“The problem of Ottoman origins has preoccupied students of history, but because of both the absence of contemporary source materials and conflicting accounts written subsequent to the events there seems to be no basis for a definitive statement.” - History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Cambridge University Press. (p. 13)

Ertugrul Bey & The Ottoman State

Spanning almost six (6) centuries, and based out of a small principality in the town of Söğüt on the western border of the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate to a world state spanning (vast portions of) three (3) continents (Asia, Africa & Europe) at its peak; this my fellow readers is the House of Osman or more popularly known as the Ottomans (other names for the Ottomans include “Devlet-i ʿAlīye-yi ʿOsmānīye” or “The Supreme Ottoman State”; “Osmanlı İmparatorluğu” or “Ottoman Empire” and “Osmanli Devleti” or “The Ottoman State”).

Without the Turkish TV series Diriliş: Ertuğrul/Resurrection: Ertuğrul, I suspect the vast majority of us would have known very little if not anything about the Kayi Tribe, Ertuğrul Bey himself and by extension, the Ottomans. The Ottoman state was founded by Ertugrul’s son, Osman I (Osman Gazi) in 1298/1299 AD, but Ertugrul’s work and the efforts he made formed the very foundation of the future Ottoman state.

Unfortunately when it comes to the origins of the Ottoman dynasty; Ertuğrul Ghazi and even his son Osman Ghazi, we either know very little or find it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction due to the fact that most of the information recorded from that time period wasn’t documented until a century or more after.

But this fact shouldn’t dampen one’s enthusiasm for the Ottomans or Ertuğrul Gazi and neither should it cast doubts about the Ottoman Empire (some academics are not a fan of the term “empire” in relation to the Ottomans) and its legacy. The origins of the Ottoman state however obscure is not a reason to question the validity of their leadership as we are able to make certain conclusions about Ertuğrul and his son Osman Bey regardless of the lack of information surrounding them both.

Their legacy and the sort of impact that the Ottomans consequently had on the world speaks for itself. Moreover, the negative ramifications of the culmination of the Ottoman Caliphate couldn’t be more evident, particularly in Muslim majority lands previously administered by the Ottomans.