Ottoman Beylik

Timeline

1. 1261Northwestern Anatolia · AnatoliaUnder the nominal suzerainty of the Ilkhanate, the Byzantine frontier interlocked with various Turkic beyliks; the ancestors of the Ottoman dynasty held the upper Sakarya River basin, accumulating territory and prestige through ghaza warfare and tribal alliances.
2. c. 1299–1326Bursa · BursaFrom Osman I to Orhan, Bursa was captured and made the capital; the beylik expanded from a frontier stronghold into an independent polity holding major cities, with administrative and military institutions taking initial shape.
3. c. 1331–1389Thrace and the Balkan frontier · ThraceMurad I took the title of sultan and crossed the Dardanelles into Europe; the beylik's institutions expanded into the embryo of a transcontinental empire, with the Janissary corps and the timar fief system laying the foundation of military feudalism.