The Ottoman Empire began as a small tribe, but had ambitions to become something larger than it was and to expand into other lands. Initially they were nomads but they wanted more to have a fleeting legacy, they wanted roots. However, everything changed when Constantinople fell and the Ottomans wanted the empire established. Finkel stated, “For them, empire literally began with a dream” (p. 2). But this prophetic dream was not enough; many tested Ottoman power and demanded to see proof of lineage. At one point the Ottomans decided to flaunt “a fictitious genealogy that would better affirm their legitimacy” (Finkel, 2005, p. 12). However, proving Ottoman ancestry was the least of their problems: conquering the lands of the Byzantine Empire was their top priority. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There were a series of raids on the Byzantine Empire orchestrated by Osman himself. The Byzantine emperor tried to prevent these incursions from advancing into his empire but failed. “Not long afterward the Byzantine emperor sent an army against Osman, but Osman ambushed and destroyed it at Baphaeum (Koyunhisar), forcing the local population to flee to Nicomedia (Izmit) while the other Ottoman forces approached Brusa ” (Turnbull, 2003, p. 12). These military tactics passed into the Ottoman social order. For example, soldiers or higher-ranking military personnel developed a social class called the warrior aristocracy. This class is granted special privileges because they aided the Ottoman Empire in its expansion efforts. “They were given control over land and peasant producers in the annexed areas to support their families and the military” (Stearns, 2011, p.578). Like all who have tasted power, they wanted more and wanted to have a say in how the kingdom is run. However, the warrior aristocracy was not the only source of strength the Ottomans found to rule their empire. The Janissaries, who “had been forcibly recruited from adolescent boys in conquered areas…” (Stearns, 2011, p.578). Surprisingly enough these boys were extensively educated and were converted to the Islamic faith. Although some Janissaries were born abroad, they wanted to translate their “military experience into political influence.” (Stearns, 2011, p.579) The purpose of the Janissaries was primarily to serve the Ottoman sultan, but they wanted political influence over the empire. The Ottomans not only focused on expanding their empire, but also on knowledge, trade, and faith. Having strong forces to defend an empire is important, but so is having the knowledge and legacy to follow it. Learning about topics besides warfare was extremely important to the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. “…Mehmed was educated in the classical and Byzantine heritage of which he imagined himself the heir; Bayezid sought the company of teachers of Islamic science and philosophy, poets and mystics, men whose intellectual roots lay in the East.” (Finkel, 2005, p.81) The empire also opened its arms to people who were not Islamic; it served as a place of refuge for Jews seeking to escape persecution by the Spanish crown. The Ottoman empire was not an empire to be feared but it was also a refuge for those who were persecuted because they did not convert. “Many went to live in the Ottoman Empire, where they found Greek-speaking Jews, called Romaniotes, and German Jews, called Ashkenazim, who were also expelled from their homelands.” (Finkel, 2005, p.88) Also this different mix of people.