Osman
Osman or Othman (1238?–1326?), a Turkish tribal leader. He founded the Osmanli, or Ottoman, dynasty, from which the Turkish empire took its name. According to legend, Osman's father, a Turkoman chieftain who had become a vassal of the Seljuk Turks, was given lands in northwest Asia Minor as a reward for his services. Osman won a victory against the Byzantine Empire near Nicaea in 1301, and extended the family territory to the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus.
(?–1362?), Osman's son, who took the title of sultan, established the Janissaries, an elite army corps composed of Christian mercenaries or captives. He conquered the remaining Asiatic lands of the Byzantine Empire, and occupied the Gallipoli Peninsula in Europe. All succeeding sultans were lineal descendants of Orkhan.