This essay agrees that good leadership laid the foundation for the Ottoman Empire although it must be taken into account that alternative arguments of the influence of religion, establishment of social institutions, military prowess and external circumstances like the collapse of neighboring empires did play a part as well. The statement assumes that the good leadership was the underlying argument for the Ottoman empire by enabling the fundamentals of empire-building through territorial, social, political and economical advancements; that without good leadership, the ottoman empire would not have risen to power for it alone enabled the possibilities of the alternative arguments.
Good leadership was most important in the development of the Ottoman Empire. A leader sets the direction to which the state will work towards. More importantly, he dictates the course of action to be taken. As such, success of the state largely depended on the leader. In the Ottoman Empire, the idea of a warrior king is discussed. The warrior king is an image often associated with the necessity of projecting power through the clearest way possible-warfare. This is especially relevant in the case of the Ottoman sultan where the leader was not only considered a political but a military leader where his legitimacy as a leader was proven through his ability to fulfill his divine mission of spreading Islam by conquering new territories for the empire. A chief without ability was deposed of and while an incompetent chief may remain in position due to his family's political influence, his authority would evaporate as the fighting men who were the basis of his power would simply ride off to another leader. As such, the position of the leader was exceptionally vulnerable, thus stressing the constant need for warfare as a platform to better assure his people of his worth as a leader. For instance, Osmangazi gained an important reputation as a warrior of the faith through his Bapheus victory which allowed him to begin welding together more strongly his independent-minded subordinates, while at the same time, gaining more support from others where more Turkoman warriors begin to enlist under his leadership.
