Anatolian beyliks

Anatolian beyliks (; Ottoman Turkish: Tavâif-i mülûk, Beylik) were small Turkish principalities ruled by local beys. The earliest examples appeared after the late 11th century, but most were founded in the 13th century when the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum weakened.Douglas A. Howard, A History of Turkey, Cambridge University Press.

One of these principalities, the Ottoman beylik, ruled by the Osmanoğlu family of the Kayı tribe, expanded from its base in Bursa and eventually united the other beyliks, forming the Ottoman Empire by the end of the 15th century.Colin Imber, The Ottoman Empire, Google Books edition.

The word beylik refers to a territory governed by a bey, similar to a small principality or duchy in medieval Europe.Mohamed Hedi Cherif & Daniel Panzac, Histoire économique et sociale de l'Empire ottoman, Peeters Publishers.

 History 

After the Seljuk victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Oghuz Turkic groups began settling across Anatolia. The Seljuks organized frontier regions under appointed uç beys, who defended borderlands and received military support in return for loyalty.Claude Cahen, Pre-Ottoman Turkey, Internet Archive.

Mongol pressure in the 13th century weakened Seljuk authority. Ilkhanid commanders gained influence, and many Turkish leaders who had served the Seljuks declared independence. These new rulers often cooperated with former Seljuk officials, religious leaders, and ghazi warriors from Persia and Central Asia.

As Byzantine control declined, Turkish settlement expanded westward. New beyliks formed in these regions and fought against Byzantines, Genoese, Crusader orders, and each other.Speros Vryonis, The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor, University of California Press.

By around 1300, Turkish principalities controlled much of western Anatolia. The strongest early beyliks were the Karamanids and the Germiyanids. The Ottoman beylik, still small at this time, was located around Söğüt. Along the Aegean coast, the beyliks of Karasi, Saruhan, Aydın, Menteşe, and Teke emerged. In the north, the Candar dynasty ruled around Kastamonu and Sinop.Kate Fleet, European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State, Cambridge University Press.

Under Osman I, the Ottomans expanded at Byzantine expense. After annexing the Beylik of Karasi and crossing into Europe in 1354, they became rivals to the Karamanids. By the late 14th century, the Ottomans had absorbed many beyliks, though some briefly regained territory after the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Ankara (1402).

Ottoman rulers Mehmed I and Murad II reincorporated most beyliks within 25 years. Mehmed II ended Karamanid independence, and Selim I later annexed the Ramadanids and Dulkadirids. By the mid‑16th century, nearly all former beylik lands were fully integrated into the Ottoman Empire.

 List of beyliks 
 Beyliks founded after Manzikert (1071) 
In this list are the principalities founded soon after the Seljuk victory at Manzikert. These early beyliks were mostly in eastern Anatolia and often served as vassals or rivals of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum.


 Beylik Capital Dates Beylik of Smyrna İzmir 1081–1098 Shah-Armens Ahlat 1110–1207 Artuqids Hasankeyf, Mardin, Harput 1102–1409 Danishmend Sivas 1071–1178 Dilmaçoğlu Bitlis 1085–1398 İnaloğlu Diyarbekir 1095–1183 Mengujekids Erzincan, later Divriği 1072–1277 Saltukids Erzurum 1072–1202 Beylik of Çubukoğulları Harput 1085–1112 Beylik of Tanrıbermiş Alaşehir 1071–1098

 Beyliks founded after Köse Dağ (1243) 
These beyliks emerged after the Mongol victory at Köse Dağ weakened Seljuk central power and opened western Anatolia to new Turkish settlement.

 Beylik Capital Dates Ahiler Ankara c.1290–1362 Alaiye Alanya 1293–1471 Aydinids Birgi, later Ayasluğ 1300–1425 Candar Eflani, later Kastamonu, Sinop 1291–1461 Dulkadirids Elbistan, later Maraş 1348–1522 Eretnids Sivas, later Kayseri 1335–1390 Germiyanids Kütahya 1300–1429 Hamidids Eğirdir 1300–1391 Karamanids Larende (Karaman) 1250–1487 Karasids Balıkesir, later Bergama 1296–1357 Menteşe Milas 1261–1424 Ottoman beylik Söğüt, later Bursa and Edirne 1299–1922 Ramadanids Adana 1352–1608 Sarukhanids Manisa 1300–1410 Teke Antalya, later Korkuteli 1321–1423

 Society 
 Language 
The beyliks helped spread the Turkish language and Islamic culture across Anatolia.Gábor Ágoston & Bruce Masters, Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Unlike the Seljuks, who used Persian for administration, many beyliks adopted Turkish as a written and literary language.ibid.

 Art 
Despite limited resources, artistic production flourished. Architecture, woodwork, stone carving, and tile decoration show both Seljuk influence and new regional styles.Nurhan Atasoy, Arts of the Turkish World.

 Architecture 
Representative examples include the İlyas Bey Mosque (1404), İsa Bey Mosque (1375), and the Ulu Cami of Birgi (1312). Karamanid and Saruhanid buildings show early features that later became central to Ottoman architecture.Doğan Kuban, Ottoman Architecture.

 See also 
 History of Turkey
 Sultanate of Rum
 Taifa

 References 

 Sources 

 Douglas A. Howard, The History of Turkey, Cambridge University Press.
 Claude Cahen, Pre-Ottoman Turkey, New York University Press.
 Kate Fleet, European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State, Cambridge University Press.
 Speros Vryonis, The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor, University of California Press.

 External links 

Category:Anatolian beyliks
Category:Middle Eastern dynasties
Category:States in medieval Anatolia
Category:14th century in the Ottoman Empire
Category:15th century in the Ottoman Empire