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The Menteshe Oghullarï

Late seventh century to 847/late thirteenth century to 1424

South-western Anatolia

This family occupied the coasts and hinterland of south-western Anatolia, the classical Caria, with their centres at Milas or Mylasa, Pechin, Balāṭ or Miletus, etc. Menteshe Beg’s father may have been amīr-i sawāḥil or ruler of the coastlands for the later Seljuqs of Rūm, but the family emerges into history only towards the end of the thirteenth century. During the next century, the Menteshe amīrs were involved in maritime and land operations against the Venetians and the Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes, including a struggle over possession of Smyrna. Their principality was taken over by the Ottoman sultan Bāyazīd I after its eastern neighbours, the principalities of the Germiyān and Ḥamīd Oghullarï, had already passed into Ottoman hands, but was restored by Tīmūr. However, Ilyās Beg was forced to recognise the suzerainty of the Ottoman Muḥammad I, and in 827/1424 Murād II finally annexed Menteshe to his empire.

Khalīl Ed’hem, 283–5; Zambaur, 153–4; Bosworth–Merçil–İpşirli, 313–16.

EI² ‘Menteshe Oghullari’ (E. Merçil); İA ‘Menteşe-Oğulları’ (İ. H. Uzunçarşılı).

P. Wittek, Das Fürstentum Mentesche, Istanbul 1934.

İ. H. Uzunçarşılı, Anadolu beylikleri, 70–83.

E. A. Zachariadou, Trade and Crusade: Venetian Crete and the Emirates of Menteshe and Aydin.