c. 1299 CEReputable sourceWell documented
Osman I Founds the Ottoman State
On the timeline · around c. 1299 CE ·
What happened
Around 1299, a Turkish frontier chieftain named Osman I carved out a small principality (beylik) in northwest Anatolia, on the fraying edge of the Byzantine Empire. His followers took his name — Osmanli, or Ottomans.
Why it matters
From this tiny warband on a contested border would grow one of the largest and longest-lived empires in history, lasting more than 600 years.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Osman I · Reputable source