Overview
Bayezid I, called Yıldırım, the Thunderbolt, doubled the Ottoman realm in thirteen years and then lost it in a single battle. His tomb inscription at Bursa, set up by his son Süleyman in 1406–07, calls him Bayezid Khan.
Rise to Power
He was proclaimed sultan on the field of Kosovo in 1389 after his father's death, and had his brother Yakub killed.
Rule and Achievements
- Annexed most of the Turkish beyliks of Anatolia
- Destroyed a Hungarian-led crusade at Nicopolis on 25 September 1396
- Blockaded Constantinople from 1394
- Was defeated and captured by Timur at Ankara on 28 July 1402
Legacy
He died in Timur's captivity in March 1403. His sons fought over the remains of the state for eleven years, the Ottoman Interregnum.