Ertugrul bin Suleyman Shah was traveling with four hundred tents belonging to his Kayi tribe, a Turkish tribe, in search of a place to live. Coming from Central Asia, they were fleeing the Mongol invasion of the Islamic world and avoiding annihilation. While searching, Ertugrul heard a commotion in the distance...
As he approached, he found a battle raging, a fierce battle raging between two armies. An army carrying Islamic banners and an army carrying Crusader banners. Ertugrul steadfastly and enthusiastically ordered the 400 knights of the tribe to prepare to support their brothers in religion and faith, without even knowing who they were, and without fearing that his tribe and its knights would be annihilated by his involvement in a battle that did not concern them, as the stale nationalists of today see it. Ertugrul did not say, "My affair and my tribe's affair," but rather rushed without hesitation to support Islam, not even knowing the reasons for the battle or who the combatants were. The important thing was that one of them was a believer and the other an infidel...
Then the Muslim army saw knights who were unparalleled. They did not recognize them, nor did they know whether they had descended from the sky or emerged from the depths of the earth. They swooped down like a storm on the side of the Crusader army, which was superior in number and equipment. They fought like heroes, and were able to turn the Muslim defeat into victory, thanks be to God. The Crusader army was defeated, and the Seljuk Muslim army, led by Prince Alaeddin Seljuk, triumphed.
The Seljuk prince was greatly pleased with these people, their pure faith, and their support for him. He appreciated their stance and granted them land on the western borders of Anatolia, adjacent to the Byzantine frontier.
Ertugrul remained in the service of Alaeddin Seljuk, fighting the Mongols and the Crusaders until Alaeddin's death at the age of 96. After Ertugrul's death, his son, Osman bin Ertugrul, was appointed emir. From this small piece of land carved out for them by Alaeddin Seljuk, a Turkmen border emirate was established, serving the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and repelling Byzantine raids on Islamic lands.
After the fall of the Seljuk Sultanate, the Ottoman Empire gained independence. The Ottomans crossed into Eastern Europe for the first time after 1354 AD. In the following years, the Ottomans were able to conquer most of the Balkan countries, transforming their small emirate into a state. It was the first Islamic state to establish a foothold in the Balkans. The Ottomans were also destined to conquer Constantinople in 1453 AD, bringing down the Byzantine Empire after it had lasted eleven years. Over a century later, the Ottoman Empire became the most powerful state in the world, and its territories extended across vast areas of the three continents of the Old World: Europe, Asia, and Africa, becoming...
From the lineage of the brave, heroic, and warrior prince Ertuğrul bin Suleiman Shah, the most powerful sultans and caliphs of the world ruled, carrying the banner of Islam for more than 600 years...