Osman Ghazi

Osman I was the leader 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 Oghuz Turks, according to later Ottoman tradition. However, many scholars of the early Ottomans regard it as a later fabrication meant to reinforce dynastic legitimacy. The Ottoman principality was one of many Anatolian beyliks that emerged in the second half of the thirteenth century. Situated in the region of Bithynia in the north of Asia Minor, Osman's principality found itself particularly well placed to launch attacks on the vulnerable Byzantine Empire, which his descendants would eventually go on to conquer. Osman's life is shrouded in mystery, as no contemporary sources survive from his reign, and the Ottomans did not record the history of his life until the fifteenth century, more than a hundred years after his death. Therefore, historians find it very challenging to differentiate between fact and myth in the many stories told about him. One of the most famous legends is the dream of Osman, in which he saw a tree growing from his navel, whose branches reached the four corners of the world, symbolizing the vast extent of his future empire. Another legend is his marriage to the daughter of Sheikh Edebali, a religious leader who allegedly gave him his blessing and uttered the famous words: "My daughter is yours; may your state endure until the end of time." Osman expanded his domain by conquering the Byzantine towns of Karacahisar, Yenişehir, İznik, and Bursa, which became his new capital. He also fought against the Mongols, who were the nominal overlords of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, to which Osman's principality nominally belonged. He refused to pay tribute to the Mongols and instead sought to consolidate his power and independence. He was succeeded by his son Orhan, who captured Bursa shortly after his death. Osman is revered as the father of the Ottoman dynasty and the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for over six centuries until the end of World War I.