Descended from the
Kayı branch of
Oghuz Turks, the dynasty began when the sultan
Mesud II of the
Seljuks of Rum awarded the province of
Eflani to
Şemseddin Yaman Candar, a senior commander in the imperial armed forces, in gratitude for rescuing him from
Mongol captivity. The province had previously been under the rule of the
Çobanoğulları. Following the death of
Şemseddin Yaman Candar, his son Süleyman I conquered the neighboring province of
Kastamonu and annexed
Safranbolu and
Sinop, formerly ruled by the descendants of
Mu‘in al-Din Suleyman. Süleyman subsequently appointed his son Ibrahim I as
Governor of
Sinop, while his second son Ali was appointed Governor of
Safranbolu. Süleyman reigned under the authority of the
Ilkhanate, the Mongols of Persia, until the death of their ruler
Abu Sa'id. Following the death of Süleyman I, his sons Ibrahim I and Ali were involved in a dynastic struggle for the throne. In 1339, Ibrahim was victorious and thus took over the rule of
Kastamonu, the seat of the principality, as
bey. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his cousin Adil (1346–1361), who in turn was succeeded by his own son, Kötürüm Bayezid. Kötürüm Bayezid Bey fought twice with
Kadi Burhan al-Din, ruler of the
Sivas region, and in 1383, lost
Kastamonu to one of his own sons, Süleyman, who had received military support from the
Ottoman sultan Murad I. Following this defeat, Kötürüm Bayezid Bey retreated to
Sinop, which led to the division of the Beylik of Candar. On Kötürüm Bayezid's death in 1385, his son Süleyman succeeded him as Süleyman II, and reunited the recently divided principality back into one realm. With
Kastamonu Castle as his seat, Süleyman II remained faithful to
Murad I, his supporter in his revolt against his father and predecessor, and, from 1386 to 1389, participated in various
Ottoman campaigns in Europe. In 1391,
Murad's successor to the Ottoman throne,
Bayezid I, launched an assault on
Kastamonu in an attempt to gain control of the
Anatolian beyliks, which saw the death of Süleyman II and with it an end to the Candar dynasty's long reign in
Kastamonu. Succeeding Süleyman II as
bey was his son and heir
İsfendiyar Bey, who in a bid to avoid conflict with the neighboring
Ottomans, recognized the
suzerainty of
Bayezid I and became an
Ottoman vassal, which
Bayezid reciprocated by granting
İsfendiyar autonomy in his dominion. However, after
Bayezid was defeated at the hands of the
Timurids in 1402,
İsfendiyar recognized the authority of their
Khan,
Timur, who confirmed
İsfendiyar's rule in the traditional Candar realm of
Kastamonu,
Kalecik,
Tosya, and
Çankırı. Following the departure of
Timur from
Anatolia during the
Ottoman Interregnum,
İsfendiyar Bey stood close to all the four sons of
Bayezid I. When one of his sons, Kasım claimed control over
Çankırı and
Tosya and declared the incorporation of these provinces to the
Ottoman Empire, the Candar dominion was divided once more. İsfendiyar revolted against the new sultan
Murad II, only to be defeated, and retreated to
Sinop in 1423.
İsfendiyar Bey died in 1439 and was succeeded by his son Ibrahim II, who upon his own death was succeeded by Ismail in 1443. Following his conquest of
Constantinople in 1453, the
Ottoman sultan Mehmed II turned to Anatolia to unite the
beyliks under his rule. In 1461, joining forces with Ismail's brother Kızıl Ahmed Bey, he captured
Sinop and officially ended the reign of the Candar dynasty, although he did at first appoint Ahmed Bey as the governor of
Kastamonu and
Sinop, only for the appointment to be revoked in 1464.
Dynasty After the incorporation of the Beylik of Candar into the
Ottoman Empire, the ruling dynasty was offered various important functions within the administration of the
Ottoman state, which they maintained until its dissolution in 1922. Descendants of the Candar dynasty live today as citizens of the
Republic of Turkey mostly in
Istanbul and in
Europe, using various family names. Ayşe Sultan, who was the last identified descendant, died in
Ankara in 1981, having benefited from the unique status afforded to the dynasty within the
Ottoman Empire. '' of 1375.
Arms Due to their similarities, the arms of Candar may be confused with what is now referred to as the
Star of David. However, in
medieval times, this particular symbol was not solely associated with
Judaism, but also with
Islam where it was known as the
Seal of Solomon, borne by the prophet
Sulaiman, son of
David. The symbol gained popularity amongst the
beyliks of Anatolia, with the
Beylik of Karaman another state known to have adopted a variation of the seal on its flag. ==Sovereigns==