Ertugrul, the founder of the Ottoman (or Osmanli) dynasty, was leader of a Turcoman tribe which had been ostensibly granted lands in western Anatolia in exchange for military service by the rapidly declining Seljuk sultanate late in the 13th century. It was his son Othman or Osman (c. 1280-1324) who laid the true foundations of the Ottoman state, energetically expanding his territory at the expense of Byzantine provinces in Asia Minor such as Bithynia, which was overrun in 1299. Ottoman military strength was at first of modest proportions (Ertugrul had allegedly served the Seljuks with no more than 400 horse), but their proximity to the Christian frontier meant that large numbers of religious fanatics, freebooters and footloose nomads could usually be called upon for most military expeditions. However, such irregulars obviously could not be depended upon, and before long they were replaced by a small, probably salaried nucleus of semi-regular infantry, and possibly cavalry, backed up by a feudal army organised along similar lines to that of its Seljuk predecessor. The infantry element of the former, called yaya or piyada, were raised on the basis of one man per 25 households, being granted tax-exemptions plus, probably, regular salaries whilst on campaign. It is likely that they had been established by the mid-14th century. However, the cavalry element {musellem, meaning ‘tax-exempt’) — though it may have been established at much the same date — seems to have made a relatively late appearance, the first reference to it dating only to 1421. The musellem were simply mounted yaya, and probably received pay and tax-exemptions on the same basis. As their military importance subsequently waned, reducing them to the level of second-line troops, both were later to receive land grants in place of tax-exemptions or salaries.
World History
