Reigned from 1258-1326
Osman Gazi, also known as Osman I or Osman Bey was the leader of the Ottoman Turks and the father of the Ottoman Empire.
Sultan Osman Gazi, founder of the Ottoman Empire
He was born in the of town of Sogut in 1258 to his father, Ertugrul Gazi, and his mother, Hayme Sultan. He was described as being a tall man with a round face and a dark complexion. He had thick eyebrows and hazel coloured eyes. A broad man who wore a Horasan crown made of red broad cloth in the style of Cagatay.
During Osman Beys lifetime, the Ottoman Empire was really only a state which was quite small in principality (beylik). The Empire was named after him as the founder and would go on to become one of the most powerful empires in the world, spanning over six decades after his death.
Osman is remembered as a brilliant leader who was fair, gracious and brave. A man who helped the poor, giving his clothes to those less fortunate and every day he would give a lavish meal for all those who were in his house.
In 1281, at the age of just 23, Osman Gazi became the leader of Kayi Clan in Sogut – his home town, thanks in part to his incredible riding and fencing skills. He married Mal Sultana, also known as Malhun Hatun, who was the daughter of the famous Ömer Bey. She gave birth to their son, Orhan, who would succeed the throne in 1326.
Area of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Osman I
Osman Bey also had another son by the name of Alaeddin Paşa (or Alaeddin Bey). There is some doubt over which of the brothers was the oldest, with some historians believing that Alaeddin was the elder. Nonetheless, it was Orhan who became the ruler of the Ottoman Empire in 1326 and it is though that his skills as a warrior made him a better fit for leadership than his more passive brother. Alaeddin died in either 1331 or 1332 and is buried in Bursa.
Osman I also married a second time in 1289 to the daughter of Sheikh Edebali, Bala Hatun.
Osman’s Dream
Osman Gazi highly respected and appreciated the opinions Sheikh Edebali, who was a famous Ahi Sheikh and he would often visit Edebali in his home at Eskisehir where a dervish (those following a Sufi Muslim ascetic path, known for their extreme poverty and austerity) group would meet.
Illustration of Osman rallying Gazi warriors into battle.
It was here as a guest of Edebali that Osman Bey had a now famous dream. He rushed to tell Edebali in the morning as the sun rose:
My Sheik, I saw you in my dream. A moon appeared in your breast. It rose, rose and then descended into my breast. From my navel there sprang a tree. It grew and branched out so much, that the shadow of its branches covered the whole world. What does my dream mean?
Edebali took a moment to interpret the dream and he told Osman:
Congratulations Osman! God Almighty bestowed sovereignty upon you and your generation. My daughter will be your wife, and the whole world will be under the protection of your children.
The Death of Osman Gazi
During his reign as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Osman Bey, led them to modest success as an independent principality, eventually overcoming the Byzantine Empire in his last campaign in the city of Bursa. This battle served as a staging ground for the battle to come, in the fall of Constantinople.
The founder of the Ottoman Empire – which rose from Anatolia and became an empire that would reign for over six centuries across three continents -Osman Gazi, died of gout in Bursa in 1326.
When he died, he left behind a pair of high boots, horse armour and a few horses, three herds of sheep, a lance and a sword, salt and spoon containers and a few sun jacks.