Ertuğrul Gazi is one of the prominent figures in our history. He is the father of Osman Bey, the founder of the Ottoman State. While it is certain that Ertuğrul Bey was the father of Osman Gazi, who founded the Ottoman Empire, there are disputes in historical sources regarding who Ertuğrul Gazi's father was. So what is the reason for this situation?
Was Ertuğrul Gazi's Father Really Süleyman Shah?
Our existing knowledge about Ertuğrul Gazi's personality and life is largely based on sources written after the period in which he lived. This situation raises important questions in terms of historical accuracy.
In the works of Georgios Pachymeres, one of the Byzantine (Roman) historians who lived during the same period as Ertuğrul Gazi, there is no record of Ertuğrul Gazi's name. Similarly, Byzantine historians Ioannes Kantakuzenos and Nikephoras Gregoras, who wrote in the 14th century, did not mention Ertuğrul Gazi in their works.
Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari, one of the renowned historians of the Islamic world, and the traveler Ibn Battuta, while providing detailed information about Osman Bey in their works written in the mid-14th century, remain completely silent about Ertuğrul Gazi. This situation leads to significant debates among historians.
Narratives about Ertuğrul Gazi mainly appear in the first Ottoman chronicles that began to be written from the early 15th century onwards. In these early Ottoman sources, it is consistently stated that the father of Osman Bey, the founder of the state, bore the name Ertuğrul and that the family descended from the Kayı tribe of the Oghuz Turks.
According to official sources, Ertuğrul Gazi's father is recorded as Süleyman Shah. While crossing the Euphrates River, Süleyman Shah drowned at the foot of today's Jaber Castle when his horse's hoof got stuck in a hole, and he was buried there, with a tomb built in his name. However, recent findings paint a different picture...
Conflicting Historical Accounts
Regarding who Ertuğrul Gazi's father was, early Ottoman Empire historians such as Ahmedi, Karamani Mehmet Pasha, Enveri, and Ruhi state that Ertuğrul Gazi's father was Gündüz Alp, son of Gök Alp, while some Ottoman historians including Aşıkpaşazade, Oruç Bey, and Neşri say that Ertuğrul Gazi's father was Süleyman Shah, son of Kaya Alp.
There is consensus among historians that Süleyman Shah was actually one of Ertuğrul Gazi's ancestors, but based on earlier written works, his real father was Gündüz Alp. In early Ottoman chronicles, Ertuğrul Gazi's lineage is traced back to Oghuz Khan and even beyond to Prophet Noah. This is where an interesting situation emerges...
The Political Context
There are multiple factors behind this historical confusion. First, the insufficient support of old historical records with adequate testimony and documentation is a significant problem. Second, after the Interregnum Period, the Ottomans faced the Karamanids' claims to see themselves as the continuation of the Seljuk State. In response to this situation, it appears that the Ottomans promoted figures like Süleyman Shah to strengthen their own legitimacy.
According to our famous historian Halil İnalcık, the reason for this confusion begins with Qadi Burhaneddin's 1380 attempt to belittle the Ottomans by claiming, based on the word "kayıg boyu," that Osman Gazi was the son of a boatman. Later, Timur also used expressions like "You come from the Turkmen boatman lineage" in a letter he wrote to humiliate Yıldırım Beyazıt.
According to Feridun Emecen, the prominence given to narratives about Süleyman Shah is the result of the Ottomans' effort to prove that they were the heirs of the Seljuks.
The Identity Question
So who was the person who drowned in the Euphrates River and was buried at Jaber Castle? Most historians state that the person who crossed and drowned in the Euphrates River was Kilij Arslan I. According to Halil İnalcık, this is where the Anatolian Seljuks and Osman Gazi's ancestors get confused. Kilij Arslan I was the second Anatolian Seljuk sultan, and his father was Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Shah, the founder of the Anatolian Seljuks. Kilij Arslan I, son of Süleyman Shah, performed great heroic deeds throughout Anatolia, from the Crusaders to various principalities, and organized campaigns. On June 14, 1107, during a battle, while retreating and crossing the Khabur River, he drowned due to the weight of his armor. It is suggested that the Ottomans, in their effort to be the heirs of the Seljuks, later created and incorporated into Ottoman sources this Süleyman Shah, who was actually an Anatolian Seljuk figure involved in this incident.
Evidence Supporting Gündüz Alp
Other matters supporting that Ertuğrul Gazi was the son of Gündüz Alp are as follows. The fact that Ertuğrul Gazi's eldest son's name was Gündüz is important evidence. It can be said that he continued the tradition of naming his eldest son after his own father. Scientific research conducted in recent years provides important clues about Ertuğrul Gazi's family tree. Three metal coins dated to the Osman Gazi period have been discovered by scientists. The presence of the inscription "Osman bin Ertuğrul bin Gündüz Alp" on these coins proves that Ertuğrul Gazi's father was Gündüz Alp. This important discovery also resolves the long-standing confusion between Gündüz Alp and Kaya Alpoğlu Süleyman Alp.
Some historians clearly state that showing Süleyman Shah as Ertuğrul's father in the traditional narrative is incorrect. Supporting this view, most reliable sources indicate that the person named Süleyman Shah was not Ertuğrul's father, and the correct name should be corrected to Gündüz Alp.
Contemporary Historical Consensus
Respected historians such as İlber Ortaylı and Erhan Afyoncu have also clarified their views on this matter. Both academics emphasize that the identity of the person buried in the Süleyman Shah Tomb is uncertain, while strongly defending the thesis that Gündüz Alp is Ertuğrul Gazi's real father.
Sources Used:
TDK Islamic Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Post a Comment