Editing Bayezid I (section)

==Efforts to unify Anatolia==

Meanwhile, Bayezid began unifying Anatolia under his rule. Forcible expansion into Muslim territories could have endangered the Ottoman relationship with the [[gazi]]s, who were an important source of warriors for this ruling house on the European frontier. Thus Bayezid began the practice of first securing ''[[fatwa]]s'', or legal rulings from Islamic scholars, to justify wars against these Muslim states. However, Bayezid doubted the loyalty of his Muslim [[Turkish people|Turkish]] followers, so he relied heavily on his Serbian and Byzantine vassal troops in these conquests.<ref>Stanford Shaw, ''History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1976), vol. 1 p. 30</ref>

In a single campaign over the summer and fall of 1390, Bayezid conquered the beyliks of [[Beylik of Aydın|Aydin]], [[Sarukhanids|Saruhan]] and [[Menteshe]]. His major rival Sulayman, the emir of [[Karaman]], responded by allying himself with the ruler of [[Sivas]], [[Kadi Burhan al-Din]] and the remaining Turkish beyliks. Nevertheless, Bayezid pushed on and overwhelmed the remaining beyliks ([[Hamidids|Hamid]], [[Beylik of Teke|Teke]], and [[Germiyan]]), as well as taking the cities of [[Akşehir]] and [[Niğde]], as well as their capital [[Konya]] from the Karaman. At this point, Bayezid accepted peace proposals from Karaman (1391), concerned that further advances would antagonize his Turkoman followers and lead them to ally with Kadi Burhan al-Din. Once peace had been made with Karaman, Bayezid moved north against [[Kastamonu]] which had given refuge to many fleeing from his forces, and conquered both that city as well as [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinop]].<ref>Shaw, ''History of the Ottoman Empire'', vol. 1 pp. 30f</ref> However, his subsequent campaign was stopped by Burhan al-Din at the [[Battle of Kırkdilim]].

From 1389 to 1395 he conquered [[Bulgaria]] and [[Northern Greece]]. In 1394 Bayezid crossed the River [[Danube]] to attack [[Wallachia]], ruled at that time by [[Mircea I of Wallachia|Mircea the Elder]]. The Ottomans were superior in number, but on 10 October 1394 (or 17 May 1395), in the [[Battle of Rovine]], on forested and swampy terrain, the [[Wallachia]]ns won the fierce battle and prevented Bayezid's army from advancing beyond the Danube.<ref>John V.A. Fine, ''The Late Medieval Balkans'', (The University of Michigan Press, 1994), 424.</ref>

In 1394, Bayezid [[Siege of Constantinople (1394–1402)|laid siege to Constantinople]],<ref name="Mango, Cyril 2002. pp. 273"/> the capital of the [[Byzantine Empire]]. [[Anadoluhisarı]] fortress was built between 1393 and 1394 as part of preparations for the second Ottoman [[siege of Constantinople]], which took place in 1395. On the urgings of the Byzantine emperor [[Manuel II Palaeologus]], a new [[crusade]] was organized to defeat him. This proved unsuccessful: in 1396 the [[Christianity|Christian]] allies, under the leadership of the King of [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]] and future [[Holy Roman Emperor]] (in 1433) [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]], were defeated in the [[Battle of Nicopolis]]. Bayezid built the magnificent [[Bursa Grand Mosque|Ulu Cami]] in Bursa, to celebrate this victory.

Thus the siege of Constantinople continued, lasting until 1402.<ref>Nancy Bisaha, ''Creating East And West: Renaissance Humanists And the Ottoman Turks'', (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004), 98.</ref> The beleaguered [[Byzantine]]s had their reprieve when Bayezid fought the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid Empire]] in the east.<ref>Dimitris J. Kastritsis, ''The Sons of Bayezid: Empire Building and Representation in the Ottoman Civil War of 1402–13'', (Brill, 2007), 5.{{ISBN?}}</ref> At this time, the empire of Bayezid included [[Thrace]] (except Constantinople), [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], [[Bulgaria]], and parts of [[Serbia]] in Europe. In Asia, his domains extended to the [[Taurus Mountains]]. His army was considered one of the best in the Islamic world.