euphrates River, but it would not be Süleyman Shah’s destiny to go any further. He drowned while trying to cross the river near the Castle of Qal’at Ja’bar, close to Aleppo.  

The Tomb of Süleyman Shah

Süleyman Shah was buried near this castle, overlooking the Euphrates Valley. Interestingly, his mausoleum remained under Turkish sovereignty after WWI, despite being located in the newly formed state of Syria. It became the only exclave of Turkey. This shows the immense importance attached to the significance of the grandfather of the Ottoman Sultans.

Operation Shah Euphrates

This importance and sincere reverence continues today. During the Syrian Civil War the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) threatened to attack the tomb, and the Turkish soldiers guarding it. In February 2015, the government in Ankara acted decisively. ‘Operation Shah Euphrates‘ was initiated. This was a Turkish military operation into Syrian territory. It resulted in the safe evacuation of the Turkish garrison and the temporary removal of the remains of Süleyman Shah.

I could not be more grateful to the Turkish Government for all they did and all they risked. Perhaps it was kismet. The man who had saved the Kayı people, was himself saved by descendants of his tribe.

Ertuğrul Gazi

Ertuğrul assumed leadership of the Kayı tribe on the death of his father Süleyman Shah. He continued to lead his people westwards, through Diyarbakir and onto the Pasinler Plateau near Erzurum. They settled here temporarily, between the lands of the Byzantines, the Seljuks and the Mongols. After spending some years here, the tribe moved further west to Kayseri, and then onto lands near Ankara.  

A Battle that Changed the Course of History

It was here that they encountered a raging battle.  Ertuğrul and his brother Dündar decided to engage their small force of skilled horsemen on the side of the weaker army.  This opportune involvement changed the course of the battle.  The warriors of the Kayı tribe had come to the aid of the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin, and had helped him achieve an important victory over the Byzantines.  As a reward, the Seljuk Sultan gave Ertuğrul some territory forming a frontier march around the town of Söğüt.  He was to act as defender of the Seljuk border against the Byzantine army.

Ertuğrul became a true gazi warrior, focused on weakening Christian Byzantium. In 1231 he captured the town of Söğüt. This enhanced his reputation as a gazi warrior, and encouraged other Turks to flock to his banner.

By the time of his death in 1281, Ertuğrul Gazi had not significantly expanded the territory that Sultan Alaeddin had bestowed on him. But he had laid the foundations upon which his descendants would build an Empire. He had acquired a small beylic on the important Byzantine frontier. He had defended himself and his tribe from the aggression of the neighbouring beylics. And he had fostered the support of a loyal and sophisticated tribe, with a fierce reputation for gazi frontier fighting.

Osman I

Osman inherited the beylic from his father in 1281, and became the chief of the Kayı  tribe.  He declared independence from the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in 1299, thereby establishing the Ottoman Principality that was to develop into the mighty and glorious Ottoman Empire.  The Ottomans were poised, ready to play their part in history…