![Principality of Smyrna founded](https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/ce/ba/ab/cebaaba0dca0b41635430c0f5179e9d5.jpg)
Originally in Byzantine service, Tzachas, a Seljuk Turkish military commander, rebelled and seized Smyrna, much of the Aegean coastlands of Asia Minor and the islands lying off shore. He founded a principality in Smyrna, giving the Seljuks access to Aegean Sea.