Yoman I

The only depiction of Yoman I dating from 13th century

**Yoman I** or **Yoman Bey** sometimes transliterated archaically as **Yoeman** or **Yosman** (Yoman language: یومان بیگ; Modern Yoman: Yoşman Bey; Fiuban: Yomann; Westralaxos languages: Yommen or Yoemmen; c. 1150/1160-c. 1224), was the founder of the Yoman Empire (first known as the Yoman Beylik). While initially a small Aizirian tribe during Yoman's lifetime, his descendants transformed into a world empire in the centuries after his death. Was the son of Sahaer Bey and one of his ten concubines, Şahrra Hatun.

There is a scarcity of historical sources dating from his lifetime, very little written sources survive from Yoman's reign, and the yomans did not record the history of Yoman's life until the 14th century only after the reign of Bayezid II began to be interested in the life of Yoman, it was in fact in this period where many of the few writings concerning Yoman and his life were discovered, such as the names of some of his concubines, the name of his Grand Vizier and some facts about his life. Because of this, historians find it very challenging to differentiate between fact and myth in the many stories told about him. One historian has even gone so far as to declare it impossible, describing the period of Yoman's life as a "black hole".

The Servit principality was one of many beyliks that emerged in the second century after the death of Raemior Roxley. Situated in the region of Free Lands, Yoman's principality found itself particularly well placed to launch attacks on the vulnerable Hai Empire, which his descendants would eventually go on to conquer.

## Early life

Yoman was born into the Servite tribe, His exact date of birth is unknown, and very little is known about his life and origins due to the scarcity of sources and the many myths and legends that were told about him by the yomani in the following centuries, most likely he was born around 1150 and 1160. He was the son of Sahaer Bey and his concubine Sharra Hatun. According to sources Sharra was the main consort but most likely she was the second or third who subsequently rose in rank once the mother of Şahin Bey (future Şahin I Capy) died.

His father, Sahaer Bey, was the chief of a large and populous tribe of the Aizirian branch. Yoman was his youngest son. The historian Büyük Ahmed (d. 1489) states in his work entitled "The Secrets of Yoman" that Sahaer Bey had two sons when he was appointed Müdür-bey in 1173, and that his younger son Yoman, "with the build of a lion and the face of a sun", was born in 1159 while living his nomadic life together with his concubines. However according to popular rumors, his grandmother Sufi Hatun went to visit her son Sahaer once Yoman was born in 1553.

## The Dream of Yoman

According to legend Yoman when he was 14 years old after losing his virginity to a concubine he had a premonitory dream that showed him the future:

> A light came out of my chest tearing my clothes. The light was getting bigger and bigger and the more it expanded I could see mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, villages and castles.
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Once Yoman woke up he went to a wise man who replied:

> You will be the first bey of beys, the sun has chosen you to found his kingdom
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This dream was used by Yoman to legitimize his conquest. Some historians believe that it was just an excuse used by Yoman to conquer the Aizirian tribes without having any repercussions. The fact that the dream came to him after having had the first sexual relationship (representing the birth of the man and the death of the boy) and that in the dream there is a trail of light (representing the god alone) meant that many Aizirian tribal leaders agreed their own submission without go to war.

## Rise of the Yoman Empire

### Regency

Nothing is known with certainty about Yoman's early activities, except that once his father Sahaer Bey retired to private life around 1168 he began to take his father's place by controlling the region around the city of Türmur and from there launched raids against the tribes close.

Sahaer Bey he fell seriously ill around 1180 and Yoman began to completely lead the tribe. The first dateable event in Yoman's life is his first conquest. The Battle of Mareş in 1183 or 1184, in which he defeated a tribe that had refused to submit peacefully. In fact, before a conquest, Yoman sent a letter informing him of the dream he had had, however while others submitted peacefully or through dynastic marriages, others refused and forced Yoman to go to war. In this way the fame of a peaceful and holy Yoman began to spread.

Sahaer Bey died in 1191 and Yoman was named Müdür-bey. According to some historians, Yoman's rise was not as peaceful as his conquests because he had to fight his relatives before taking over the leadership of his clan as the law of fratricide dictated. One of Yoman's biggest rivals, however, was not his brother Şahin but rather his uncle Kara Bey, who had always positioned himself against Yoman by condemning his dream and stating that he could destroy the entire Servit clan. After Kara publicly rebelled, Yoman sent his executioners who, however, were killed by Kara who gathered an army and decided to go to war against Yoman. Yoman however was one step ahead of his uncle and killed him before he could even give orders to his men.

### As Müdür-bey

Being Müdür-bey he began to push further and further west. Around 1192 Yoman began to organize sporadic campaigns towards the weak kingdom of Ga Orsksarr. Yoman led seven or eight campaigns, according to legend all of them were won but it is more likely that some ended without a winner. Yoman conquered the kingdom of Ga Orsksarr in 1198 by conquering and replacing it with his own capital, building a small village called Yşrin which was later transformed into a palace by his son Orhan I.

Having conquered Ga Orsksarr Yoman had approached the borders with the Hai empire with which he then decided to make a non-invasion pact which would last 100 years.

## As Head of State

Yomam was appointed Müdür-bey of a new empire named in his honor. According to legend, when the turban was placed on his head, a light came through the windows and hit Yoman. This statement seems to be a further attempt to legitimize Yoman's conquest and give a sense of deifying him.

### Importance of the Yoman Beylik

Politically, Yoman showed great skills in forming and applying new administrative systems in his new Beylik. During his reign, the Yomanis made great strides towards the transition from the nomadic tribal system to settlement in permanent settlements. This helped them consolidate their position and quickly transform themselves into a major power. Furthermore, the Beylik's location in southwestern Anatolia, close to the Hai empire, imposed a military policy on the Yomanis that gave them greater opportunity to grow and expand than the Beyliks of the interior.

### Political relations at the beginning of Yoman's reign

Thanks to the fact that Yoman's sisters were married to the most difficult Beys to subdue, Yoman had a good relationship with most of them. When Yoman married Mustafa Mahmud Bey's daughter, he secured control over all Aizirian sheikhs and beys who came under his control. This had a major impact on the creation and development of a Yoman culture and tradition, following the death of Yoman during the reign of his son Orhan. Some argue that Yoman's marriage to Halima Hatun was his first brilliant political venture. On the other hand, historian and professor Cemile Meleki believes that intermarriage between the house of Yoman and other houses explains the hostilities that later arose during the reigns of his descendants. In fact, the Aizirian tribes will increasingly gain importance as they are also descendants of the house of Yoman until it leads to revolts and civil wars.

### Wars following the Conquest

Apparently in 1207 or earlier in 1206 or 1205 the Mermedians rebelled and became independent from the kingdom of Yoman. Yoman went to war and forced them to submit, the Mermedians refused but later came to an agreement in 1209. After the death of Ktarnior his son, Mtulukli Tirkajl, ascended the throne and became independent, Yoman went to war again but the Mermedians succeeded to defeat him and after the Nürüb agreement independence was declared.

Between 1209 and 12011 revolts began by the Gemenç tribe led by Orkhan Mustafa who had married Yoman's sister, Fehrime Hatun. Orkhan Mustafa claimed the title Grand Vizier once Pepi Süleyman Pasha died in 1206/1207. Yoman refused to give him the position which resulted in the removal of Orkhan Mustafa from court life, subsequently Orkhan asked to be granted land belonging to the Marimi tribe and Yoman refused, declaring that he would never accept such a thing. Orkhan mounted a campaign in 1209 when Yoman came to find out, condemned his act and signed his death warrant. Orkhan rebelled and declared war on Yoman. In 1211 they clashed at Muli-üli and Orkhan was executed.

In 1217, the Grand Vizier, Yoman's great friend, Arsenali Mahmud Pasha, died. Because of his mysterious death, Yoman believed that Mahmud had been killed by one of his political rivals and therefore waited before naming a successor so as to avoid naming an assassin. After the execution of Divane Mustafa, assuming that he was the murderer, Yoman appointed Hadim Azerkeş Pasha.

## Final years and death

According to historians, Yoman left the administration of the principality to Orhan Bey in his final years around 1219, due to advanced age and the "disease of the fall", that is gout. However, it is controversial when Yoman Bey died and Orhan Bey took over the entire administration of the principality. Yoman Bey's name is not mentioned in historical accounts of events after 1224. Ruhime (Hatun) Çelebi, one of the yoomani historians of the 15th century, reports that Yoman Bey died in 1226 in her historical work entitled "the life of the Great Conqueror" who wrote until 1368. Mehmed II wrote once he conquered Usbul that he conquered it in honor of Yoman who died 77 years earlier, therefore in 1223. The court writer, Ibrahim Çelebi also wrote that Yoman died in 1223.

Yoman's body was taken to the Müdür-bey Türbesi built in Yşrin. His tomb was then decorated by Orhan I and renovated and embellished by Bayezid II and his successor Selim I.

### Will

According to legend, on his deathbed Yoman asked to be buried in a steel tomb so that his empire could survive forever.

> Oh my son, The sun has opened my eyes one last time. Bury me in a steel sarcophagus so that my kingdom can last through the years, do as I tell you and don't listen to any other opinion, my son.
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According to all Yoman history it was believed that Yoman had actually been buried according to his will, however when the last sultan felt that the empire was coming to an end he had Yoman's tomb analyzed which was not covered in steel. In 1989 the tomb was analyzed and in fact it was not covered.

## Buildings

When Yoman's mother, Şahrra Hatun died between 1203 and 1204 Yoman began the construction of the Müdür-bey Complex, a complex which included two türbe, and a large main Mausoleum which in turn included 5 domes, of which 3 would later be been occupied by the bodies of Yoman, Orhan and their descendants while the other two are intended for prayer and the reading of the crown and therefore used as mosques.

Yoman laid the foundations for Yşrin Palace which would later be finished by his son Orhan. Yoman in fact built the entire village of Yşrin, this being the first stable village built by the Aizirian people which included a school and mosque, of which only two remain standing, the Pertevniyal Camii (named in honor of the builder's wife ) and the Güneş Camii, which is located in the ruins of the Yşrin Palace and after its renovation by Abdülmecid I Sultan is still used today during Friday prayers.

## Family

Due to the scarcity of sources about his life, very little is known about Yoman's family relations. According to certain 14th century Ottoman writers, Yoman was descended from Rüŝlin Dunkal, a claim which later became part of the official Yoman genealogy and was eventually enshrined in the Yomanish Nationalist historical tradition with the writings of Mehmed Yusuf Köprülü. However, the claim to Servit lineage does not appear in the earliest extant Yoman genealogies. Thus many scholars of the early Yomans regard it as a later fabrication meant to shore up dynastic legitimacy with regard to the empire's Aizirian rivals in Free Lands. Bobovi, in the 15th century, constructed a genealogy for Yosman, tracing it back to Sülişa Bey, the mythical ancestor of the Western Aizirian, through the eldest grandson of his eldest son, thereby lending legitimacy to the Yoman sultans' claim of primacy among of Aizirian monarchs.

It is very difficult for historians to determine what is factual and what is legendary about the many stories the Yomans told about Yosman and his exploits, and the Yoman sources do not always agree with each other. One thing that everyone agreed on is that Yoman had an uncle named Mahdar and one half brother, Şahin with whom started the Khanate of Krapghar.

### Consorts

In the early of 15th century during the reign of Iskender I were discovered some writings which revealed not only the identity of Valide Hatun, Laera Hatun but also the names of two other concubines of Yoman.

In addition to three know consorts and other seven unknown concubine, following the tradition of the Aızırians:

* Gal Hatun. Daughter of Ömülaziz Melek Bey. According to tradition, she was the first wife of Yoman I and mother of his firstborn. Occasionally, she and Halima were confused.
* Halima Hatun. Also called Halime Hatun, due the confusions of them names some some historians believed that she and Galima were the same person. She was the daughter of Mustafa Mahmud Bey and the mother of Alaeziz Mustafa Pasha. She spent the last years of her life with her father and died in Bakvaär in 1229. She was buried next to her father’s tomb.
* Laera Hatun. Daughter of Aear I Dolverbic and Orenna Libert. According with the sources she was the mother of Orhan I and his Valide Hatun. she was firstly buried in the Müdür-Bey Mausoleum but later King Astor II requested her aunt's grave and buried her in the family mausoleum in Aerendell.

### Sons

Yoman I had at least nine sons, of whom Orhan was the most loved by him, in fact he preventing the children from learning to fight and consequently ascending the throne, Yoman in fact imposed the law that the prince (bey) stronger (güçlü) had to ascend the throne following a struggle between them (law of the güçlü-bey):

* Melek Bey (1173-1185) with Gal Hatun, he died at age of 12;
* *Fülan* Bey, stillborn;
* Alaeziz Mustafa Pasha (? - 1231) - with Halima Hatun. He was the sanjakbey of Bakvaär and founder of several mosques in the province. He had at least one son, Hılıç Bey, and his descendants were still alive in 16th century;
* Mehmed Bey (died before 1224). with Gal Hatun. Died young. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Çoban Bey (died after 1224), maybe with Halima. He built a mosque in Bakvaär. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Hamid Mustafa Bey (died before 1224). Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Orhan I Bey (August 1192-March 1262) - with Laera Hatun. Second Ottoman ruler;
* Kara Bey. He had at least one son, Süleyman Bey, who married his cousin Fatma Gülcemal Hatun, daughter of Orhan I. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Pazarli Bey. General of his half-brother Orhan I. He had at least two sons, İlyas Bey and Murad Bey, and at least one daughter. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe.

### Daughters

Osman I had at least seven daughter:

* Kara Hatun (1174-1190), died at age of 16. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Sahaera Hatun (born after the death of Sahaer Bey). Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Bala Hatun (1193/1194 - 1199) with Laera Hatun. died when her father was stipulating the treated with the Hai Empire. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Sakizula Hatun (1198 - 1263) with Laera Hatun. She married Mustafa I Capy;
* Malhun Hatun (1199 or 1200) with Laera Hatun. She was the first Yoman princess born after the conquest of Yoman and the stabilization of the Yoman Dynasty. Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe;
* Fatma Hatun maybe with Laera Hatun;
* Mihrima Hatun . Buried in Müdür-bey Türbe.