Bilecik’in Fethinin Osmanlı Kuruluş Tarihi Açısından Önemi
The Importance of the Conquest of Bilecik in the Early History of the Ottoman Empire

Summary/Abstract: In research on the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, the most prominent issue that stands out is the inadequacy of sources. Indeed, the fact that the first works (chronicles) describing the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire began to be written in the 15th century, and that during this period there was not a significant presence of other power structures (principalities) in Western Anatolia, can be listed as the fundamental reasons for this lack of information. In addition to the information obtained from between the lines of primary sources, field research conducted in the geographical area of the establishment also promises a new dimension to Ottoman History. In fact, when discussing the works of Professor Halil İnalcık today, there is often an emphasis on his fieldwork. This study is prepared with inspiration from the same point and places a strong emphasis on field research. In this study, reference has been made to Ottoman chronicles and published works related to the field literature, and qualitative research methods, including direct observation through field research, have been used. The castle ruins I encountered during my extensive field investigations in Bilecik and its surroundings form the basis of this article. This study also seeks to answer why the lords of the region were planning to eliminate Osman Bey during the wedding ceremony held in Bilecik-Çakırpınarı. At the same time, this article makes certain observations based on field research regarding the geography where Osman Bey conducted political activities in the early period of his rule, as well as important locations mentioned in chronicles.

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