Anatolia

Bayezid I (r. 1389–1402), known as Yıldırım (the Thunderbolt) for his swift military campaigns, dramatically expanded the Ottoman state across the Balkans and Anatolia before his catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. His reign represents both the zenith of early Ottoman expansion and the fragility of a rapidly assembled empire when confronted by Timur's world-conquering forces.

Ertuğrul Ghazi was leader of the Kayı tribe of Oghuz Turks and father of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire. Operating on the Seljuk-Byzantine frontier in thirteenth-century Anatolia, his modest gains at Söğüt laid the groundwork for an enduring Islamic empire.

The Seljuk Empire (1037-1194 CE) was a powerful Turkish-Sunni dynasty that dominated the Middle East and Anatolia, defeated the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert, established Turkish power in Anatolia, and patronized the famous Nizamiyya schools.