SULTAN OSMAN GAZİ

Father: Ertuğrul Bey
Mother: (Unknown)
Date of Birth: 1258
Accession to the Throne : 1299 (1300)
Death: 1324

Born in 657 A.H, (1258 A.D.), he reigned for twenty-seven years. After the death of his father, Ertuğrul Gazi, he ruled over the Otloman principality from 680 A.H. He died when he was sixty-nine. Upon his conquest of the fortress of Bilecik, Alaeddin Keykubat, who is the ruler of the Seljuks of Rum, sent him "a horsetail, a standard and a drum" as the insignia of sovereignty in 699 A.H. (1299 A.D.). Thereupon, he minted coins and had the Friday prayers recited in his name alone. His grand vizier was his younger son, Alaeddin Pasha. Osman was the first to Ievy a tax of one "akçe".

Osman Gazi was surnamed "Black", which according to an ancient Turcoman tradition signifies brave and heroic. As we learn from the Oğuzname, the same epithet was given to Kara Yusuf, the ruler of Karakoyunlus, and to Kara Yülük Osman Bey, the Sultan of the Akkoyunlus. Osman is known to have away the poor the shirts (tunics) that he had worn the day before. Sultan Osman was a tall man with a broad and high chest and arms long enough to reach down to his knees when standing. With his deep, fine voice and clear, convincing manner of speech, Black Osman possessed a charismatic personality. He had dark brown eyes, thick eyebrows that joined together, a full round face, a ram-nose, a thin beard and long, thick mustache. His teeth were large and he had the appearance of a fierce lion.

Like disciples of Prophet Muhammed, he wore coiled turban of white brocade (çatma). His clothes had wide collars.