Nothing is known with certainty about Ertuğrul's life, other than that he was the father of Osman; historians are thus forced to rely upon stories written about him by the Ottomans more than a century later, which are of questionable accuracy. An undated coin, supposedly from the time of Osman, with the text "Minted by Osman son of Ertuğrul", suggests that Ertuğrul was a historical figure. Another coin reads "Osman bin Ertuğrul bin Gündüz Alp", though Ertuğrul is traditionally considered the son of Suleyman Shah. In Enveri's Düsturname and Karamani Mehmet Pasha's chronicle, Suleyman Shah replaces Gündüz Alp as Ertugrul's father. After Ottoman historian Aşıkpaşazade's chronicles, the Suleyman Shah version became the official one. According to these later traditions, Ertuğrul was chief of the Kayı. As a result of his assistance to the Seljuks against the Byzantines, Ertuğrul was granted lands in Karaca Dağ, a mountainous area near Angora, by Kayqubad I, the Seljuk Sultan of Rum. One account indicates that the Seljuk leader's rationale for granting Ertuğrul land was for Ertuğrul to repel any hostile incursion from the Byzantines or other adversary. Later, he received the village of Söğüt which he conquered together with the surrounding lands. That village, where he later died, became the Ottoman capital under his son, Osman I. Osman's mother has been referred to as Halime Hatun in later myths, and there is a grave outside the Ertuğrul Gâzi Tomb which bears the name, but it is disputed. According to many sources, he had two other sons in addition to Osman: Saru-Batu Bey, and Gündüz Bey. Like his son, Osman, and their descendants, Ertuğrul is often referred to as a Ghazi, a heroic champion fighter for the cause of Islam.
Legacy
A tomb and mosque dedicated to Ertuğrul is said to have been built by Osman I at Söğüt, but due to several rebuildings nothing certain can be said about the origin of these structures. The current mausoleum was built by sultan Abdul Hamid II in the late 19th century. The town of Söğüt celebrates an annual festival to the memory of the early Osmans. The Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul, launched in 1863, was named after him. The Ertuğrul Gazi Mosque in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, completed in 1998, is also named in his honor. It was established by the Turkish government as a symbol of the link between Turkey and Turkmenistan. The last will of Ertugrul Gazi to his son, Osman Gazi, in front of his tomb reads:
In fiction
Ertugrul has been portrayed in the Turkish television series', adapted from a novel by the same name, and '.
