Ertugrul. Historical facts, biography of the legendary warrior.

Dirilis: Ertugrul
Today I will tell you about the ruler of the Oguz Kayi tribe - Ertugrul, about the great man, whose ideas and exploits laid the foundation for the birth of the Ottoman Empire.
Ertuğrul's biography is legendary. He is not mentioned in any contemporary source. The earliest that has come down to us is the Chronicle of the House of the Ottomans, begun in 1476, two centuries after the death of Ertugrul.
For a long time, Suleiman Shah was considered the father of Ertugrul, but everyone put the two coins found in their places. Now these coins are part of the historical collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum.
The names of Osman Bey, Ertugrul Bey and Gunduz Alp are minted on them. This suggests that Ertugrul's father was not Suleiman Shah, but the Alp warrior Gunduz. The ancient Turks called the Alps the most courageous warriors who fought for the faith. Later, the prefix to the name "Alp" was replaced by the prefix "Gazi".
In 1230, the Mongols captured almost all of Asia Minor, burning everything in their path. The Kayi tribe, headed by Ertugrul, which at that time consisted of 500 tents, was forced to move from place to place, fleeing the Mongols' raids.
In one of these wanderings, Ertugrul with a detachment of warriors heard the sound of weapons and hurried to the battlefield. They saw a fight between two squads, and one of them was already almost defeated. Ertugrul and the soldiers immediately decided to help the losers and entered the battle on their side, thereby changing the balance of power and ensuring their victory. These were the troops of the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Kay-Kubad, who fought with an enemy detachment.
In gratitude for this, Sultan Alaeddin gave Ertugrul a land udj in his personal possession.
It is not known exactly what size this vest was. It is only known that these lands included the surroundings of the city of Sögut and pastures in the Domanich mountains. They became the basis of the beylik, which is now called Osmanogullary. Uj Ertogrul bordered on the Byzantine lands, which made it possible to raid the lands of Christians. This opportunity attracted prey seekers to Ertogrul's detachments. When, in the second half of the 13th century, the rulers of other Turkic beyliks, seeking to increase their lands, fought among themselves, the warriors of Ertogrul looked like fighters for the faith against their background. In addition, the population of the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire was dissatisfied with the tax policy of Constantinople, which made it easier to seize these lands.
Ertugrul had three sons: Gunduz, Savji and Osman. The latter will be destined to become the first Ottoman ruler. History knows only one wife of Ertugrul Halime, who belonged to the Seljuk dynasty. She was definitely the mother of Osman, whether she was the mother of the other children is unknown.
The Chronicle of the House of the Ottomans states that Ertugrul died in 1281, having lived for 90 years, and the youngest son Osman was born when Ertugrul was 70 years old. Given the way of life of nomadic tribes and the complete lack of medical care, this story is hard to believe. But for now, we can only believe and wait until a new archival source appears that will refute or confirm this historical fact.
Despite the fact that Ertugrul's son Osman is the first ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Ertugrul is rightfully considered the father of this empire. Thanks to his courage, patience and perseverance, he began the great conquests that later formed the Ottoman state. During his reign, he managed to conquer the entire western part of Asia Minor, and his generations ruled the empire for six centuries.
Ertugrul was buried in Segut. Near his tomb is the grave of his wife Halime, close relatives and devoted warriors. The museum that surrounds the tomb of Ertugrul was built by Osman, but later rebuilt several times. Ertuğrul's grave has become a spiritual place for pilgrimage, and Muslims from all over the world come to her to pray and pay tribute to the memory and respect of this great man.