Thus war, in the absence of the arts of modern civilization became the sole aim of these wandering tribes. Alliances were sometimes formed for mutual protection, and territories were ever changing masters. The primitive belief that the soil was common property, and that occupancy gave the only title to possession, induced them to trespass upon the neighboring territories. This same principle exists even at this present day among some of the people of the East, of whom the tribe of Yürücks is well known in Turkey, traversing the whole dominion of Asia Minor, according to the climate they desire to find.
Passing by the days of Biblical History and the ancient pedigree of the Arabians, we will observe the first appearance of the Turks on the pages of history.
As early as the ninth century, a small but adventurous band of Scythians, known as the Turkomans, impelled either by famine or hostility, crossed the Caspian Mountains, and invaded the Armenian territories.
Although they were bravely repulsed, still the prosperous condition of the country was too alluring for them to give up all hope of its ultimate conquest, they therefore continued to harass the inhabitants by their incessant incursions.
In the middle of the eleventh century, a vigorous attempt was made, under the command of Toghrul Bey, a grandson of Seljuk, one of the principal families of Tartary, with an army of one hundred thousand men, who ravaged twenty-four of its provinces.
Toghrul, already so distinguished by his valor, now embraced Islamism, and thus added to the thirst of conquest, the ardor of the religion of the Prophet. Another more desperate sally was made with redoubled force, which met with similar discomfiture.
Fourteen years after, the infuriated Tartars collecting an army of no less than three hundred thousand men, renewed their assaults.
Armenia was at this time not only harassed on all sides by Greeks, Saracens, and Persians, but rent by the internal dissensions of its own princes; so that it now fell a prey to Toghrul, who massacred, in cold blood, 140,000 of the inhabitants, carrying many also into captivity.
The most flourishing provinces in due time were added to the conquests of the Turkomans, by Alf-arslan the nephew and successor of Toghrul. Their empire was greatly extended by the son of Alf-arslan, Melik-Shah, and was subsequently divided among three branches of the house of Seljuk. Suleyman, the third in descent from Melik-Shah, was the first Turkoman prince who governed Asia Minor.
Er-Toghrul, or Orthogrul, the son of Suleyman, having by his assistance on a certain occasion, secured a victory to Ali-ed-din, the sultan of Babylon, Kara-Hissar in Bithynia, was bestowed upon him, and there he settled with his family, which consisted of three sons. Osman, the eldest son and successor of his father, Orthogrul, was left by the death of Ali-ed-din, the ally of his father, without a rival in the government of Syria; he was accordingly proclaimed sultan.