Umur Ghazi, Ghazi Umur, or Umur The LionDonald MacGillivray Nicol, ''The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453'', Cambridge University Press, 1993,
p. 144.
/ref> (

Modern Turkish Turkish ( , ), also referred to as Turkish of Turkey (''Türkiye Türkçesi''), is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Significant smal ...

: ''Aydınoğlu Umur Bey'', c. 1309–1348), also known as Umur Pasha was the second Turkish

bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

of Aydin, on the Aegean cost of

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, from 1334 to 1348. He was famous for his naval expeditions. As a writer, poet and patron of the arts and sciences, ''Kalila wa-Dimna'' was first translated to

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

during his reign.

Career

Umur was described in an epic chronicle ''Düstürnâme-i Enverî'', written by poet and historian

Enveri Enveri (d. 1512?) was a 15th-century Ottoman poet and historian. He wrote a famous Ottoman history in the Ottoman Turkish language named ''Dusturname'', the Constitutional Book (for Ottoman History). His work consists of 3730 verses and is based o ...

during the reign of

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

, as "the 'Lion of God' leading a just and holy war of conquest against the 'miscreants' and infidel

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

". According to an unreliable but colorful source, two Venetian ambassadors remarked that he was immensely fat with a stomach "like a wine casket". They had found him wearing silks, drinking

almond milk Almond milk is a plant-based milk with a watery texture and nutty flavor manufactured from almonds, although some types or brands are flavored in imitation of cow's milk. It does not contain cholesterol or lactose and is low in saturated fat. ...

and eating eggs with spices from a golden spoon. Umur Ghazi was a loyal ally and friend of Emperor John Cantacuzenus of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and provided him with material aid during his military campaigns, especially during the

Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire after the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos over the guardianship of his nine-year-old so ...

. He apparently sent 380 ships and 28,000 men to aid him in the conflict and besieged the city of Demotika in Thrace, Greece. The emperor John reportedly mourned his death. At the height of its power, the

Emirate of Aydin The Aydinids or Aydinid dynasty (Modern Turkish: ''Aydınoğulları'', ''Aydınoğulları Beyliği'', ota, آیدین اوغوللاری بیلیغی), also known as the Principality of Aydin and Beylik of Aydin (), was one of the Anatolia ...

possessed 350 ships and 15,000 men. Umur's preying on Christian shipping led to the declaration of the

Smyrniote crusades The Smyrniote crusades (1343–1351) were two Crusades sent by Pope Clement VI against the Aydinids, Emirate of Aydin under Umur Bey which had as their principal target the coastal city of Smyrna in Asia Minor. The first Smyrniote crusade was th ...

against him by

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...

in 1343. In 1348, his fleet was destroyed by an allied fleet from Venice, the Knights of Rhodes and

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. Umur was killed by a barrage of arrows, climbing the walls of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

Castle during a recapture attempt. His older brother Hızır Bey was appointed in his place.Kenneth Meyer Setton, ''The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571'', vol. I (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1976), pp. 184–223 Modern

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...

's district Gaziemir (Ghazi Emir) is named after him.

References

Sources

* * 1348 deaths Turkic rulers Aydınids Monarchs killed in action Year of birth uncertain Byzantine–Turkish wars 14th-century monarchs in Asia Smyrniote crusades {{Turkey-bio-stub