History of the Ottoman Empire/Establishment of Ottoman State

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 * After the Mongols invaded Anatolia in 1255, the indigenous Turks were reduced to peasant status.


 * Osman Gazi's father, Ertuğrul Gazi, died in 1281. Osman Gazi then became the leader of the Ottomans, named after him, and founded the Ottoman Empire in Bilecik, Anatolia in 1299.


 * Osman Gazi was initially a peaceful leader. But, Anatolian Turkish Beyliks fought with each other. The Ottomans attacked Karesiogullari Beylic and won, thus gaining the armada of Karesiogulları Beylic.


 * The Ottomans next made war with the Byzantine Empire in 1302 and captured a few Byzantine castles and cities.


 * Osman Gazi died in 1324, and his son, Orhan Gazi became sultan.


 * Orhan captured Bursa from the Byzantine Empire in 1326.


 * He then captured the Kocaeli peninsula in 1329 and the Çimpe Castle, Rumelian in 1353, steadily gaining power.


 * Sultan Orhan Gazi died in 1362, and his son, Murat I became the sultan of the Ottoman State.


 * Murat captured Edirne, Rumelian in 1362 and made it the the capital of the Ottoman State.


 * The Crusader army came in 1364, but were defeated by the Ottomans, who captured more Rumelian castles and cities.


 * The Ottomans entered the Balkans, again facing the Crusaders, who attacked Ottoman cities in the Balkans, including Kosovo, in 1389. The Ottomans won, but Murat was killed.


 * His son, Yıldırım Bayezid then became Sultan of the Ottoman State. By this time, the Ottomans were the strongest state in Anatolia and the Balkans.

Quiz on Establishment of the Ottoman State