Independent Beylik The Beylik of Menteshe was a regional naval power of its time. They were sometimes referred to as the Sea Turks as they were the first seafaring Beylik. Menteshe managed to briefly conquer part of
Rhodes in 1300 under
Mesut Bey.
Venetian sources indicate that Venetian merchants carried out trade with Menteshe, particularly the port of Mağrı, during the latter half of the 13th Century, as a continuation of a trade relationship that had begun under the Seljuks. This trade relationship increased after 1300. Most of the Venetian merchants active in this trade were based in the Venetian colony of
Crete. Goods sent by Menteshe to Crete included grain, horses, and
alum. Despite this mercantile relationship, ships originating in Menteshe frequently engaged in
piracy. In 1311, a joint fleet of
Genoese and Menteshe ships attacked the
Hospitallers on
Rhodes, but failed to capture the island. After 1332, Orhan Bey of Menteshe managed to extract tribute from
Negroponte and various Venetian islands of the
Aegean Sea. Menteshe's neighbor, the Aydin Beylik, was defeated in 1334 by a
Holy League of Christian forces at the
Battle of Adramyttion. This was followed by two
crusades against the Aydinid port of
Smyrna between 1343 and 1351. Because Menteshe was mostly not involved in these conflicts, it benefited from a temporary monopoly on Aegean trade with the Christians, especially with Crete. The Beylik produced fine boats using special trees harvested from the expansive forests in the high coastal mountains. These boats sailed well and were well built and the models for today's Gulet Sailboats, which are prevalent in the Aegean in both
Greece and
Turkey. Today, the present-day Mugla continues to be a major
shipbuilding region where many luxury yachts are now produced for export.
Ottoman Rule Menteshe was weakened by a devastating earthquake in 1389. Menteşe Bey first submitted to
Ottoman rule in 1390, during the reign of
Bayezid I, "the Thunderbolt". After 1402,
Tamerlane restored the
beylik to Menteşoğlu İlyas Bey, who recognized Ottoman overlordship in 1414. A dozen years later, in 1426, Menteshe was incorporated into the
Ottoman realm. Menteshe continued to be known for its naval prowess. During the Siege of Constantinople in 1453, approximately 40% of the Ottoman Navy was from the Menteshe Beylik. Architecturally, the Menteshe Beylik had a significant impact on later
Ottoman Architecture. They were the first Beylik to construct large precision cut stone buildings and became experts in building domes and archways. The region itself was an important source of marble and stone since the Roman times and continues to be Turkey's top stone export region. They also left important works of architecture, such as the Firus Bey Mosque in Milas and
İlyas Bey Mosque in Balat. == Legacy ==