Over the many hundreds of years during which the formation and development of our country took place, relations with the tribes living in the territory of present-day Turkey have been tense. The most powerful opponents have always been Ottoman Turks, whose dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire for many years.
Where did they come from?
In the middle of the first millennium AD, during the Great Migration of Nations that began, the first representatives of the Turkic-speaking tribes appeared in Asia Minor. But during the period of power and strength of Byzantium, when the central authority was still strong, they all successfully assimilated and did not exert a special influence on the history of that region. This went on for almost a thousand years. By that time, Byzantium was barely able to withstand the constant blows of the Arabs, and therefore could not effectively resist attempts of external penetration.
At the same time, the Seljuks moved their capital deep into Anatolia, which was located in close proximity to Byzantine lands. From the arrived Oghuz Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Persians over the next years, the formation of those Turks that we know today began. But this process was very long and difficult, since many ethnic groups lived in those parts from ancient times, many of which professed Christianity.
Türks are not Turks
Even the appearance of a large number of Turks, who had already professed Islam by that time, had not fundamentally changed the situation. Oddly enough, for hundreds of years, representatives of the two religions quite peacefully coexisted with each other, even though it was the Turks who occupied leading positions in power.
And therefore, “Turks”, who later turned into Turks, can be called with a stretch only the “core” of that society, while the rest of the population initially had nothing to do with this ethnic group. So how did the Ottomans generally appear, the dynasty of which then ruled for several centuries?
The formation of the Ottoman Sultanate
A mixture of Islam and the traditional tribal structure of the Turks themselves determined the features of the resulting sultanate. As a result - a weak center, managed not only by the ruler, but also by the bureaucracy. Incidentally, it was not the Turks who played the dominant role in it, but all the same Greeks and Armenians. The outlying provinces were ruled by a whole "vassal institution", in the role of which were influential bei. Accordingly, these “districts” were called beiliks. From one came the Ottomans. Their dynasty began with one particularly perspicacious ruler.
Such a state of affairs could not bring to good. Ultimately, it was the Beys who began to rule the country, using the extensive network of their relatives at court. In the 13th century, the history of the future of Turkey was almost about to end: first, Shiite sectarians rebelled, and then the Mongols invaded. The Sultan is dead. The Beiliks were also in distress ... Except for the one that belonged to Bey Osman.
In 1299, he became the ruler of his own state, since, by and large, there was no one to obey him. It was he who was the historical figure from whom all subsequent Ottoman sultans went.
Assimilation of Byzantine Provinces
Osman was very lucky: the center of the pro-Mongol state was far away, and the weak and decrepit Byzantium was close. He began to gradually attach its provinces to his country, at the same time paying off part of the loot from the Mongol emissaries. The successors of the nimble Bey became the successors of a successful policy: first they finally “raked” all of Asia Minor under themselves, and afterwards they reached the Balkans.
In 1396, the Turks were able to defeat the combined army of the Crusaders, and in 1400 even went on the attack of Constantinople. The first time they did not succeed, but still the days of the old Byzantium were finally numbered. In 1453, Constantinople was still taken from the second attempt, and all territories, including the Balkan Peninsula, finally fell under Ottoman rule.
Way to the East
In 1475, the Crimean Khanate also recognized itself as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. After that, the most important trade routes fell into the hands of the Turks, which they could not use. In 1514, the empire strengthened and managed to defeat the Safavid army of Iran. After that, the country gets free access to the Arab East and, more importantly, sharply grows its own territories. Already in 1516, the Turks completely occupied all of Syria and rushed on. The Ottoman sultans "on horseback" in the literal and figurative sense.
Just a year later, they invade Egypt, at the same time completely abolishing the power of the Caliphs. Moreover, the latter turned out so successfully that the Turkish Sultan became almost the official successor of the last caliph, which completely avoided the inevitable struggle for power and civil war in this situation. In principle, even in the other case, the Sultan would still have been warmly received by the “electorate”, since over the past few years, the Ottoman Empire has grown rapidly, became wealthy, and treated well the conquered peoples, and therefore there were enough people willing to join it.
It is difficult to consider this an accident, since in a few years the small Bay province has already been able to prove the presence of smart rulers by pursuing an independent and reasonable policy. It was the Ottomans, whose dynasty achieved outstanding success, that elevated Turkey to the top of its greatness. The former Turkic allotment has grown and intensified so much that it has become a serious threat to the whole of Europe and the Russian Empire.
In addition, the Turks left the world a developed culture, many of which are still the pride of museums around the world. But who were the Ottoman sultans? The list of rulers in our article cannot give their list in full (it is too large), but gives a basic idea of them.
The most significant sultans of the Ottomans
Of course, we cannot but dwell on the personality of Osman I Gazi. It was he who was the ruler of a small province of the Turkic sultanate, later rising to the ruler of an independent state. Who was he, this man?
Born in 1258, died in 1324 (according to the annals). Contemporaries considered him a "brave and strong-willed man", possessing a "barbaric, but fair nature." He has been on the throne since 1281. Buried in Bursa, his tomb became the pilgrimage center of all the righteous Muslims of that time. All Turkish rulers, entering into the rights of government, pronounced the words of the oath ... which was knocked out on the tomb of the first Ottoman, acting as an epitaph. So, the Ottoman sultans in order ...
Sultan Orhan
Years of life - from 1281 to 1360. He was the youngest son of Osman. He completed the capture of
Asia Minor, created regular troops (the very Janissaries), the first of the Ottoman rulers began a deliberate conquest of Europe. It is Orhan who is considered the man to whom the Turks owe the formation of their ethnic group.
Sultan Murad II
The personality is no less bright than all its outstanding predecessors. He lived between 1403 and 1451. He strengthened the Ottoman state, severely suppressing all internal troubles and civil strife. During his reign, Pope Eugene V called on all Christians to the next Crusade. The absurdity of the situation was that Murad was not at all an enemy of Christians: two faiths coexisted perfectly in his country, his wife was the daughter of the Serbian king, who freely professed Christianity.
He agreed to the disadvantageous terms of the contract that was proposed by the Vatican. The Crusaders sealed him with an oath on the Gospel, and he on the Koran. But soon papal legates broke their word. The battle of Varna happened. The crusaders were utterly defeated, and the Turks got a direct path to the lands of Eastern Europe. Who were the other Ottoman sultans, whose chronology of rule is examined on the pages of our article.
Sultan Suleiman I Kanuni
The name of this person is probably known to everyone who is fond of the series "The Magnificent Century." He lived between 1495 and 1566. Known as the "Great", "Magnificent", "Lawgiver." Perhaps it was the last of a series of first Ottomans, truly worthy of the glory of their ancestors. Under him, Turkey really lived its peak of prosperity, and with its descendants, the collapse and extinction of the empire began. We can say that the Ottoman dynasty during the Suleiman the Magnificent began to wither, because he could not raise a worthy descendant.
He expanded the boundaries of his empire so that its outskirts reached
the Strait of Gibraltar. He dreamed of following in the footsteps of Macedon and uniting the whole world under the wing of his country, he carried out many reforms that remained relevant until the 20th century.
The story also retained his affection for the favorite Roksolana, who managed to become officially his wife. This could not have been achieved by any other concubine in the previous two hundred years. In the last years of his life he headed a campaign against Hungary, but did not live to see victory. His death was hidden until the Sultan Selim ascended the throne. He was the son of Suleiman and Roxolana. A drunkard and a weak-willed man, he began the collapse of the empire. Who were the other Ottomans (dynasty of Turkish sultans)?
Sultan Murad IV
Years of life - 1612-1640 He ruled for 17 years, "became famous" as a bloody dictator. But his reign also had positive results - it was Murad who managed to put an end to the flourishing collapse of the army and the arbitrariness of the viziers. He killed just for the sake of murder, he managed to return justice to the courts ... He returned Erivan and Baghdad already lost by then, but he did not manage to enjoy the fruits of victory. He was an extremely sane and even self-critical person, but on his deathbed he ordered his brother Ibrahim to be strangled. He was the last male heir to the Ottomans, but ...
His mother saved him. Ibrahim ruled in the years 1640-1648. Weak ruler, masterful and extremely lustful man: for him, concubines were caught even in city baths. Often, the beauties turned out to be the wives and daughters of prominent citizens, and officials at the palace had to spend huge sums on settling things ... In the end, the entire clergy and Janissaries were completely tired of this mess, the excessively “loving” ruler was simply strangled. What were the rest of the Ottoman sultans, whose reign was marked by the final decline of the once great empire?
Sultan Mahmoud II
He lived between 1784 and 1839. I sincerely respected Peter the Great and dreamed of becoming a reformer of the Ottomans empire, which had decayed and rickety . He created mail, paid great attention to book printing, published newspapers and completely reformed almost the entire state apparatus. But all this was done too late: it was already impossible to stop the collapse of the state. Known for turning to Nicholas I for help when it was necessary to crush the uprising in the Egyptian provinces.
The Russian army itself was in the mood for the return of Constantinople to the fold of the Orthodox Church, and “purely technically” it was possible to do so. But Nicholas I did not want to spoil relations with England and France, and a weak Turkey was much more profitable than a strengthened Egypt. Mahmud himself did not live long, at the 54th year of his life he died, without leaving his next binge.
Do Ottomans live in our time? The dynasty in our time, we can say, has not been preserved. There are no direct heirs, only distant descendants live in Turkey and Europe.