The Ottoman Empire started as a small tribe, but had ambitions to become something more bigger than what it was and to extend to other lands. Initially, they were nomads but they wanted to have an ephemeral heritage, they wanted roots. However, everything changed with the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Osman wanted the empire to be established. Finkel said, “For them, the empire literally began with a dream” (p. 2). However, this prophetic dream was not enough; many tested Ottoman power and demanded proof of their lineage. At one point, the Ottomans decided to boast “a fictitious genealogy that would best assert their legitimacy” (Finkel, 2005, p. 12). However, proving Ottoman ancestry was the least of their problems. Capturing land from the Byzantine Empire was their top priority. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay There were a series of raids on the Byzantine Empire that Osman himself orchestrated. The Byzantine emperor attempted to prevent these raids from advancing into his empire, but failed. "Soon after, the Byzantine emperor sent an army against Osman, but Osman ambushed and destroyed it at Baphaeum (Koyunhisar), forcing the local population to flee to Nicomedia (Izmit) while the other Ottoman forces retreated. were approaching Brusa” (Turnbull, 2003, p. 12). These military tactics transformed into the Ottoman social order. For example, among soldiers or higher-ranking military personnel, a social class developed called the warrior aristocracy. This class enjoys special privileges because they aided the Ottoman Empire in its expansion efforts. “They gained control of land and peasant producers in annexed areas to support their households and military” (Stearns, 2011, p. 578). Like everyone who has had a taste of power, they wanted more and wanted a say in how the kingdom is run. However, the warrior aristocracy was not the only source of strength the Ottomans found in ruling their empire. The Janissaries, who “had been forcibly recruited as adolescents in the conquered zones…” (Stearns, 2011, p. 578). Amazingly, these boys had received a thorough education and converted to the Islamic faith. Although some Janissaries were born abroad, they wanted to translate their "military experience into political influence." (Stearns, 2011, p.579) The purpose of the Janissaries was primarily to serve the Ottoman Sultan, but they wanted to have political influence over the empire. The Ottomans were not only focused on expanding their empire, but also on knowledge, trade, and faith. Having powerful forces to defend an empire is important, as is having the knowledge and heritage to keep up with it. Knowing about subjects other than war was extremely important to the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. “…Mehmed was educated in the classical and Byzantine heritage of which he imagined himself heir; Bayezid sought the company of teachers of Islamic science and philosophy, of poets and mystics, of men whose intellectual roots lay in the East. (Finkel, 2005, p.81) The empire also opened its arms to people who were not Islamic; it served as a place of refuge for Jews trying to escape persecution from the Spanish crown. The Ottoman Empire was not an empire to be feared but it was also an asylum for those who were pursued because they did not.