1326

Events in 1326 1

• 1299 – 1326 Osman I founds the dynasty Osman I (c.1258-1326) declares independence from the declining Seljuk Sultanate of Rum around 1299, establishing the Ottoman beylik in northwestern Anatolia near Bursa. A gifted leader who attracts ghazi warriors, nomadic Turks and dispossessed peasants, he raids Byzantine territory systematically, capturing Bursa shortly before his death (1326). His name gives the dynasty -- Osmanli in Turkish, Ottoman in European languages. He marries the daughter of a local religious leader, intertwining the dynasty with Islamic legitimacy from its foundation.