History of Islam Vol 3 of 3 by Akbar Shah Najeebabadi

372 The History of Islam
fully aware of this plain fact, they always spared themselves from
armed conflict with the other Muslim states. They kept their resources
preserved for combating the Christians.
Orkhan
Osman Gazi left behind two sons, Alauddin being the elder and
Orkhan, the younger. Alauddin, although matchless in learning,
insight, courage and determination, Osman Gazi was more impressed
with the military acumen and fighting spirit of Orkhan, and so he
appointed him as the
successor to the throne. They were expected to
fight for the throne. But Alauddin, who deserved the throne, preferred
the will of his late father to his own rights and placed the crown on the
head of his younger brother with pleasure and pledged his allegiance
to him. He simply wanted a piece of land in a viUage to pass the rest
of his life in perfect peace. But his younger brother wanted something
else. He entreated his elder brother, with the active support of his
courtiers, to accept the role of Prime Minister, which he did after some
reluctance- Even though it was not highly respectable to become the
Prime Minister of his younger brother, he made this sacrifice for the
stability of their dynastic rule. He managed the affairs so adequately
that his name might top the list of the persons who held that post.
Within one year of his accession, he expanded the borders of his
country up to the Danube Pass and ended Christian occupation of
Asia Minor. He, with the wise counsel of his elder brother, issued and
enacted such orders and laws, which played a principal role in
organizing and regulating the administrative affairs of the country
Until then, it was the common practice that military commanders
were allotted small pieces of land free of levy, for this they had to
provide the required number of soldiers when the country was at war.
Thus, each feudal lord had to serve as a commander on the battlefield.
A large number of Muslims lived in Asia Minor. However
northwestern Asia Minor had a Christian majority.
Janissaries
With the fall of the northwestern part of Asia Minor to the
lurks, Ottoman
a large number of Christen prisoners of war were brought to