Orhan Ghazi History
In Orhan Ghazi History, Orhan, the second in line of the Ottoman Beylik, was born in Söğüt to father Osman I. During his reign he conquered vast stretches of northwestern Anatolia that were under Byzantine rule. His first victory took place at Pelekanon against Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos. Additionally, Orhan seized the Karasids of Balıkesir and Ahis of Ankara lands.
The Byzantine civil wars surrounding the accession of nine-year-old John V Palaiologos provided Orhan with a unique opportunity to expand his power. In 1341–1347, regent John VI Kantakouzenos married his daughter Theodora to Orhan and gave Ottoman warriors permission to pillage through Thrace. During the 1352–1357 war between Kantakouzenos and John V, the Ottomans were granted control of Çimpe fortress in Europe. They then built upon this when two years later an earthquake destroyed Gallipoli (modern Gelibolu), and Orhan’s son Süleyman Pasha moved into the town, creating for the Ottomans a base from which to access the continent. As noted by Muslim scholar Ibn Battuta, Orhan was renowned for his military strength and wealth.
In 1323 or 1324, Osman Gazi died, and Orhan succeeded him. According to Ottoman tradition, Orhan proposed to his brother Alaeddin that they share the new wealth they had accumulated.
