FETHIYE UNDER TURKISH DOMINANCE

FETHIYE UNDER TURKISH DOMINANCE

How Fethiye came under Turkish Rule The Lycian region within the Byzantian boundaries was conquered by Harun al-Rahid of the Abbasid and was part of the Moslem dynasty until 862 when it was once again seized as a result of Byzantian counter-attacks.

During the years following the Malazgirt Battle, the Seljukians sent a new branch of Turkish warriors to Southwestern Asia who conquered new regions in 1092, including Makri, However, soon afterwards, with the inauguration of Crusaders the Turcomans had to retreat.

The seizure of Istanbul by Latins in 1204 did not lessen the resistance of the Byzantian Western Asia Minor against the Turks. In spite of losing some ground, the Nicaea administration strengthened its position and defended its land well. The boundaries sustained until late 13th century started from the west of Sinop, leaving out Kastamonu,' Kütahya and Denizli under the auspices of the Sel|uk Dynasty, and extended as far as the bay of Makri on the Mediterranean coast,

The tragedy in 1243 weakened the Seljukian power, but the Turcomans at the borderland, supported by numerous new forces who arrived at the land of Romans with the Mongolian campaigns, could not overcome the Seljuk Dynasty on their own. Instead, they settled in Western Anatolia and within the Marmara region. Meanwhile some of the local population became Moslems and Turkicized. The Turcomans coming to Anatolia settled in various places including Makri. Kayy, Marzum and Barzum tribes settling at Mentese as. semi-nomads were among them.

Today within the Makri region there are many village names from those times such as "Bayod" meaning owner of olives and land; "Dodurga" meaning land conqueror, establisher of law and order and protector of these values: "Duger" meaning a group of nomads settling in a circle;"Karkyn" meaning very nourishing food, plentiful food in the Antalya region "Kynyk" meaning sacred everywhere, a studious, self-denying person overcoming inconvenience.

In addition to these settlers and besides Islamic Turkish villages, there were also Christian villages and in cities the Moslems and Christians lived together. Similarly, in the Byzantian dynasty, some of the population was Moslem Turks.

(MENTEŞE BEYLIC) SEIJUKIAN PERIOD

Based on records of Ibn Said during the Nicaea administration, the Turcomans who seized the Roman provinces during the Seljukian period were mainly tribes of Turkish origin.                                         

They were in the habit of looting the people along the. coastline and sold their children toMoslems. They also made flat-woven rugs for sale and exported lumber from trie village of Cun (Makri) to Alexandria and other places. The village of Makri was famous amoriq, wanderers. A vast and deep river reached the sea ''it this village which was the boundary between the Moslems and Christians, and there was a bridge over the river which was lowered during peaceful times and raised during the war. It was noted that there were about two hundred thousand Turcoman tents around the Toguria mountain near Antalya which was called "borderline".

 The sovereignty of the Seljukian Sultans was weake ned by the Mongolian campaigns. On the ruins of destroyed cities, new, independent emirates were es tablished, one of which was the "Mentese Beylic”.Among the towns under the Mentese Beylic, Makri is also mentioned.

   It is not quite clear how this Beylic was established during the second half of the thirteenth century. However, it is believed that the Menfese Beylic was established by Turcomans who moved inland from Makri during the Iznik Dynasty and settled between the coastline and the Denizli mountains. (It is evident that the Turcomans who established the Mentese Beylic could not conquer Pamphilia, which was then under the auspices of the Anatolian Seljukians, by arriving at the Lycian coast by sea and had to cooperate with Turks moving towards the shore from inland. This theory is further supported by the fact that "Mentese", who gave his name to the beylic was called "Salpakis Mentese- Mentese, Bey of the Coast".The Byzantian army, under the command of Andronikos, son of Emperor Mihail the Seventh, could Not withstand the Turkish attacks after 1261. In 1278 Andronikos rebuilt Tral and Tisa which were seized in 1282 by Mentese Bey who died the same year and was buried at Makri. His tomb became a sacred place during the sixteenth century. After Mentese Bey, his son Mesud Bey became the king. In 1296 the Byzantian commander Filantreopos Alexius re-conquered the city and the citadel or Tral. Mesud Bey's reign was the most powerful period of the Mentese Beylic. Until 1310 Mentese was dominant over land and sea. The east of Makri including Finike became the domain of the Mentese Beylic. During the 1300s, after various naval victories, a major portion of the Rhodes Island was won over from the Romans and in 1310 there was a battle with the Hospitalier Knights for the island. Until 1312 (in spite of the Pope's intervention) the Genoese aided Mesud Bey.

When Emir Coban,' the military governor of the Ilkhanids, came to Anatolia in 1 3 14 to overcome the existing beylics, Mentese Bey pledged alliance to him. Upon the death of Mesud Bey, one of his two sons, Orhan Bey became the head of the tribe. He was not successful in his campaign for Rhodes in 1320 against the knights. It is recorded that Orhan Bevrued over fifty cities and two hundred fortresses and hod a naval force and one thousand soldiers.

After Orhan Bey, ibrahim Bey took over the command. He did not assist Idrnur Bev in his attempts tosave Izmir from the Latins and was threatened bv the Venetians yn 1350.

Following the death of ibrahim Bey, the beylic was divided among his three sons (Musa, Mehmet, Ahmet) and the solidarity ceased to exist.

When the Europeans conquered Alexandria, the Sultan of the Mamlukians provoked the Anatolian beylics against the Europeans and Musa Bey overtook Balat and Milas. With the death of Musa Bey in 1375 Makri, Milas and Marmaris fell under the order of Ahmet Bey while Balat was taken over by Mehmet Bey, who was the governor of Mugia and Cine.

After Mehmet Bey, his son Mahmut Bey headed the tribe and, following a strife with Isa Bey who was probably his brother, he joined the Ottomans. The Balat branch of the Mentese Beylic which had entered into alliances against the Ottomans, was taken over by Yıldırım Beyazyt in 1390, which terminated the Balat and Mugla sections. The Ottomans did not invade Milas, Becin and Makri because this was a rugged terrain.

Gazi Ahmed, governor of Milas and Becin, commanded naval campaigns while he was active in Makri and Marmaris, as well as in Milas and Becin, fighting with the Rhodian knights and the king of Cyprus, and had a naval base at the port of Rhodes.However, with the intervention of the Venitians, a peace treaty was signed in 1 365.

After the death of Ghazi Ahmed in 1391, Becin, Milas and Makri came under the Ottoman rule and Yıldırım Beyazyd appointed Hodja Firuz Bey as governor. The descendant of Gazi Ahmed of the Mentese Beylic was forced to escape to Egypt Pursuant to the Ankara Battle in 1402, Tamerlane turned over the Mentese Beylic to Mehmet Bey and his son llyas Bey, thus adjoining this region to his sovereignty and, in return, Mehmet Bey presented various valuable gifts to him.

Upon the death of Mehmet Bey in 1403, llyas Bey became the ruler.     

When llyas Bey became the administrator of the Mentese Beylic, he abstained from getting involved in strifes among the Ottoman princes for power, thus protecting his domain.

llyas Bey signed a trade agreement with the Venitians in 1414. Following the conquest of Izmir, llyas Bey did not object to the construction of a fortress at Halicarnassos by Celebi Mehmed.

When llyas Bey recornized the sovereignity of Sultan Celebi Mehmet, he sent his two sons named Lays and Ahmed to the Ottoman Palace as hostages, llyas Bey and Celebi Mehmed died in 1421.

During the turmoil after Murad the Second became the sultan, the two sons of llyas Bey escaped from Edirne and came to Mentese, announcing their sovereignty

In 1424 Murad the Second imprisoned Leys and Ahmed at Tokat. Two years later Ahmed ran away and Leys was killed.

ilyas Bey the Second, son of Ahmet Bey, came toMentese after the death of  Murad the Second in 145 1. However, when Mehmed the Second sent Ishak Pasha, the Anatolian military governor, to Mentese, llyas Bey went to Rhodes. Thus, Mentese and the Makri region remained under the Ottoman flag. The Mentese rulers organized naval campaigns to Rhodes and aided the Egyptian Sultan as well as the Aydınogullary Beylic. They also participated in the Cyprus campaign of the Mamlukian Sultan with two hundred ships.

The Mentese Beylic had trade relationships with Europe, Alexandria and the neighbouring islandswaith their merchant marines. Their major trade center was Makri for exports of principally lumber, styrax oil and its by-products.

 That trade was very important for the Mentese Beylic is evidenced by two agreements signed in 1403 and 1414 with the Venitians. During the rule of Ghazi Ahmed, activities in public worrks were very effective and a school was constructed in honour of this ruler, who was very popular among his people.

During the rule of Mehmed the Conqueror, due to fights with Venitians in 1473, this school was badly damaged. In later years a similar school was constructed at Seki by Hadji Ivan.