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1I.Osman I The Founder/The Visionary "Kurucu"
2Born	1258
3Died	1324 
4Reign:	
5As Bey of the Kayi Tribe:1281  1324
6As Bey of the Ottomans:c. 1299  1324
7"Osman I was definitely real, but in some ways, he’s like the King Arthur of the East" 
8Not a single written source survives from Osman's reign.
9Youngest of the three sons of Ertugrul(1191-1281),that under the command of his father Suleyman Shah(1178-1236),leader of the Kayi tribe of the Oghuz Turks,who fled from eastern Iran to Anatolia to escape the Mongol conquests,according to legend he aided the Seljuks of Rum with his 400 horsemen,for which he was rewarded with dominion over the town of Sögüt on the frontier with the Byzantine Empire.This set off the chain of events that would ultimately lead to the founding of the Ottoman Empire.Like Osman,and their descendants,Ertugrul is often referred to as a Ghazi,a heroic champion fighter for the cause of Islam.
10Was accompanied by Kose Mihal in his ascent to power as an Emir,Mihal is considered to be the first significant Byzantine renegade and convert to Islam to enter Ottoman service
11Osman became Bey upon his father’s death in c.1281,the Bey was more of a tribal chieftain,rather than the more kingly Sultans of the future.
12Osman centralized the military as a steppe-nomadic cavalry force,raiders,shock troops,hit and run tactics,armed with weapons like bows and spears.
13Was given a small piece of land for his service to the Seljuks
14Osman and his descendants practiced a version of Islam that was stricter that that of the Seljuks and saw glory only in fighting against non-muslims.
15Osman's mentor was his father's close friend Sheikh Edebali who  eventually girt him with a ghazi sword.Osman's Sword was used for every crowning of the sultans.
16Osman had a troubling dream he could not comprehend so he visited Edebali's dergah,he dreamed yet again of the crescent moon coming out of Edebali’s chest and entering his own.This dream was to lead to the establishment of the Ottoman State.Edebali's daughter Rabia Bala was married to Osman in 1289.Sheikh Edebali died in his 80 year.
17Osman saw himself and his host reposing near each other.From the bosom of Edebali rose the full moon,and inclining towards the bosom of Osman it sank upon it,and was lost to sight.After that a godly tree sprang forth,which grew in beauty and in strength,ever greater and greater.Still did the embracing verdure of its boughs and branches cast an ampler and an ampler shade,until they canopied the extreme horizon of the three parts of the world.Under the tree stood four mountains,which he knew to be Caucasus,Atlas,Taurus,and Haemus.These mountains were the four columns that seemed to support the dome of the foliage of the sacred tree with which the earth was now centered.From the roots of the tree gushed forth four rivers,the Tigris,the Euphrates,the Danube,and the Nile.
18Edebali's advice to his son in law,Osman Ghazi, shaped and developed Ottoman administration and rule for six centuries.
19In one famous declaration, Edebali told Osman:O my son! Now you are king!From now on, wrath is for us;for you, calmness!For us to be offended;for you to please!For us to accuse;for you to endure!For us,helplessness and error;for you,tolerance!For us,quarrel;for you,justice!For us,envy,rumor,slander;for you,forgiveness!O my son!From now on, it is for us to divide;for you to unite!For us, sloth;for you,warning and encouragement!O my son!Be patient,a flower does not bloom before its time.Never forget:Let man flourish,and the state will also flourish!O my son!Your burden is heavy,your task hard,your power hangs on a hair!May God be your helper!
20Founder of the Ottoman Principality in Sogut,the principality being just one of many Anatolian beyliks that emerged in the second half of the 13th century that were pushed by the Mongols from Central and East Asia to Anatolia.
21Osman's power,now grew not just because of his personality but also from his belief of his divine right to lead
22Fought in battles along his sons Orhan and Alaeddin,together they formed an army which would dominate its enemies,during the next 20 years they plundered the surrounding countryside,their attacks were swift but their treatment of the vanquished was fair,unlike other conquering powers at the time,the Ottomans granted religious freedom to the conquered,this policy would lay the foundation of the future succes of the empire,the Ottomans judged the people on what they had to contribute,not on etnicity,race nor religion.
23The first recorded mention of the Ottomans was at the Battle of Bapheus in 1302,fought just 50 kms to the east of Constantinople.Led by a man called Osman,that day fate smiled upon him and his followers,the heavy rains flooded the area and changed the course of the river,the fortifications built by the Byzantines were now rendered useless,this small act of nature shifted the course of history,it gave Osman and his warriors an opening to attack,the modest army of Turks won a stunning victory over the Byzantines,the defeat shocked the romans,who had already been struggling for decades to maintain a grip on the region,continuous wars against the Byzantine Empire would transpire.
24Later in 1302,the Byzantines responded to Osman's raids and counterattacked with a mercenary army,Osman used tactitcs he had learned from the Mongols,he dispatched a small garrison to lure the Byzantines into a deadly ambush,it was this victory that cemented the loyalty of Osman's troops.
25Many of the early Ottoman troops were christian who had the goal to enrich themselves,Osman generously shared the spoils of war and his numbers continued to grow.
26Osman appears to have followed the strategy of increasing his territories at the expense of the Byzantines while avoiding conflict with his more powerful Turkish neighbors.His first advances were through the passes which lead from the barren areas of northern Phrygia near modern Eskisehir into the more fertile plains of Bithynia; according to Stanford Shaw, these conquests were achieved against the local Byzantine nobles,"some of whom were defeated in battle,others being absorbed peacefully by purchase contracts,marriage contracts, and the like."He also cut the Byzantine trade routes forcing local rulers to surrender.
27Alarmed by Osman's growing influence,the Byzantines gradually fled the Anatolian countryside.Byzantine leadership attempted to contain Ottoman expansion,but their efforts were poorly organized and ineffectual. Meanwhile Osman spent the remainder of his reign expanding his control in two directions,north along the course of the Sakarya River and southwest towards the Sea of Marmora, achieving his objectives by 1308.That same year his followers participated in conquest of the Byzantine city of Ephesus near the Aegean Sea, thus capturing the last Byzantine city on the coast, although the city became part of the domain of the Emir of Aydin.
28Muslims who escaped from the Mongol invasions have taken refuge in the Principality and have increased the political and military power
29Quickly ceased to be a vassal by using the dissolution of the Sultanate of Rum and gained independence for the Ottoman Principality in 1308.
30Osman was nicknamed as Black "Kara" which signified a brave and heroic person.He had a deep and fine voice,was an expert on horse riding,swordfighting and battle strategies.He was fair,the most known fact about him is that he was willing to share almost everything with his people,he helped the poor and even gave his own clothes to others in need.
31Created a position equivalent to the post of the future Grand Viziers position to compensate his younger son Alaeddin.
32Alaeddin introduced the laws respecting the costume of the various subjects of the principality,and the creation and funding of a standing army of regular troops.
33Managed to extend the Principality to 16.000 km2.
34By 1320 Osman was bedridden and mostly let his sons rule in his place.
35Osman's last campaign was against the city of Prusa but he did not live long enough to witness the victory.
36Osman wrote a testament to his oldest son Orhan saying:Son!When I'm dead,put me under the silver dome in Prusa.If anyone tells you that the word of Allah was not the one who commanded,don't accept it.If you don't know something,ask Allah,he will know the answer.And please keep those who obey you.And always reward your guardians,your actions are the very heart of the state.
37Died of Old Age
38
39II.Orhan I The Opener/The Elder "Yasli"
40Born	1281
41Died	March 1362
42Reign	1324  March 1362
43Born in Sögüt around 1281,Orhan was the first son of Osman I.Orhan's grandfather,Ertugrul Gazi before passing away,named his grandson after Orhan Alp.
44Said to be extremely kind and to have listened to his people's troubles.
45Firstborn,ascended to the throne after his father's death
46Wanted to split the Kingdom with his brother Alaeddin but the latter refused because their father wanted Orhan as successor,and that the kingdom should not be divided.He only accepted as his share the revenues of a single village near Bursa and continued to serve as Grand Vizier until his death in 1331
47Orhan told his brother, "Since, my brother, thou will not take the flocks and the herds that I offer thee, be thou the shepherd of my people; be my Vizier."Alaeddin, like many of his successors in that office, did not often command the armies in person, but he occupied himself with the foundation and management of the civil and military institutions of the state.
48Unlike his father,Orhan wanted more,he wasn't satisfied with conquering tribes and controlling villages,he had bigger and more defended targets in mind and new tactics were required.It would be an army that would soon be knocking on Europe's door.
49Conquered Prusa after a siege that lasted 6 years,it was said that they took it by building 2 castles,1 on either side of the city and blockaded it,starving it in the process or according to other sources just with diplomatic negotiations.
50When the city finally surrendered and Orhan entered Prusa he sees dead bodies and asks the commander of Prusa what are all these dead bodies,the commander responded that most of them died of starvation which is why they had to surrender.Orhan renamed it Bursa and established the new capital there.The Ottomans learned a lot fromn the people living in Bursa,they acquired knowledge about arhitecture and most importantly how to live in an urban enviroment.
51Alaeddin and Orhan established 3 things in order to improve the efficiency and legitimacy of the early Ottoman Kingdom,those being the introduction of a monetary system,the first silver Ottoman coins were minted in Orhan’s name,the selection of an official Ottoman costume,and a complete reorganization of the army.
52Founded the Jannisaries along his brother Alaeddin,an army entirely composed of the children of conquered places.
53Orhan addressed slavery in the following way:"The conquered are the responsibility of the conqueror, who is the lawful ruler of them,of their lands,of their goods,of their wives, and of their children. We have a right to do so, same as what we do with our own; and the treatment which I propose is not only lawful, but benevolent. By enforcing and enrolling them in the ranks of the army, we consult both their temporal and eternal interests, as they will be educated and given better life conditions.
54He also claimed that the formation of Janissary out of conquered children would induce other people to adopt, not only out of the children of the conquered nations, but out of a crowd of their friends and relations, who would come as volunteers to join the Ottoman ranks. Acting on this advice, Orhan selected a thousand of the finest boys from conquered Christian families. The recruits were trained according to their individual abilities, and employed in posts ranging from professional soldier to Grand Vizier.
55Orhan organized an army paid by salary rather than looting or fiefs.The infantry were called yayas and the cavalry was known as müsellems.The force was made up by foreign mercenaries for the most part,and only a few Turks were content to accept salaries in place of timars.Foreign mercenaries were not required to convert to Islam as long as they obeyed their Ottoman commanders.
56In the early stages of his reign,Orhan focused his energies on conquering most of northwestern Anatolia.The majority of these areas were under Byzantine rule:
57The Battle of Pelekanon in 1329,the Byzantines were defeated and no further attempts were made at relieving the cities in Anatolia under Ottoman siege.
58The city of Nicaea surrendered to him after a 3-year siege that concluded in 1331.The city of Nicomedia(renamed Izmit)was also captured,in 1337.Orhan gave the command of it to his eldest son,Suleyman Pasha,who had directed the operations of the siege.
59In 1338 by capturing Scutari(now Üsküdar)most of Northwest Anatolia was in Ottoman hands.
60A period of peace followed,during this time,the Ottoman sovereign was actively occupied in perfecting the civil and military institutions,securing internal order,founding,endowing mosques and schools,and in the construction of vast public edifices,many of which still stand,Orhan even built a monument in honor of his father Osman.
61Then,there was a change of strategy in 1345.Orhan took over a Turkish principality,Karesi(present Balikesir).According to Islamic philosophy of war,the areas under Islamic rule were to be abodes of peace.The Ottomans had to have special justification for conquering fellow Muslim Turkish principalities.In the case of Karesi,the ruler had died and had left two sons,so there was a fight between the armed supporters of the 2 claimant princes.Orhan's pretext for invasion was that he was acting as a bringer of peace.The Ottomans prevailed,the 2 brothers were pushed to the castle of their capital city of Pergama.1 was killed and the other was captured and kept as a puppet ruler.This conquest was particularly important since it brought the Anatolian side of the Dardanelles Straits into the Ottoman's hands.
62Orhan did not continue with any other conquests in Anatolia except taking over Ankara from the commercial-religious fraternity guild of Ahis.
63A series of civil wars surrounding the ascension of the nine-year-old Byzantine emperor greatly benefited Orhan.In the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347,the regent employed Ottoman warriors against rival forces,allowing them to loot Thrace.In the Byzantine civil war of 1352–1357,Kantakouzenos used Ottoman forces against John V,granting them the use of a European fortress at Çimpe around 1352.A major earthquake devastated Gallipoli,two years later after which Orhan's son,Suleyman Pasha,occupied the town,giving the Ottomans a strong bridgehead and its first expansion into mainland Europe in 1354
64In 1351,Orhan and Stefan Dusan of Serbia were negotiating about a potential alliance.There was a proposal to marry Dusan's daughter Theodora to Orhan,or one of his sons.However,the Serbian diplomats were attacked by Nikephoros Orsini,after which the negotiations broke down,the marriage didn't take place,and Serbia and the Ottoman state resumed hostilities.
65The Serbians and the Ottomans first clashed at the Battle of Demotika during the Byzantine Civil War,where each side supported a different emperor,the more numerous Ottomans defeated the Serbs in an open field and Kantakouzenos retained the power,somewhere between 4.000-7.000 Serbs died in this battle.This battle was the first major battle of the Ottomans on European soil and it made the Tsar of Serbia realize the major threat of the Ottomans to Europe.
66From 1354,Ottoman raiding parties began looting in Bulgarian Thrace and in the following year Orhan launched a campaign against the key city of Sofia.The battle was fierce,the Bulgarians suffered heavy casualties and their commander and heir to the throne was killed,however the Ottoman losses were also quite large and they decided not to march on Sofia,the battle showed the Bulgarians that they were not ready to challenge the Turks in an open field and the loss of their heir was a great blow to Bulgaria.
67Orhan is notable for defeating the Byzantine Empire and opening the way to Europe for the Ottomans.
68Orhan was recognized as the most powerful Bey of the Turks and married the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor,despite the big difference in age they were said to have got along.
69Expanded the kingdom nearly 6 times its size during Osman's reign.
70Orhan often walked among his people and listened to their troubles.His behavior was balanced and stable,not too kind yet not too harsh,he was always wary of the people around him and known for his good morality.                 
71In 1356,Orhan's son,Halil,was abducted somewhere on the Bay of Izmit.A Genoese commercial boat captain,which was conducting acts of piracy alongside commercial activity,was able to capture the young prince and take him over to Phocaea on the Aegean Sea, which was under Genoese rule.Orhan was very much upset by this kidnapping and conducted talks with his brother-in-law and now sole Byzantine Emperor.As to the agreement,John V with a Byzantine naval fleet went to Phocaea,paid the ransom demanded of 100,000 hyperpyra,and brought Halil back to Bursa.
72In 1357,Suleyman Pasha(b.1316),Orhan's oldest son and intended heir to the throne died  after injuries sustained from a fall from a horse near Bolayir on the coast of the sea of Marmara.The horse that Suleyman fell from was buried alongside him and their tombs can still be seen today.Orhan was said to have been greatly affected by the death of his son and that his death was taxing on Orhan's health.
73Orhan was the longest living and one of the longest reigning of the Ottoman Sultans.In his last years he had left most of the powers of state in the hands of his second son Murad and lived a secluded life in Bursa.
74Died of Old Age.
75
76III.Murad I The First Conqueror "Hudavendigar"
77Born	29 June 1326
78Died	15 June 1389
79Reign	March 1362  14 June 1389
80Secondborn,ascended to the throne after his father's death,his 15 year old brother Halil fought for the throne with the support of the Byzantines and as a result he was killed.Murad also executed his half brother Ibrahim(b.1327),governor of Eskisehir to avoid anymore acts of rebellion.
81Spent the first 5 years of his reign in his palace fighting in no wars.
82Nicknamed "Hudavendigar",a direct translation being "the devotee of God" but meaning sovereign in this context.
83In 1366 a "crusade" occupied Gallipoli but the Ottomans managed to retake the city in the same year.
84Nearly overthrown by his 14 year old son's rebellion with the aid of the Byzantines,the rebellion happened most likely as a result of the stagnation of the Empire during his early reign caused by his 5 year seclusion in the palace,as punishment for his treacherous act he half-blinded his son as punishment and decided that it would be the last time the Byzantines used his family against him.
85As a result Murad conquered Adrianople and renamed it Edirne,soon establishing the new capital there.
86Immediately after he forced The Byzantines to pay him tribute and chose not to siege Constantinople.
87First conqueror of the Balkans,started the legendary Era of Conquests,a time of prosperity for the Ottomans which would last for 200 years.
88First Sultan to enter in conflict with Walalchia,Poland,Albania and Hungary.
89In the early 1370's Murad started the conquest of the Balkans,
90In the Battle of Marista River in 1371,the Ottomans managed to kill somewhere around 70.000 Serbs with a force of around only 800 men,before the battle the Serbs planned to attack the Ottoman capital Edirne since most of the Ottoman forces were in Asia and to finally drive them out of Europe,after hearing about this,the Ottomans conducted a night raid on the Serbs and found them celebrating and feasting.Thousands were killed in their sleep,including their king,Vukasin and a great part of people who survived the ambush were drowned in the river.After the battle,the Maritsa ran scarlet with blood."Even water sleeps but the enemy doesn't."
91Soon after,they took many Macedonian towns and won another significant victory over a Bulgarian-Serbian coalition.These victories brought large territories under direct Ottoman rule and made northern Serbia and Bulgaria,Murad’s vassals,this in turn destroying the Serbian Empire.
92His conquests against the Balkans started never seen before alliances between the European nations with the sole purpose of expelling the Turks out of Europe.
93In many areas christian subjects welcomed the Ottomans more as liberators rather than conquerors,paying less tax to the Ottomans than they had to previous rulers.
94Murad established the sultanate in 1383(The Sublime Ottoman State/Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye),from now on the leader of the Ottoman Empire would be addresed with the title of "Sultan Khan",built the corps of the janissaries and organised the government of the Divan which was basically a council. 
95Murad administratively divided his sultanate into the two provinces of Anatolia(Asia Minor) and Rumelia(the Balkans).
96Established the position of Grand Vizier,the first but technically the 5th was Candarli Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha who was also the grand vizier that stayed in office the longest(23 years).
97While Orhan founded the janissaries,it was Murad who made them into the Ottoman main force,he expanded the standing army and the child abductions became more frequent,while it was a cruel act,with many parents hiding their children,arranging early marriages,deleting their names from scriptures,many more understood how prestigious the life of a soldier was,they knew what a promising carer joining the Ottomans could entail.The recruits were converted to islam,went through intense physical training and were drilled into the arts of war.
98In the mid 1380s Murad resumed his offensive in the west.Major cities like Sofia were conquered in 1385-1386.Meanwhile,in Anatolia,Murad had extended his power and consolidated his authority as far as Ankara.Through marriage,purchase,and conquest he also acquired territories from many Turkish Principalities.A coalition of Turkmen principalities led by the Karamans was formed to stem Ottoman expansion,but it was defeated at Konya in 1386.
99Managed to expand the kingdom 5 times its size and reached Empire status.
100Unbeaten in more than 37 important battles during his reign.
101Liked juggling and was said to be a genius hunter,he was known for his harsh,fierce and depressive speeches to his armies,foreign sources referred to him as a "gentle knight.Strangely he was said to not be very religious,there was one time when his testimony was not accepted by a woman from Bursa because Murad didn't pray before the divans started and he was rumored to not even do the daily islamic prays.
102Murad built the Sultan Murad Mosque where most of the Ottoman princes were buried.
103Built the first army of slaves,as his right to own a fifth of the war booty,the slaves were well treated and could reach high ranks in society.
104In 1388 a coalition of northern Serbian princes and Bosnians managed to halt the Ottoman Expansion at Plocnik.
105The Decisive Battle of Kosovo(1389),the first of many crusades against the Ottomans:
106Before the battle,Lazar of Serbia formed the Lazar Alliance along the Hungarians,Bohemians,Bosnians,Wallachians and Poles
107Murad sent the majority of his troops to ensure the victory of the battle,not caring for his own safety and leaving himself nearly undefended,the serbian knight Milos Obilic used that opportunity to break the line of Murad's bodyguards and assassinate the Sultan.
108Despite this,the battle resulted in an Ottoman Victory but with mutual heavy losses—devastating for the less numerous Serbs.
109Murad's death against the Serbs would cause the Ottomans to halt their expansion into the territory temporarily and focus their attention once more on the ailing Byzantine Empire.
110Murad was the last and only sultan that was killed in battle.
111
112IV.Bayezid I The Lightning "Yildrim"
113Born	c. 1354
114Died	8 March 1403
115Reign	15 June/Officially:16 June 1389  20 July 1402
116A man half-blinded with an eccentric personality and an impetuous soldier,earning the nickname The Lightning or The Thunderbolt because of the speed and frequency with which he moved his armies across the land.
117Firstborn,immediately took charge of the army after his father's death and strangled his brother Yakup during the Battle of Kosovo to avoid conflict and won the battle.
118Submissed Serbia and took as a wife Princess Olivera Despina,daughter of Prince Lazar of Serbia,who also lost his life in Kosovo.Bayezid recognized Stefan Lazarevic,as the new Serbian leader,with considerable autonomy.
119Initially,he concentrated on expanding his European realm, but when this proved a failure,the sultan turned to a more pressing matter Anatolia and Constantinople
120Began unifying Anatolia under his rule.Expansion into Muslim territories could endanger relationships with the gazis,who were an importance source of warriors .So Bayezid began the practice to first secure fatwas, or legal rulings from Islamic scholars,justifying their wars against these Muslim states and relied heavily on his Serbian and Byzantine vassal troops to perform these conquests
121In a single campaign with the motive of uniting Turkish Anatolia,over the summer and fall of 1390,he conquered 3 major beyliks.His rival Sulayman,emir of Karaman,allying himself with the remaining Turkish beyliks.Bayezid pushed on and overwhelmed the remaining beyliks.Bayezid accepted peace proposals from Karaman (1391),concerned that further advances would antagonize his Turkoman followers and lead them to ally with Kadi Burhan al-Din.Once peace had been made with Karaman,Bayezid moved north against Kastamonu which had given refuge to many fleeing from his forces.However,his campaign was stopped by Burhan al-Din at the Battle of Kirkdilim in 1391/1392,The details of the battle are debated,some sources saying that Ottoman expansion was halted and others contain no indications of a major clash,and point to the expedition having been overall an Ottoman success.
122While most of Anatolia was conquered,the rule of Bayezid over the territories was unstable and almost non existent.
123Conquered Northern Greece and Bulgaria,Bulgaria's existence would not even be mentioned from now on.
124Laid a blockade and started the First Ottoman Siege of Constantinopole in 1394.
125Back in 1389 the Wallachians defeated the Ottoman Grand Vizier and conquered Dobruja,Bayezid conquered back the southern part in 1393,thus starting the war against Wallachia.
126In 1394/1395 Bayezid crossed the Danube to attack Wallachia,ruled by Mircea the Elder.The Ottomans were superior in number,but in the Battle of Rovine,on forested and swampy terrain,the Wallachians won the battle and prevented Bayezid's army from advancing beyond the Danube.The legend says that on the eve of the battle,dressed as a peace emissary,Mircea The Elder talked to Bayezid asking him to leave Wallachia and promising him safe passage back.Bayezid proudly insisted on fighting.
127Later Mircea agreed to pay tribute and give back Dobruja to the Ottomans,Bayezid was the first sultan to submiss Wallachia.
128Invaded Hungary in 1395,probably for helping the Wallachians reconquer Dobruja in the same year,the invasion resulted in a Hungarian-Venetian alliance against the Ottomans.
129The siege was interrupted by the Nicopolis Crusade which was comprised of almost all of Europe's great powers in 1396."I see your courage,and I will demonstrate courage no less than yours.Behold,I will be like lightning during the battle!"
130Before the battle of Nicopolis,the Crusaders executed 1.000 Turkish civilians.The next day,Bayezid crushed the crusade killing most of the Crusader army with moderate casualties on his part and executed 3.000 captured prisoners as revenge for the killing of innocents,later built the magnificent Ulu Cami in Bursa to celebrate this victory.Thus the siege of Constantinople continued,lasting until 1402.
131Bayezid turned once more to Anatolia,where he defeated and annexed Karaman in autumn 1397.In the next year he took Samsun and Canik;following Burhan al-Din's death,annexed his domains as well,and expanded across eastern Anatolia.
132Proclaimed himself Sultan-I-Rum,believing that Constantinople would soon fall but he was soon forced to lift the siege because of the upcoming battle against Tamerlane,the leader of the Timurid Empire.
133In 1400,the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur who defeated the Golden Horde twice,which were the descendants of Genghis Khan,succeeded in rousing the local Turkic beyliks who had been vassals of the Ottomans to join him in his attack on Bayezid,who was also considered one of the most powerful rulers in the Muslim world.
134Timur claimed suzerainty over the Anatolian Turkmen rulers and offered refuge to those expelled and conquered by Bayezid.
135Timur didn't want to start a war against another Muslim superpower so a letter correspondence between the two leaders leaders began,Timur saying the following:"Be wise and repent,avert our vengeance,you are nothing more than an ant,don't provoke the elephants or you will get trampled".And Bayezid responded with:"If I run away from your armies may all my wives divorce me,but if you dare to run away from mine may all your wives belong to other men!"
136Bayezid I labeled Timur Lang,to justify his war against a fellow Muslim,an apostate prior to the Battle because of the violence his troops had committed upon innocent civilians and because “all you do is to break promises and vows,shed blood, and violate the honor of women."
137The two met at the Battle of Ankara on 20 July 1402,more than 150.000 men,horses and even war elephants clashed.
138A pivotal point in the battle took place when some of Bayezid’s Anatolian vassals switched sides or deserted,leaving him with an even greater numerical disadvantage against Timur.However,the core of the Ottoman force fought bravely.The battle was vicious and the resulting carnage was enormous.By the end of the day it was said that around 50.000 Ottoman troops laid dead,the same was said of Timur’s force.
139Bayezid might have been up against a man who was his equal in leadership, but Tamerlane simply had more of everything.Bayezid had thrown all of his empire’s resources into the battle,but he couldn’t overcome the fact that Tamerlane’s empire was bigger.
140The Battle of Ankara,one of the worst Ottoman losses in history,Turkish political unity in Anatolia was broken,Bayezid was captured along his sons Musa and Mustafa by Timur and the empire was split in 3 by the remaining sons of Bayezid soon after the battle ended,in turn starting the Ottoman Interregnum.
141The only Sultan to be captured in battle.
142Bayezid's horse was killed by an arrow at the end of the battle and immediately after being captured said the following:"Take me to your cowardly ruler that is too afraid to confront me in battle himself!"
143The Timurid soldiers brought him to Timur's tent.When Bayezid arrived to his tent Timur stopped playing chess with his son and stood up.He greeted him as a kinsman then realised Bayezid's eyes were twitching.Timur laughed,Bayezid tought he was mocking him and said "You claim yourself the conqueror of sultans and you laugh at me like that?".Timur laughed again and answered "My kinsman I am not mocking you,I'm looking at you,then at myself and realize that Allah left this world to a blind man like you and a cripple like me.Thats why i laugh."
144Hearing of the war between his sons and that the empire was in shambles,Bayezid felt guilty for the chaos happening in the Empire,blaming himself for his irresponsibility of not declaring an heir and would soon take precautions of not being used as a bargaining chip.
145Was said to be treated well in captivity,and that Timur even mourned his death.
146Died by suicide after spending 1 year in captivity,by poison or infliction of self injury.
147There is another account on Bayezid's death that goes something along the lines of Bayezid being brought before Timur,and Timur asking him:"If you were in my place, how would you treat me?" and Bayezid responded "Like a dog."At which point Timur had Bayezid dragged through the street in chains from atop of his horse and in traditional Mongol fashion wrapped him in a carpet and had him trampled to death. 
148
149Ottoman Interregnum/Fetret Devri
1501402-1413
151The Civil War that nearly destroyed the Empire-11 Years
152
153Isa Çelebi "Ortadaki"
154The Sultan of Western Anatolia
155Born	1380
156Died	1406
157Reign	1403  1405
158Thirdborn,Isa fought in the Battle of Ankara,after the Ottoman army was defeated,Isa fled to western Anatolia
159In 1403,after learning about his father's death in captivity,Isa was the last to join the Interregnum Civil War,his first move was attacking Musa's territories seeing that he had the weakest force of the brothers.
160Despite early setbacks he soon defeated Musa,gained control of Bursa and won control over western Anatolia.
161Feeling his lands to be fragile situated between both Mehmet and Suleyman,he signed a treaty of friendship with the Byzantine Emperor and refused Mehmet's suggestion to partition the Anatolian part of the empire with him,on the grounds that he was the older brother and was entitled the entirety of the territory plus Mehmet was nothing but a child at the time.
162He was later defeated by Mehmet in the Battle of Ulubad in 1405.In this battle, he also lost his grand vizier Timurtas,who was an experienced statesman.He escaped to Rumeli over Byzantine territories.
163Suleyman Celebi decided to support his cause in Anatolia and provided him with fresh troops.
164He failed to ally himself with the Anatolian beyliks,which his father Bayezid had captured and still held a grudge against the Ottomans. 
165He continued to fight against Mehmet.However,after a series of defeats and the betrayal of his allies,Isa gave up the war for the throne and decided to quit the struggle.
166After losing the will to fight,Isa retired and decided to live as a normal citizen,however,he was spotted in a public bath in Eskisehir and killed by Mehmet's partisans in 1406.
167
168Süleyman Çelebi "Emir"
169The First Sultan of Rumelia
170Born	1377
171Died	18 February 1411
172Reign	20 July 1402   17 February 1411
173Firstborn,fought along his father in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396.
174Suleyman managed to escape from the Battle of Ankara,he was chased by Timur to the coast but Timur lacked a navy so an attack on Rumelia wasn't a good strategic move.
175As a result Suleyman became the Sultan of Rumelia by easily defeating Timur's forces with his powerful navy.
176First established his capital in Edirne
177Suleyman soon made peace with Venice,Genoa and the Byzantines,the Greeks stopped paying tribute and received a number of coastal areas in the Balkans,Suleyman also made Constantinople an Ottoman protectorate.
178Suleyman rewarded the Serbs for their bravery and loyalty to the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara,and for helping him against Timur.Serbian soldiers were given women,gold,silver and vast-riches to bring to Serbia.As a sign of respect,the Serbs would help Suleyman against his brothers.
179In 1404,the Wallachians managed to impose authority on Dobruja and conquer it.
180Eventually,Suleyman's allies and army consistent more of Europeans rather than Turks and Suleyman became more of a king rather than a sultan.
181Suleyman supported Isa in his battles against Mehmet with troops.
182Afraid of Mehmet's increasing power,Süleyman crossed the straits to reunite the empire.He captured Bursa but before fighting against his brother he sought to intimidate the Turkmen principalities which previously belonged to the Empire and captured Ankara but could not advance further.
183Suleyman was considered the strongest of the brothers at the time but now with the newly formed alliance between Mehmed and Musa he has to fight on 2 sides,one against Mehmet in Anatolia and another against Musa in Europe.This alliance was partially successful,as Süleyman gave up his hopes to conquer the Anatolian portion of the empire due to the sheer difficulty imposed by fighting on 2 fronts.
184Despite his victories against Musa in 1409-1410,Süleyman had lost most of his allies due to his terrible temper and his extravagant,costly lifestyle.
185Especially after the death of his able grand vizier Candarli Ali Pasha,Süleyman's indifference to state affairs caused him to lose even more supporters,a lot of his allies even joined Musa's side.In 1411,Musa captured Edirne and defeated Suleyman and his forces.Suleyman,while attempting to escape into Byzantine territories,was caught and killed on February 17,1411 by angry villagers that were mistreated during his reign.
186
187Musa Çelebi "Ihanete"
188The Co-Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
189The Second Sultan of Rumelia
190Born	1388
191Died	5 July 1413
192Reign	1402  1403(Western Anatolia) 17 February 1411  5 July 1413(Sultan of Rumelia)
193Fourthborn,captured along his father Bayezid I by Timur but was released after a short time
194Musa soon took control of Bursa and nearby lands as a vassal of Timur but the vassality barely lasted as Timur had other conflicts to attend to,like the invasion of China.
195Musa was defeated by Isa in 1403 and was forced to take refuge in the court of his younger brother Mehmet who moved against Isa in the same year.
196Musa and Mehmet formed an alliance against Suleyman as on their own they had no chance against his forces,now Suleyman had to fight on 2 sides which severely weakened his power.
197Was sent by Mehmet with a strong army to attack Suleyman's European domains but he was soon forced to return to the Balkans.
198Was invited to Wallachia by Mircea The Elder in 1409 and offered his support in his campaign against Suleyman.
199Was defeated again 1410 by Suleyman,despite his defeat,Musa continued with hit-and-run tactics against Süleyman which were mostly succesful.Meanwhile,Süleyman had lost most of his previous allies due to his uncontrollable temper,many of those allies joined Musa's side.In 1411,Musa's tactics finally gave victory and he captured Edirne and defeated Suleyman.Suleyman,while attempting to escape into Byzantine territories,was killed by angry villagers on February 17, 1411 and Musa found himself as the co-sultan of the empire. 
200Musa and Mehmet initially planed to rule together,Mehmed being the Sultan and Musa the Co-Sultan,Musa declared himself Sultan of Rumelia,Mehmet did not take this seriously and saw Musa only as a mere vassal to him.
201Wanted to split the empire with Mehmed but the latter refused.
202Mehmet soon betrayed Musa by allying himself with the Byzantines against Musa.The brothers clashed(1411-1412) and in both conflicts Mehmet was defeated.
203Married Mircea the Elder's daughter later in 1411
204Attempted the 3rd Ottoman Siege of Constantinople to punish the Emperor for allying himself with Suleyman and Mehmet but he was overwhelmed by the combined powers of the Byzantines and Mehmet,the failed siege resulted in a huge loss for Musa.
205The brothers soon met once again,Mehmet with new fresh allies,Musa,still never fully recovered from the failed Siege of Constantinople was left to face Mehmed's new army.
206Defeated by Mehmed on 5 July 1413 in the battle of Camurlu Derbent near Samokov,Bulgaria.
207Musa,later that day tried to escape while injured,bleeding and alone but was soon caught and killed.
208
209V.Mehmet I The Winner of The Ottoman Interregnum "Kirisci"
210Born	April 1389
211Died	14 May 1421
212Reign:	
213Interregnum:1402  1405(Eastern Anatolia) 1405  1413(Sultan of Anatolia)
214True Reign:5 July 1413  14 May 1421/Officially:25 June 1421
215Fifthborn,grew up surrounded by politics.
216Was a commander of the Ottoman army at the Battle of Ankara
217Was granted control of Eastern Anatolia by Timur in 1402,immediately after the Battle and established his capital in Amasya
218Musa took refuge in Mehmed's court after being defeated by the forces of Isa in 1403.
219Fought multiple battles against Isa who was supported by Suleyman and became the sole ruler of Anatolia upon defeating him in the Battle of Ulubad in 1405,Isa went into hiding and was later spotted and killed by Mehmed's partisans in a public bath in 1406
220Suleyman later marched on Anatolia,capturing Bursa and Ankara but not advancing further than that.
221Formed an alliance with Musa against Suleiman seeing as he alone could not stand against his forces and with Suleyman fighting on two sides he would be severely weakened.
222Let Musa Celebi travel the Black Sea to attack Suleyman Celebi in 1409 but was initially defeated multiple times,Suleyman lost most of his allies and was defeated on 17 February 1411 by Musa,as a result he became the Sultan of Rumelia
223Musa and Mehmet initially planed to rule together,Mehmet being the Sultan and Musa the Co-Sultan,Musa declared himself Sultan of Rumelia,Mehmet did not take it seriously and saw Musa as only a mere vassal to him.
224Was offered by Musa,who allied himself with Mircea the Elder and married his daughter to split the Empire and rule as allies but Mehmet refused.
225Mehmet soon betrayed Musa and set up a new alliance between himself and the Byzantines against Musa,the brothers clashed(1411-1412) and in both conflicts Mehmet was defeated.
226Helped the Byzantines defeat Musa at the Siege of Constantinople but riots in Asia Minor erupted soon after.
227Mehmet,seeing that even after the crushing defeat of Musa he was still on the losing side of the war,sought to gain the support of the Serbian monarch Stefan Lazarevic and the bey of the Turkish Dulkadirids,as well as some of the generals in Musa's army. 
228The forces of the 2 brothers finally met again in 1413,ready for a decisive battle to end the Ottoman Interregnum.
229Acquired the title of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I Khan upon defeating Musa and his forces in the Battle of Camurlu Derbent on 5 July 1413.Later that day,injured and trying to escape,Musa was spotted alone,bleeding and was killed.
230This battle re-established the unity of the two Ottoman Provinces Anatolia and Rumelia.
231Won the Ottoman Interregnum after 11 years of civil war and truly ascended to the throne
232It is interesting to note that all of Bayezid's sons were named after prophets and that Mehmet(synonym of Muhammad)won against Suleyman(Solomon),Musa(Moses)and Isa(Jesus).
233The next years of his reign would be spent rebuilding,re-establishing control in the empire and reconquering some of the lost territories during the Interregnum in Anatolia.
234Reformed the Ottoman Navy
235The structure of the administration of the palace was based on his practices.The harem,the receiving rooms,the Golden Road,the concubines,the eunuchs and the black eunuchs and the way everyone dressed were all started during his reign.
236Was said to be well built,he liked to wrestle and was said to be able to pull "even the strongest springs".He spoke in a soft,sweet way,showing patience and kindness.
237Marched on Wallachia in 1416 against Mircea for supporting Musa and Sheikh Bedreddin's revolt,to tie loose ends and to finally submiss Wallachia and retake Dobruja.
238In 1416 the Ottomans clashed with Venice for the first time in the Battle of Gallipoli,the battle was a huge loss for the Ottomans as more than half of their ships were captured.
239During his reign Mehmed pursued a policy of relative restraint in the Balkans,although he made territorial gains in Albania(1417),and conducted raids into Hungary.
240His brother Kasim Celebi(b.1390) who was sent as a hostage to Constantinople passed away later in 1417.However,Mehmet still had to overcome some obstacles,first being the son of Kasim,his nephew Orhan,who Mehmet perceived as a threat even though he was only 5 years old at the time,much like his late brothers had been.Secondly,there was allegedly a plot involving him by the Byzantine Emperor,who tried to use Orhan against Mehmet;however,the sultan found out about the plot,had Orhan smuggled out of Constantinople and blinded him for betrayal and to make him unfit to rule.
241Mehmed,faced yet another problem,the population of the empire had become unstable and traumatized after the recent civil war and a very powerful social and religious movement arose in the empire and became disruptive.The movement was led by Sheikh Bedreddin,a famous Sufi and ex-associate of his brother Musa,Bedreddin and his disciples posed a serious challenge to the authority of Mehmed and the Ottoman Dynasty as the riots prevented him from reuniting the Empire and governing his Balkan provinces.Bedreddin created a populist religious movement in the Ottoman Sultanate,"subversive conclusions promoting the suppression of social differences between rich and poor as well as the barriers between different forms of monotheism."In 1416,he started a rebellion against Mehmed and after a 4-year struggle,he was finally captured and hanged in in 1420.
242The impact of the revolts marked a turning point in toleration of non-Muslims by the Ottoman state,by crushing the rebellions,the state proved its stance on freedom of religion.Sects of Bedreddin's followers continued to survive long after his death.His teachings remained influential,and his sectarians were considered a threat until the late sixteenth century.
243After Mircea The Elder's death in 1418,his son Mihail I fought against the Ottoman attacks,eventually being killed in battle in 1420.That year,Mehmed personally conducted the definitive conquest of Dobruja.
244The First military action against Moldova in 1420.
245The Last battle he fought was with his long lost brother Mustafa Celebi(b.1393)in 1421,his brother had disappeared at the end of the Battle of Ankara and was in hiding during the Interregnum,Mustafa was soon defeated but managed to escape from the battle.
246Mehmet participated in 24 wars during his sultanate,took 42 swords,arrows and spear injuries.
247Mehmet's rule is notable and was spent stabilizing and rebuilding the Empire,his rule tragically being ended before any actual conquests.
248Was paralyzed when he fell off his horse during a hunt in Edirne,on his death bed he called for his most trusted viziers and told them:"Bring me my son Murad,I can't leave this world yet.If I die before Murad comes,he'll face many obstacles and pretenders just like I did.If I pass away before he arrives,see that you hide my death."
249When Murad reached the capital,Mehmet was reportedly dead for 42 days.
250
251VI.Murad II The Tired Holy Warrior "Kutsal Savasci"
252Born	16 June 1404
253Died	3 February 1451
2541st Reign	25 June 1421 – August 1444
2552nd Reign	September 1446 – 3 February 1451
256Thirdborn,peacefully ascended to the throne with his father's blessing.
257Compared to his predecesors,as well as his sons and grandsons,Murad had a unique mindset,he had a peculiar character.He did not like the throne,what delighted him was wildlife,the arts and conversations with his companions,including every wise man of his time,he served as sultan only out of a sense of obligation and devotion to the Empire.
258His rule was spent fighting long exhausting battles for islam and against pretenders to the throne and the abolishment of rebellions in his early reign.
259He was obligated to fight with his relatives at first,because of their claim to the throne and their cooperation with the scheming Byzantines who had the goal of abolishing the Ottomans.
260His uncle Mustafa returned and with the help of the Byzantines,captured Gelibolu,the fort which controlled the strait of the Dardanelles,and after capturing Edirne, he began ruling Rumelia
261Murad sent troops over the Bosphorous to defeat Mustafa,these troops joined Mustafa's forces.Growing overconfident in his abilities,Mustafa decided to cross the Dardanelles and complete his conquest of Anatolia.
262Mihaloglu(descendant of Köse Mihal),a partisan of Murad,encouraged Mustafa's allies to betray him and support Murad instead.Furthermore,some of Mustafa's allies,abandoned him.Mustafa gave up his hopes to conquer Anatolia and tried to run,with Murad's forces in pursuit.Murad asked for the help of Genoan vessels,for which he paid an exorbitant price.Murad's forces soon caught up with Mustafa and captured him.
263Later sentenced Mustafa to public hanging which was uncommon for inter-dynasty executions,it is thought that Murad wanted to send the message that Mustafa was not his genuine uncle(although he was)but an impostor,to avoid controversy.
264When Murad ascended to the throne,he sought to regain the lost Ottoman territories that had reverted to autonomy following his grandfather Bayezid I’s defeat at the Battle of Ankara
265In order to gain popular,international support for his conquests,Murad modeled himself after the legendary Ghazi kings of old.Murad only had to capitalize on this dynastic inheritance of doing ghaza,which he did by actively crafting his public image as a Ghazi Sultan.
266He drew from the noble behavior of the nameless Caliphs in the Battalname,a story about an Arab warrior who fought the Byzantines,and modelled his actions on theirs.He was careful to embody the simplicity,piety,and noble sense of justice that was part of the Ghazi King persona.
267Sieged Constantinople in 1422 as punishment for them supporting his uncle,the siege was interrupted by another Mustafa,this time his younger brother,Murad forced the Byzantines to pay an even bigger tribute than before to satisfy his anger.
268Küçük Mustafa who was 13 at the time saw his chance to rebel while Murad was away,supported by the Karaman,he began capturing the Anatolian territories of the Ottoman Empire.The Byzantine emperor, seeing this rebellion as a chance for relief from the siege,also supported it.Although unsuccessful in the siege of Bursa,the co-capital of the empire,Küçük Mustafa captured Nicaea,another important city in the Anatolia.After hearing the news of the rebellion,Murad lifted the siege on Constantinople and returned to Anatolia.He also corresponded with Saraptar Ilyas secretly.Ilyas betrayed Küçük Mustafa and changed sides and Mustafa was easily captured by Murad's forces.Although Mustafa tried to escape,he was soon caught and executed.
269Murad declared war against Venice,the Karamanid Emirate,Serbia and Hungary.The Karamanids were defeated in 1428 and Venice withdrew in 1432 following the defeat at the second Siege of Thessalonica in 1430. In the 1430s Murad captured vast territories in the Balkans and succeeded in annexing Serbia in 1439,but many of those territorial gains would be lost since he had little to no control over them.
270Since the Ghazi King is meant to be a just and fair,when Murad took Thessalonica in the Balkans in 1430,he took care to keep the troops in check and prevented widespread looting and to avoid the desecration of the city.
271In 1439 Ottoman forces led by Murad attacked the Serbian Despotate.In 1440,the struggle for the throne of Hungary served as an opportunity for advance of the Ottomans.Murad seized this opportunity and decided to capture Belgrade.The Ottomans heavily outnumbered the Hungarians,the title of bey and corresponding estate was promised to the Ottoman soldier who would wave the Ottoman flag on the Belgrade walls.After a while,with no certain advantage nor advancement from any side and with barely any casualties,the siege was lifted and Murad decided to focus on the city of Novo Brdo in Kosovo,one of the largest cities in the Balkans,the Siege of Novo Brdo resulted in an Ottoman Victory.
272In 1441 the Holy Roman Empire and Poland joined the Serbian-Hungarian coalition against the Ottomans.
273Managed to submiss Walachia,in 1442 Vlad Dracul,the voievode of Wallachia was asked by Murad to present his homage and was imprisoned in Gallipoli,while his sons Vlad and Radu(„not of age” according to a Turkish chronicler)were sent to the Egrigoz fortress in Anatolia
274Abdicated the throne in 1444 in favor of his son and planned to live peacefully as a sufi.
275Murad received a letter from his son,angrily demanding that Murad shall lead the Ottoman army and fight against the crusaders.
276Before the Battle of Varna in 1444,Murad roused his warriors "Those of us who kill will be ghazis;those of us who die will be martyrs,later when Murad saw the Hungarians gaining the upper hand,he got down from his horse and prayed just like the Caliphs of legend,and shortly after,the tide turned in the Ottomans’ favor,the crusading forces of Iancu de Hunedoara and King Wladyslaw III of Poland and Hungary were crushed and the Union of Hungary and Poland was destroyed.
277After the battle Murad would continue his life as a sufi,away from trouble and violence.
278Forced to return to the throne in 1446 after his son asked him to and the rising threats from the Janniseries.
279As Skanderbeg was previously an Ottoman vassal,Murad sent 3 punitive expeditions against him,but all 3 armies were ambushed and defeated by the outnumbered Albanians.Meanwhile,Murad was preoccupied with minor rebellions within the Empire and a campaign against the Despotate of Morea in which Murad forced its ruler and the Byzantines to become his vassals and pay tribute.Murad attacked Skanderbeg in 1448 and won a minor victory at Svetigrad,but chasing the guerrilla force under Skanderbeg was impossible,Skanderbeg being an ex-Ottoman soldier knew and could predict almost every tactic the Ottomans could employ.After the battle Murad settled a few garrisons along the frontier and returned to Edirne.
280In 1448 he defeated another crusade at the Second Battle of Kosovo,led by Iancu de Hunedoara once again.The 2 armies met on the same field that Murad I died just 59 years earlier but history would not repeat itself,the battle was in the Ottomans' favor from the beginning,by the end the Ottomans managed to encircle the crusdaer army,killing more than half of their troops but Iancu managed to escape just in the nick of time.The Second Battle of Kosovo sealed the fate of the Balkans for the next few centuries.
281Skanderbeg continued his resistance and a few more campaigns against him did not bring any tangible succes.
282When the Balkan front was "secured",Murad turned east to defeat Timur's son,Shah Rokh,and the emirates of Karamanid and Çorum-Amasya.In 1450 Murad led his army into Albania and unsuccessfully besieged the Castle of Kruje in an effort to defeat the resistance led by Skanderbeg.
283This would be the last of the crusades against the Ottomans and this would make Murad the last Sultan to fight against a crusade.
284In 1449 he ordered his raiding forces to attack Wallachia,probably in response to their unwilligness to pay tribute.
285Just as the Caliph’s ghazas were immortalized in Battalname,Murad’s battles and victories were also compiled and given the title "The Ghazas of Sultan Murad". 
286Murad's rule is notable for repainting the Ottomans as a major power,Murad's reign was also marked by the long war he fought against the Christian feudal lords of Europe and the Turkish beyliks in Anatolia,a conflict that lasted 25 years.
287Following in his father's footsteps,Murad ensured that Islam was further established as the state's religion.For example,Murad expanded the Janissaries in the wake of the Bedreddin revolt to increase Ottoman military power,but also to create a steady flow of Christians being converted to Islam.This demonstrates a clear shift in Ottoman policy away from toleration of non-Muslims and closer to one of assimilation.
288Murad successfully painted himself as a soldier who did not partake in royal excesses,and as a noble sultan who sought to consolidate Muslim power against non-Muslims such as the Venetians and Hungarians.Through this self-presentation,he got the support of the Muslim population for both himself and his extensive,expensive campaigns,and also the greater Muslim populations in the Dar-al-Islam such as the Mamluks and the Delhi Sultanates of India.Murad was basically presenting himself not only as a ghazi king who fights caffres[nonmuslims],but also as protector and master of the weak.
289In 1450 along his son Mehmed he organized another campaign against Albania and while partially succesful  managed to defeat the Ottomans at Kruje,it was Murad's last campaign.
290Later that year,most likely in december his son would mary the daughter of the leader of another Turkish Beylik,Dulkadir.
291Soon after the wedding,Murad would suffer a paralysis and die shortly after,it is unknown if he was poisoned during the wedding or if it was induced by his lack of rest and fatigue during his second reign.
292In his testament,he asked for a tomb without a ceiling.He wrote the following statement:"Let the rain fall to my soil.I shall adjust to the solitude,leave the rest and take the companion of the soul."
293
294VII.Mehmed II The Conqueror/of Constantinopole "Fatih"
295Born	30 March 1432
296Died	3 May 1481
2971st reign	August 1444 – September 1446
2982nd reign	3 February 1451 – 3 May 1481
299Brothers Vlad and Radu,sons of the former Wallachian prince Vlad II Dracul,grew up in the Ottoman court as princely hostages,educated in the same Muslim spirit as their friend,young Mehmed II,the future Ottoman Sultan.As Vlad matured he served with the Janissaries and was praised for his soldierly qualities but his roughness and fearless resistance of becoming a Muslim made him subject to brutal punishments.Vlad hasn't forggoten this even years after he deserted the Ottomans to join the Hungarians,making him one of Mehmed's worst future enemies.
300Thirdborn,first ruled at the age of 12 for 2 years,in 1444 Mehmed asked his father Murad to reclaim the throne,but Murad refused.Angry at his father,who had long since retired to a contemplative life, Mehmed wrote,"If you are the Sultan,come and lead your armies.If I am the Sultan I hereby order you to come and lead my armies."
301Was greatly influenced in his rule by Candarli Halil Pasha who pretty much ruled through him and was the real ruler of the Empire at the time,Mehmed would continue to rule until 1446 when he asked his father to return to the throne.
302Mehmed again came to the throne following Murad II's death in 1451.But by conquering and annexing the emirate of Karamanid(May–June, 1451)and by renewing the peace treaties with Venice(September 10)and Hungary(November 20)Mehmed proved his skills both on the military and the political front and was soon accepted by the noble class of the Ottoman court.
303Immediately after ascending to the throne Mehmed established the brother killing rule by having his 8 month old half-brother stangled
304"Whichever of my sons inherits the sultanate it behooves him to kill his brothers in the interest of world order.More jurists have approved this;let the action be taken accordingly."
30530 years of battles and conquering would follow...
306His uncle Orhan(b.1412),a pretender to the throne resided in Constantinople,this put the idea of conquering Constantinople in motion,but at first it was thought to be foolish and a waste of resources."Many Sultans before Mehmed failed to take Constantinople so why would he succeed where they all failed".
307The capture of Constantinople was also a priority because it would solidify his power over the high military and administrative officials who had caused him such problems during his earlier reign.Good reasons underlay his decision.So long as Constantinople remained in Christian hands,his enemies could use it as either a potential base for splitting the empire at its center or as an excuse for the Christian West's continued military efforts.Constantinople's location also made it the natural "middleman" center for both land and sea trade between the eastern Mediterranean and central Asia,possession of which would ensure immense wealth.Just as important,Constantinople was a fabled imperial city, and its capture and possession would bestow untold prestige on its conqueror,who would be seen by Muslims as a hero and by Muslims and Christians alike as a great and powerful emperor
308Mehmed would spent the next 2 years preparing for the Siege of Constantinople.
309In 1452 Mehmed would launch his first campaign against the Albanians,Mehmed always supported more aggressive strategies of conquest which his father had continually rejected.Mehmed ordered nearly annual invasions of Albania which often resulted in multiple battles in one year.The first of these expeditions was sent in 1452 under the dual-command of 2 Pashas with an army of approximately 25.000 men.This campaign was the first major test for the new Sultan against Europe and a high point of diplomatic struggle between the major Mediterranean powers.
310In the battles of Modrica and Mecad,under the command of Skanderbeg,7.000 Ottoman forces were left dead on the battlefield along with thousands of horses.The Albanians had suffered 1.000 casualties themselves and,in their exhaustion,they refused to pursue the fleeing Ottoman forces,the Ottomans were defeated yet again 1453,the Albanians even counting every Ottoman corpse on the battlefield,numbering around 3.000.While Skanderbeg's victories were impressive,he claimed that the threat of Mehmed launching his withheld European campaigns was at its highest,he would soon be proven right as his victories would soon be overshadowed by Mehmed's greatest achievement:
311On the 6th of April 1453,Mehmed laid siege to Constantinople.
312A chain was set across the Golden Horn to prevent the Ottomans from attacking the walls from the sea,the giant Ottoman cannons started blasting the Theodosian Walls,but with little effect.The cannons were so massive they need 3 hours to reload and the Byzantines were able to repair most of the damage until they were reloaded,the Sultan ordered his light infantry and skirmishers to assault the walls but they were repelled.The biggest cannons were lost in the accident and their smaller ones couldn't do much damage.The Ottomans started battering the city walls and this bombardment continued until the very end of the siege,the Ottomans attempted night assaults,but the defenders held on.On the water,the Ottoman fleet was unable to penetrate the chain and move into the Golden Horn,a few Venetian ships arrived and joined the defenders.The Sultan needed to employ a new strategy,he famously ordered his ships to be moved across land,the ships were then set to water in the Golden Horn behind the chain,the Emperor sent his fire ships to quickly get rid of this threat,but the defenders lost the battle,now the Byzantines had to fight on 2 fronts,weakening the defenses.A month into the siege,the Gates of St.Romanus were destroyed and during the night,the Ottomans nearly breached the defenses in the area,another part of the wall was nearly breached but the Emperor yet again pushed them back.Mehmed commanded an all-out assault on the 29th of May,a massive bombardment was followed by a light infantry assault,but despite numerical advantage they failed to take the walls,the Jannisaries took one of the towers and planted the Ottoman flag and the Byzantine commander was heavily wounded and carried away,this was a massive blow to the morale of the defenders,a few hundred Janissaries entered the city near the Gates of St.Romanus,after a brief but vicious melee at the walls coupled with Ottoman troops breaching the walls through a sally port door left open,the Ottoman troops were able to breach the walls and rout the defenders and the Byzantine defenses fell,citizens and defenders attempted to board the ships and leave the city.The Ottoman Army broke through and swept over the city,The Last Roman Emperor Constantine,who refused to surrender the city,claiming that even if he wanted to,it was not within his right,fell along his last guards in a final counterattack,at the city walls,fighting untill his last breath.
313Thus the last Roman emperor died alongside his empire,The Fall of Constantinople was the event that marked the end of the Medieval Era,sparked the next phase of the Renaissance,started the Ages of Discovery and colonization and also centuries of war between the European powers and the Ottoman Empire.
314Constantinople,for a millennium considered by many Europeans the divinely ordained capital of the Christian Roman Empire,fell to Mehmed.
315Fall of Constantinople,Mehmed conquered Consantinople after a siege lasting 54 days at age 21,quickly established the new capital there,slowly rebuilt the city to its former groly and repopulated it with muslims.
316After the city had fallen,Orhan was caught and executed while attempting to escape.
317After the siege Mehmed went to Hagia Sophia were around 2.000 christians were hiding.but he didn't order the execution of any of the christian citizens,in fact he offered them free choice of religion and said that they could continue to live the same normal life they used to have in Constantinople.
318Executed his disobedient Grand Vizier Candarli Halil Pasha right after to completely establish his authority,it was the first time a Grand Vizier was executed.
319Declared himself as the Kayser-i-Rum,gained the title of The Lord of the Two Lands and the Two Seas and established the title of Padishah,which the sultan would be referred to as from now on. 
320The Ottoman Empire would also be reffered as "Cihan Imparatorlugu"(The Empire of the World) by the Ottomans and "Osmanl Impararatorlugu" by the West.
321Established the first Ottoman slave market in Constantinople.
322Constantinople even before the Ottoman conquest was reffered to as "The City" and it would gradually be renamed Istanbul but with many still reffering to it as Konstantiniyye.The name Istanbul was a turkified version of "Is tin Poli" and Constantinopolis which meant "the city of Constantine"."Is tin Poli" in Greek literally meant the city.
323The Ottoman Classical Army was the military structure established by Mehmed,during his reorganization of the state and the military efforts.
324Built the Fatih Camii or the "Fatih Mosque" just after the conquest of Constantinople and it was the first mosque of Ottoman origin in the city.As one amusing story goes,after Mehmed realized that the dome of his mosque was built smaller than Hagia Sophia's,he had the architect's hand cut off for his lack of ambition.This,the arhitect felt,was unfair and contracted a local member of the Ottoman judiciary for legal counsel.The judge,surprisingly sided with the architect and decided that the Sultan's arm be cut off in retribution.This did not happe,of course,but the fact that the judge sided with a civilian over his Sultan and was not reprimanded is noteworthy.
325Built the Grand Bazaar,an enormous,enclosed hub of commerce and trade which even today contains more than 3000 shops and employs more than 20.000 people.
326During his reign, mathematics, astronomy, and Muslim theology reached their highest level among the Ottomans.It was on his orders that the Parthenon and other Athenian monuments were spared destruction. Besides,Mehmed himself was a poet writing under the name "Avni" (the helper, the helpful one) and he left a classical diwan (poetry).
327Mehmed decided to attack Hungary,the Ottoman army advanced as far as Belgrade,where it attempted but failed to conquer the city from Iancu de Hunedoara.During the Siege of Belgrade,parts of the walls were breached,the Sultan sent his Jannisaries in,the defenders were pushed back,however,a fire that started in the area prevented more Ottoman troops from entering,the janisarries numbering 5.000 were trapped and had no other choice but to win,they almost managed to take a tower but the Serbs repelled them,almost all of the Janissaries in the city were killed,the siege took an unexpected turn,hungarian peasants looted Ottoman camps despite receiving no such order,Iancu seeing this improvised attack,joined the peasants along more and more troops,another commander used the ships to move a few thousand warriors across the river and attacked the left flank of the Ottomans,surrounded,the troops started to panic,not even Mehmed could stabilize the situation,the Sultan was wounded and carried away and was forced to retreat,the Ottomans lost more than 20.000 men in this siege,Iancu wanted to pursue the foe but soon an epidemic broke out,killing thousands including Iancu himself,this defeat slowed the Ottoman advance,although the Ottomans were somewhat weakened,they still managed to destroy the Despotate of Serbia and forced the King of Bosnia to pay tribute. 
328Conquered Morea in 1460,after more years of incompetent rule by the despots,their failure to pay their annual tribute to the Sultan,and finally their own revolt against Ottoman rule,Mehmed entered the Morea in May 1460.By the end of the summer the Ottomans had achieved the submission of virtually all cities possessed by Greeks,Angelokastro which belonged to Epirus was also conquered.
329Destroyed and conquered the Empire of Trebizond in 1461,the last remnants of the Roman Empire.
330Built the Topkapi Palace in 1462.
331Easily conquered the dysfunctional Bosnia in 1463
332Back in 1456 Vlad the Impaler met with Vladislav II,the voievode of Wallachia at the time,the 2 leaders choose to decide the battle with a knightly duel,Vlad won and killed Vladislav then proceeded to march unopposed in the capital,Targoviste.There he crowned himself the voievode of Wallachia in August 1456,his divine right to throne is confirmed the following night by a spectacular comet in the night sky.Vlad would soon consolidate his power and reform the country,he taxed the boyars and killed many responsible for the killing of his father and brother,their estates were confiscated and given to the peasants who,in exchange enroled into the army.He would also rid Wallachia of people who "polluted" the land:thieves were impaled,the beggars,homeless and plague-infested were burned alive.In Vlad's opinion "they depart earthly sufferings for a better afterlife".Vlad proceeded to raid Saxaon settlements in Transylvania,their complaints about Vlad's cruelty fell on the deaf ears of King Corvinus,Vlad's "ally.
333The furious Saxons seeked their own justice and decided to eliminate Vlad and replace him with Dan III,the main culprit behind the murder of Vlad's father and brother.But it soon proved to be a doomed venture as Vlad got word of their operation and ambushed their army.Vlad humiliated Dan III in a spectacular duel.Then,he forces him to dig his own grave in full view of his men,before he is decapitated and his followers impaled.Vlad soon reached an agreement with Corvinus,the saxons agree to return all of Vlad's rivals,pay 15.500 forints and supply soldiers,in exchange Vlad promised to stop the Ottomans from entering Transylvania.With most of his rivals dead and his north border secured,Vlad projected his power further by building a new capital closer to the Danube,Bucharest was surrounded by natural moats infested with leeches,snakes and mosquitoes,good natural deterrents for any invading army.
334In response to Vlad's collaboration with the Moldavians,for helping put Stephen the Great on the throne and for trying to liberate northern Bulgaria which was full of Vlachs at the time,the Ottomans launched a raid on Wallachia,as a response to the raid,Vlad refused to pay yearly tribute and to pledge vassalage but soon after he would change his mind as he would be left to face the Ottomans alone.In 1461 Vlad would defeat an Ottoman coalition,in early 1462 Vlad burnt the Ottoman fortress of Giurgiu to the ground while dressed as an Ottoman envoy,Vlad continued to burn crossing points into Wallachia,Vlad continued his mini-crusade,burning and pillaging key Ottoman towns in Bulgarian territories.As a result Mehmed launched a campaign into Wallachia with an army between 45.000-60.000.
335The Night Attack at Targoviste in 1462:Vlad the Impaler failed to assassinate Mehmed with a surprise night attack,he managed to infiltrate Mehmed's camp while wearing janisarry clothing and speaking perfect Turkish and would soon begin his assault,both sides suffed heavy casualties,many Turks even fighting amongst themselves in the disarray caused by the battle and Mehmed was reportedly injured during the attack,soon after Mehmed would march towards Targoviste and would be horrified to find 23.844 Impaled Turks,as a result Mehmed burnt Braila to the ground and retreated to Edirne.
336The Sultan that showed no emotion at the death of his father,the Sultan that did not even flinch when he ordered the strangling of his 8 month year old brother was horrified,left speechless by one man's action,that was so shocking and out of this world,it was an image straight from the depths of Hell,more than 20.000 turks impaled,many of them still alive and screaming with rivers of blood around them,the creature that did that was called a devil,a "drac",in the shape of a man,that man was the vampire Prince of Wallachia,Vlad the Impaler.
337Mehmed,wanting to weaken Vlad's political power leaves behind Radu,Vlad's brother to take the throne along Ottoman support,Radu quickly wins the support of the Wallachian boyars and he soon takes control of Bucharest and Targoviste as well as trade routes in the south of the country,securing fiscal stability for Radu,enabling him to establish his rule.Vlad asked for support from King Corvinus to depose Radu,Corvinus refused,as he did not want to declare war on the Ottomans,enraged Vlad attacked Radu without his help but he is ambushed by Corvinus' troops,the King ordered Vlad's arrest in order to prevent the outbreak of a new war.With Vlad imprisoned,Wallachia would now firmly be in Ottoman hands.
338Completely conquered Anatolia,uniting the Anatolian beyliks was first accomplished by Bayezid I,more than fifty years before Mehmed.Mehmed recovered Ottoman power over the other Turkish states when he finally annexed the Karaman Beylik in 1468,these conquests allowed him to push further into Europe.
339Conquered the Venetian controlled Greek province of Negroponte in 1470.
340Defeated the powerful Aq Qoyunlu in the Battle of Otlukbeli in 1473 where more than 200.000 men clashed,The Ottomans nearly destroyed the Aq Qoyunlu with very minimal casualties within a single day.The victory at Otlukbeli cemented Ottoman rule over Anatolia,and no power would challenge them in the East for the next 4 decades.
341Defeated Genoese Crimea in 1475 and allied himself with the Crimean Khanate.After the capture of the Genoese towns,Mehmed held Meñli Giray captive,later releasing him in return for accepting Ottoman suzerainty over the Crimean Khans and allowing them to rule as tributary princes of the Ottoman Empire.However,the Crimean Khans still had a large amount of autonomy from the Ottoman Empire,while the Ottomans directly controlled the southern coast.
342Stephen The Great came to power in 1457 with the aid of 6.000 horsemen belonging to Vlad the Impaler,his cousin,but Moldavia found itself surrounded by great powers,all wanting control of the invaluable port cities of Chilia and Cetatea Alba,as a result Stephen began entering alliances with whomever was most useful to him,so in his early reign he declared peace with the Ottomans just like his predecesor and continued to pay tribute,Stephen halted Hungarian expansion,even taking part of their territory,later defeated a Mongol invasion and allied himself with Poland.In 1470 Stephen stopped paying tribute and invaded Wallachia,ruled by the Ottoman puppet Radu,after 4 years of conflict,Stephen installed his protege Basarab Laiota as the new voievode but he would soon betray Stephen and join the Ottomans.Mehmed sent Stephen an ultimatum,demanding him to stop attacking Wallachia,to come to Istanbul,pay tribute and to hand over the city of Chilia,Stephen refused,thus both sides began preparing for war.
343Battle of Vaslui in 1475:Mehmed sent the Governor of Rumelia Hadim Suleiman Pasha,the battle resulted in The Greatest Victory against the Ottoman Empire since the Battle of Ankara,Stephen managed to defeat the Ottomans with his scorched earth tactics like poisoning waters and wells,burning settlements,evacuated the population and livestock,destroying anything that may be of use to the Ottomans and used the enviroment,mainly the fog,Suleyman did not dare to disobey Mehmed's orders he continued his march but the army was soon harassed and ambushed by the Moldavians,destroying some of their supplies and hindering their advance,Suleyman marched through Moldavia for nearly 30 days in freezing conditions,searching for Stephen's army,when they finally met,Stephen was ready,his use of the fog completely overwhelmed the Ottomans,using war drums,trumpets,making the Ottomans expect attacks from where the music is playing,scrambling the Ottoman forces,unable to see through the fog,they hear the sound of drums and trumpets getting closer and closer with the main Moldavian army being on the hill behind them,hidden in the trees,Stephen played his final move,he charged down the hill into the exposed Ottoman rear,the Ottomans thought they were attacked from 3 sides and their troops break rank,in a chaotic retreat,the Ottomans are chased down all the way south to the Danube and slaughtered by the Moldavians. 
344Battle of Valea Alba in 1476:Mehmed after learning of the tactics Stephen used and from the mistakes of Suleyman Pasha,decided to take control of the army himself and marched on Moldavia,during the Battle of Valea Alba the Moldavians were taking advantage of the terrain and the heat of the summer and Stephen had 1000 horsemen hidden in the forest,both strategies managing to inflict heavy casualties on the Ottomans.Realizing the battle could be won only through his involvement and presence on the battlefield,Mehmed marched along his army in the front lines on his horse and crushed the Moldavians,the janissaries hunted down the Moldavians in the dense forest while the flanking reinforcements prevented fleeing Moldavians from an all-out retreat.By the end of the day the forest was full of dead bodies,nearly all of the Moldavian troops were massacred,even the name of the battle was allegedly named after the countless bones that were left on the battlefield.
345Shortly after the battle,Mehmed forced Stephen to retreat to Cetatea Neamtului.However,as legend says,his mother refused to let him enter the stronghold,and instead advised him to go north into what is now Bukovina and gather a new army.While Stephen was in Bukovina gathering more forces,Mehmed laid siege to Cetatea Neamtului.He positioned his cannons on a nearby hill,and began bombarding the stronghold,causing much damage. The Moldavian garrison was at the point of surrender,when a German prisoner held in the dungeons had the idea of using the cannons against the Ottoman position on the hill.His idea was put into practice,and soon the camp of the Turks was being bombarded,forcing Mehmed to leave the area.Shortly after,the Ottomans would suffer from starvation and an outbreak of the plague and were also harassed by local resistance.Meanwhile,anti-Ottoman forces were being assembled in Transylvania under Stephen V of Hungary and Vlad the Impaler who was recently released after being imprisoned for 14 years,confronted with this army and with Stephen's counterattack,the Ottomans retreated from Moldavia in August 1476.Although Stephen and Mehmed fought over Wallachia for some time,he would agree to pay tribute again and continue to rule for nearly 50 years,ushering in the Golden Age of Moldavia.
346Vlad the Impaler would die in late 1476,December,some sources say he was killed while fighting the Turks while surrounded by the bodies of his loyal Moldavian bodyguards.Others say he was killed by Wallachian boyars also against the Turks,or during a hunt.Other reports claim that Vlad was accidentally killed by one of his own men in an embarrassing fashion.Lastly,the most popular and likely theory is that Vlad was imprisoned by both Hungarians and Wallachians then executed in hope of buying peace with the Ottomans,then decapitated and his head was sent as a trophy to Mehmed in Constantinople preserved in honey.After that,the head was displayed on a stake as proof of his death.
347The Conquest of Albania was a little harder,resistance led by Skanderbeg,the former member of the Ottoman ruling elite,curbed the Ottoman expansion.Mehmed couldn't subjugate Albania while Skanderbeg was alive,even though he twice(1466,1467)led the Ottoman armies himself with an army numbering somewhere around 50.000-100.000,Skanderberg had less than 20.000.Mehmed besieged Kruje twice,still the fortress held and Mehmed decided to pillage the rest of the country and set up an Ottoman administration,he also ordered the construction of many fortresses,thus limiting Skanderbeg's ability to continue his resistance.After Skanderbeg died in 1468 of malaria at the age of 63,the Albanians couldn't find a leader to replace him,the Venetians took over the defence of Albania and continued resisting for a decade,Kruje would finally fall to Mehmed in 1478,which finally ended the 3-decade long Ottoman-Albanian war.
348Defeated Venice after a 16 year Ottoman-Venetian War.
349The Battle of Breadfield in 1479 was the most tremendous conflict fought in Transylvania up to that time in the Ottoman–Hungarian Wars.The Breadfield battle was a great psychological victory for the Hungarians,and as a result the Ottomans did not attack Hungary for many years thereafter.
350In 1479 the last city of Epirus,Vonitsa was captured,at last Greece was completely conquered by the Ottomans.
351Mehmed according to different sources was said to be bisexual,Took Radu cel Frumos,Prince of Wallachia,as a lover: "Because he liked the boy,[Mehmed]invited him to parties and raised the cup with lust asking him into his bedchamber.And the boy was taken by surprise to see the Emperor rushing on him for such a thing and stood against it and did not concede to the Emperor’s craving".Mehmed eventually forced himself upon Radu and kissed him,the latter stabbed the emperor and fled.The two were reconciled and "again he was the Emperor’s favourite."
352Mehmed was described as a "notorious boy lover" and contemporary accounts of the Fall of Constantinople attest to the capture of the local population, particularly the children of Byzantine nobility.According to the chronicle accounts,Mehmed purchased 200 of the most handsome boys between the ages of 8-16 for his harem.These younglings were trained in courtly arts like erotic poetry,song,dancing,literature and pleasing men.Mehmed is said to have demanded the 14 year old son of Loukas Notaras,who was reportedly very beautiful.When Mehmed's demand was refused,Notaras and his family were executed and the young boy was delivered to the palace.
353Mehmed's main legacy is the establishment of the much needed stability in the European territories of the Empire.
354With both eastern and western fronts secured Mehmed could put into motion his true goal,the conquest of the Italic Peninsula,reuniting Italy and Constantinople,just like the days of the old Roman Empire. 
355In 1480 Mehmed launched the most audacious and ambitious expedition of his leadership,he sent an army under his Grand Admiral to Southern Italy to capture Otranto,Mehmed started his inavasion of Italy,the center of Christianity and he was said to have wanted to reveal the secrets of the Vatican to the world,his troops conquered Otranto and prepared to march on Rome,the army moved inland but the Duke of Naples led a counterattack,the army was pushed back to Otranto and the majority of the Ottoman army sailed away,they left a garrison stationed at Otranto while Mehmed ordered yet another attack on the Greek island of Rhodes...
356Mehmed attempted to capture Rhodes but the army was met with utmost resistance,the fleet gave up their attempt to capture Rhodes,Mehmed was furious and would have attacked the island again but there were other pressing matters at hand...
357In 1481 the Ottomans returned to Italy,the occupation of the Italian lands was so close to the main altar of Christiandom that it caused a great level of concern and panic,blame was shifted towards Venice who was acused of doing nothing and even helping the Ottomans,in spite of the retention of Rhodes,fear of the Ottomans was now at the highest,Mehmed himself was coming to lead the army in Italy and to lead a decisive victory against the christians,at the news of this,the Pope considered fleeing to Avignon but instead he asked for assistance.But Italy was saved from a war with the Ottomans when...
358Mehmed suddenly died of unknown causes thus cancelling the Ottoman expansion to Italy.
359There is a theory that Mehmed was probably unwanted by his subjects and statesmen and that he was assassinated in a plot planned by Bayezid and the displeased pashas.Many pashas wanted a more tranquil ruler like Bayezid who would bring peace to his people who were fed up and exhausted by the wars and expeditions conducted by Mehmed.
360
361VIII.Bayezid II The Saint "Veli"
362Born	3 December 1447
363Died	26 May 1512
364Reign	22 May 1481 – 24 April 1512
365Firstborn,although Bayezid led a free life in his youth,he turned to prayer and charities in his sultanate.For this reason,he was called Bayezid the Saint.He took care to stay away from war unless he had to,unlike many other Sultans,he worked hard to ensure a smooth running of domestic politics,which earned him the epithet of "the Just".He also preferred to stay in Istanbul mostly because of the importance he attached to the city.
366Many years of his reign were plagued by his younger brother Cem,the heir that Mehmed wanted as his succesor,Cem was a carbon copy of Mehmed,like his father he was a cosmopolitan and a warrior,if he had become ruler he would have tried to expand the empire by use of military force just like his father.Cem Sultan was one of the reasons for the Empire's "stagnation" in territorial expansion.With no designated heir after Mehmed,conflict over succession to the throne erupted between Cem and Bayezid.
367The grand vizier fulfilling the wishes of the recently deceased Sultan attempted to enthrone Cem,whose governing seat at Konya was closer than his brother's seat at Amasya.The Sultan's death and the grand vizier's plan were discovered by the Janissaries and Bayezid,and they managed to keep Cem out of the capital.The Janissaries rebelled,entered the capital,and lynched the grand vizier.
368Understanding the danger,former grand vizier Ishak Pasha beseeched Bayezid to arrive with haste,he also took the caution of proclaiming Bayezid's 14-year-old son,Korkut,as regent until the arrival of Bayezid.
369Bayezid arrived after 18 days at Constantinople and was declared Sultan.6 days later,Cem captured Inegöl with an army of 4.000.
370Cem defeated Bayezid's army and declared himself Sultan.He proposed to divide the empire,leaving Bayezid the European side.Bayezid rejected the proposal,declaring that "between rulers there is no kinship".The decisive battle between the two took place on June 19, 1481,Cem was defeated and fled with his family to Mamluk Cairo.
371Withdrew the Ottoman forces from Italy on September 10,1481.
3721 Year later Cem besieged Konya but was defeated and fled to Rhodes along his family.Cem arrived at Rhodes and was received with honor.In return for the overthrow of Bayezid,Cem offered peace between the Ottoman Empire and Christendom.
373Cem was later betrayed and detained as long as Bayezid would pay 40.000 ducats yearly,Cem was sent to France where he would spend the next 7 years and became a potential tool in the eyes of Pope Alexander Vi Borgia and Matias Corvin,Bayezid dispatched ambassadors and spies to the West to assure that Cem was detained indefinitely,and even attempted to eliminate Cem through assassination.
374Cem found life in Rome more pleasant,and he had lost the interest of seizing the Ottoman throne,but he wanted to die on Muslim land.His wish would not be realized
375The Pope unsuccessfully attempted to use Cem to begin a new crusade,he also tried to convert Cem to Christianity,without success.Cem was useful nevertheless,whenever Bayezid intended to launch a campaign against Christian nations of the Balkans,the Pope would threaten to release his brother.In 1494,Charles VIII invaded Italy,to take Naples,and announced a crusade against the Turks.He compelled the Pope to surrender Cem,who left Rome with the French army on January 28, 1495.
376Cem died in Capua,while on a military expedition to conquer Naples.Bayezid declared national mourning for 3 days. He also requested to have Cem's body for a Islamic funeral,but it was not until 4 years after Cem's death that his body was finally brought to the Ottoman lands because of attempts to receive more gold for Cem's corpse.He was buried in Bursa.
377Bayezid continued the territorial consolidation that his father had begun.Hercegovina,was brought under direct control in 1483.The occupation,in 1484,of 2 fortresses on the estuaries of the Danube and the Dniester rivers strengthened the hold over the land route to Crimea,a vassal since 1475.
378The war of 1499–1503 directed against the Venetians in the Levant and in the Balkans carried the process of consolidation still further.It resulted in the conquest of Venetian strongholds in Morea and on the Adriatic shore,a triumph amply justifying the program of naval construction that Bayezid had approved in the years before the beginning of the war.
379Ottoman-Mamluk War of 1485-1491,Bayezid committed only a modest force against the Mamluks, the Ottoman Empire invaded the Mamluk Sultanate territories of Anatolia and Syria. This war was an essential event in the Ottoman struggle for the domination of the Middle-East. After multiple encounters,the war ended in a stalemate and a peace treaty was signed in 1491.
380Defeated the Croatians at the Battle of Krbava Field in 1493,there were no immediate territorial gains for the Ottomans,but in the following decades the Ottomans gradually expanded into Croatia.
381Conflict with Stephen the Great,Bayezid invaded Moldavia in 1484 and took control of Bessarabia and renamed it Budjak,Bayezid left Moldavia only after Stephen personally came to pay homage to him,the loss of Chilia and Cetatea Alba put an end to the Moldavian control of important trading routes.Stephen confronted the Ottomans again in 1486 with Polish support but could not recapture the Budjak.In 1487 Stephen decided to declare a 3 year peace treaty with the Ottomans,accepting to pay tribute in exchange for Moldavian independence.
382The Polish–Turkish War of 1485-1503 was a prolonged conflict,rather a series of conflicts,between the Kingdom of Poland and the Ottoman Empire.The conflict formally lasted 18 years,but during this time hostilities were ceased on several occasions due to temporary treaties being signed between the warring parties.The climax of the conflict was the disastrous King Jan Olbracht’s raid on Moldavia where the Poles were defeated by Stephen the Great at the Battle of the Cosmin Forest in 1497.Even after signing a treaty with Hungary in 1498 for an anti-Ottoman alliance the Poles sued for peace,Stephen The Great accepting the truce in 1499,which put an end to Polish suzerainty over Moldavia and in 1503,the King of Poland signed a peace treaty with Bayezid.
383In the last years of Stephen The Great,he discussed the possibility of Moldavia and Hungary joining the Ottoman–Venetian War,the Doge of Venice sending a physician to treat Stephen but he ended up outliving the physician,Stephen's armies once again broke into the Ottoman Empire,but they could not recapture Chilia or Cetatea Alba,the Tatars even invaded southern Moldavia but he defeated them with the aid of the Crimean Khanate in 1502,the peace treaty with Poland expired and Stephen couldn't come to an understanding with the new king of Poland so he promptly took Pocutia,in 1503 Hungary along Moldavia concluded a peace treaty with the Ottomans in which they both agreed to pay tribute,another Moldavian delegation was sent to Venice to ask for a new doctor,but also to propose a new alliance against the Ottomans.This was one of his last acts of international diplomacy,Stephen The Great later died in 1504.On his deathbed,he had urged his son,Bogdan to continue to pay the tribute to the Sultan.
384The Ottoman-Venetian War concluded in 1503 with the Ottomans in control of the whole Peloponnese.
385Indirectly caused the Discovery of America in 1492.
386Perhaps his most notable act was also his most selfless and kindest,it was the evacuation of the Jews and Muslims of Spain that were expelled because of the Reconquista.Bayezid sent out the Ottoman Navy to Spain in 1492 in order to evacuate them safely to Ottoman lands.He sent out proclamations throughout the empire that the refugees were to be welcomed.He granted the refugees the permission to settle in the Ottoman Empire and become Ottoman citizens.
387He ridiculed the King of Aragorn and the Queen of Castile in expelling a class of people so useful and hardworking."You venture to call Ferdinand a wise ruler,he who has impoverished his own country and enriched mine!"Bayezid addressed a ferman to all the governors of his European provinces,ordering them not only to refrain from repelling the Spanish refugees,but to give them a friendly and welcoming reception.He threatened with death all those who treated the refuges harshly or refused their admission into the empire.
388Had Dialogues with Christopher Columbus in 1484,he asked Bayezid to give him ships under his command to discover new lands in the name of the sultan,Bayezid did not take this maddened person seriously and refused his request and Leonardo Da Vinci in 1502 that presented a 240-meter bridge project for the Golden Horn,this unusual project was denied.
389During his reign,on 14 September 1509,Constantinople was devastated by an earthquake which was later called "The Little Apocalypse".
390The Sahkulu rebellion also started in 1511,it was a widespread pro-Shia and pro-Safavid uprising in Anatolia,directed against the Ottoman Empire,Ahmet was tasked with suppressing the rebellion.However,instead of fighting,Ahmet tried to win over the soldiers to his cause for winning the Ottoman throne.His attitude caused unease among the soldiers;more importantly,his main supporter,Hadim Ali Pasha,lost his life during the rebellion.The rebellion was eventually surpressed and Sahkulu was killed,Shah Ismail of Persia apologized for the atrocities caused by the Turkmens and "disowned" Sahkulu.Bayezid sought to establish good relations with Ismail,"at least on the surface,and welcomed Ismail's gestures to establish good neighborly relations".He further advised Ismail in a patronizing way to behave royally,preserve his precious and strategically vital kingdom with justice and equanimity,end forced conversions,and to live in peace with his neighbors.
391During Bayezid's final years,a succession battle developed between his sons Selim and Ahmet(b.1466).In 1509,Ahmet unexpectedly won against the Karamans and their Safavid allies,and then marched to Constantinople to exploit his triumph.Fearing for his safety,Selim staged a revolt in Thrace but was defeated by Bayezid and was forced to flee to Crimea in 1511.Bayezid questioned Ahmet's loyalty,so he refused to allow his son to enter Constantinople.
392The middle brother Korkut was unsatisfied with his position as governor of Teke,he interpreted this appointment as a sign of disfavor by his father,he asked for his former seat in Manisa,upon refusal in 1509,he escaped to Egypt under the pretext of pilgrimage.Egypt was under Mamluk rule,and he was welcomed warmly by the Mamluk sultans.His father considered this a sign of negligence on Korkut's part,but pardoned him.
393Ahmet heard about Selim's defeat by their father and declared himself the sultan of Anatolia and began fighting against one of his nephews.He captured Konya,and although his father Bayezid asked him to return to his sanjak,he insisted on ruling in Konya.He also attempted to capture the capital;but he failed because the soldiers blocked his way,declaring their preference for a more able sultan.
394Korkut returned from his pilgrimage in 1511 nearly killed on his voyage back home by the Knights Hospitalier who attempted to capture him.Korkut decided to move to Manisa to be closer to the capital.During this travel,a part of his treasury was raided by the rebels of Sahkulu.Later,he secretly traveled to Istanbul to have a role in the coming interregnum between his siblings,however he found almost no supporters in the capital.He met with his brother Ahmet,who convinced him to return to his sanjak.Korkut then gave up all of his claims to the throne and took no part in the civil war between his two brothers.
395Selim returned from Crimea in 1512 with new supporters and with support from 12.000 Janissaries defeated Ahmet and forced his father to abdicate the throne.
396Bayezid departed for retirement,but he died before reaching his destination only a month after his abdication,his death was most likely ordered by Selim.
397
398IX.Selim I The Grim "Yavuz"
399Born	10 October 1470
400Died	21/22 September 1520
401Reign	24 April 1512 – 22 September 1520
402Known and feared for his half-insane,energetic,joking,pompous personality,fiery temper,fondness for fightning,incomparable love for The Prophet,for having very high expectations of those below him and for being utterly indifferent to any earthly pleasures not involving conquest,carnage,the complete assimilation of every Muslim culture in the Middle East under the blood-stained banner of the Ottoman Empire.
403Fourthborn,one of the Empire's most successful and respected rulers,being energetic and hardworking and for preparing the Ottoman Empire to reach its zenith under the reign of his son and successor, Suleiman the Magnificent.
404Known as the unifier of the Islamic Holy Lands
405Ascended to the throne after his father forcefully abdicated the throne.
406His older brother Sehzade Korkut(b.1467) readily accepted his brother's reign.Nevertheless,distrustful Selim decided to test his loyalty by sending him fake letters from various bureaucrats of the empire that attempted to encourage him to take part in a rebellion against Selim.Feeling that Korkut was preparing to revolt,Selim had him executed alongside his 4 sons in order to eliminate potential pretenders to the throne.
407Selim's eldest brother,Ahmet continued to control a part of Anatolia in the first few months of Selim's reign.Finally,the forces of Selim and Ahmet fought on April 24, 1513.Ahmet's forces were defeated and he was arrested and executed shortly after.
408Was the Greateast Expander of the Empire,gaining huge territories in both Asia and Africa.
409First Sultan to begin conquests beyond Anatolia.
410Gave priority to the conquest of the East as he believed the real danger came from there.
411Selim hated the Shia Muslims,had almost all of them imprisoned,executed,or sold into slavery,at first the executions were used to provoke the Safavids but eventually over 40.000 Shias were killed. 
412Selim provoked the Shah by sending a bunch of angry, psychotic drunk-text-quality letters to the King of Persia that were more or less a mash-up of death threats,Quran verses,newspaper clippings,song lyrics,and sarcastic poetry he came up with himself.
413The Shah responded by asking whether or not Selim was under the influence while writing that,and when his messengers delivered the Shah’s letter they also brought a box of really high-quality opium for Selim.However,this was pretty much the exact response Selim was hoping for.He gathered his men,marched a 1000 miles across the deserts and mountains of Anatolia,and hurled his warriors into battle with the Persians in 1514.
414The Persians fielded a massive force of spearmen and archers numbering almost 120.000 men,Selim was outnumbered but he had brought many cannons and several regiments of infantry equipped with matchlock muskets,things that the Persians lacked in and were not as efficient in.
415The Safavids initially broke the Ottoman front lines,inflicting heavy casualties and looked like they were winning,but it was all part of Selim's plan,the thousands that were killed were sacrificed by Selim to inflict a quick finishing blow on the Safavids,as soon as the Safavids approached the cannons Selim ordered his men to fire,thousands of Safavids died on the spot,shortly after Selim flanked their troops and defeated the Safavid Persians under the rule of Ismail Shah in the decisive Battle of Chaldiran,he proceeded to annex most of Eastern Anatolia,parts of northern Iran and the Caucasus from the Safavids.
416The Safavids were undefeated until that point,the Safavids triumphed against an army numbering nearly 6 times their own but couldn't resist 3 hours against Selim and in turn they tasted their first sour defeat.
417When he sacked the Persian capital he enslaved the 1.000 greatest artists in Persia,dragged them to Istanbul,and then jammed a pallate and some brushes in their hands and forced them to work to beautify the city. Throughout his reign, Selim also encouraged intellectuals,astronomers,mathematicians,and scientists to come to Istanbul as well and work together to improve human knowledge.
418The Ramazanids and Dulkadir were two turkic beyliks left somewhat independent as a buffer between the Ottomans and the Mamluks,in 1515 Selim would end their independence and properly annex them into the Empire,thus completing the conquest of Eastern Anatolia.War with the Mamluks was now inevitable.
419In 1516, the Ottoman brothers Oruç and Hayreddin Barbarossa managed to capture Algiers after a fierce naval battle with the Spanish and Portuguese Empires.
420After this defeat and hearing of Selim's succes in battle,the Portuguese Empire which threatened Islam was afraid to face Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan and was forced to retreat.
421The Mamluks knew they would be the next target on the Ottoman's list,they allied themselves with the Safavids and declared war on the Ottomans thus beginning the Ottoman-Mamluk War of 1516-1517.
422Selim assembled his army at full force,not daring to underestimate the Mamluks and crossed the Sinai Desert in just 13 days,a feat achieved by few,surpassing even Alexander The Great who took 60 days to cross the desert.
423After conquering Damascus in 1516, Selim ordered the restoration of the tomb of Ibn Arabi(d. 1240),a famous Sufi master who was highly revered among Ottoman Sufis,Selim in turn showing his insane devotion to Islam.
424The Mamluks were also lacking in firepower and said the following: "God curse the man who invented them,and God curse the man who fires on Muslims with them,you brought this contrivance artfully devised by the Christians of Europe when they were incapable of meeting the Muslim armies on the battlefield."
425Conquered the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt in 1517,defeating the Mamluks at the Battle of Marj Dabiq and the Battle of Ridanieh.The Ottomans wiped out perhaps the greatest cavalry unit in the world at the time using superior technology and clever maneuvering ,that was something only a young Ottoman Empire could've pulled off.This led to the annexation of Syria,Palestine in Sham,to Hejaz and Tihamah in the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt.This extended Ottoman power to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.The succesful Mamluk Sutanate that lasted 270 years was destroyed and conquered in just 13 days.
426Became the first Ottoman Caliph of Islam,the one who held the title was considered the succesor to Muhammad.The title was transferred to him by The last Abbasid caliph, al-Mutawakkil III that was residing in Cairo as a Mamluk puppet at the time of the Ottoman conquest,thus the Arabian Peninsula was not properly annexed but came under fluctuating control the Ottoman Empire.The title of The Ruler of The Two Holy Cities Meca and Medina was also entintled to him but he humbly changed it into The Servant of The Two Holy Mosques.
427Later Selim captured the Mamluk Sultan,executed him,declared himself ruler of Egypt,and headed home with 1,000 camels loaded with gold and silver and many Islamic artifacts.In 1518,the Ottoman Admiral Oruc Barbarossa managed to put in control the backcountry behind the Spanish base of Oran in Algeria,which greatly threatened their usual supply routes.This victory put the Ottomans in control of a considerable territory in north-western Africa.
428Selim was said to have impaled heads on spikes outside his tent for no clear reason,probably placed there with the sole purpose to inspire fear in not only his enemies but his allies too.
429Created the Valide Sultan position,his wife Hafsa being the first future Valide Sultan.
430Executed most of his Grand Viziers,A popular Ottoman curse was, "May you be a vizier of Selim's," as a reference to the number of viziers he had executed.
431A famous anecdote relates how a vizier playfully asked the Sultan for some preliminary notice of his doom so that he might have time to put his affairs in order.The Sultan laughed and replied that indeed he had been thinking of having him killed,but had no one fit to take his place, otherwise he would gladly oblige
432Selim started to wear an earring when during his conquest in the Arabian Peninsula,he saw many slaves from Africa wearing earrings.When asked why,people responded:"This is a sign that explains who these slaves belong to."Selim then ordered his servants to get him an earring just like theirs saying:"If they wear earrings for their human owners in this material world,then I have to wear it too,to show my owner Allah I am his slave!”
433Selim was a distinguished poet who wrote both Turkish and Persian verses under the nickname Mahlas Selimi;In one of his poems,he wrote:"A carpet is large enough to accommodate two sufis,but the world is not large enough for two kings".
434According to a common legend,Selim sealed a door leading to his treasure,in his testament he wrote the following :"Who can fill the treasure like I have filled with gold,will my grandchildren be able to?If not I shall seal the Treasury-i Humayun until the time is right." The treasure was opened 400 years later when the Ottoman Empire was bankrupt.
435Selim's reign was not without its problems,Selim's main flaw was his lack of care for politics and the well being of his subjects,the people were unhappy with many of his cruelties,many rebellions broke out but were violently crushed.
436Selim in his last year,prepared for a campaign to Hungary,which would have been his first in Europe but it was cut short when he was overwhelmed by sickness.Selim succumbed to sirpence,a skin infection that he had developed during his long campaigns on horseback,coinciding with a period of plague in the empire, and have added that several sources imply that Selim himself suffered from the disease,according to Selim's last breath,he saw The Prophet accompanying him in the desert of Sinai and showing him the way in his final moments.
437He left his son to a state filled with treasure,a strong army and internal turmoil.
438When Selim The Grim Died,the Pope said that "The lion is dead and the sheep is on the throne",but the only problem was that the so called "sheep" would be Suleiman The Magnificent.
439
440X.Suleiman I The Magnificent "Kanuni"
441Born	6 November 1494
442Died	6 September 1566
443Reign	30 September 1520 – 6 September 1566
444Firstborn,the most succesful,loved and known Sultan
445Presided over the apex of the Ottoman Empire's economic,military and political power,he was also the Sultan who had the longest reign.
446From 16,he was declared the heir apparent to the throne,then appointed the governor of Kaffa,then Manisa,with a brief tenure at Edirne.
447Ascended during the Golden Age after his father's death
448Immediately after ascending to the throne he sent his only alive brother to Yemen to insure his safety
449Suleiman would try to make sure that the fear the Empire knew under his father would not persist,he gave a large donation to the Janisarries and the officials,he pardoned some,allowed those who his father had expelled to come back to Istanbul and lifted a much hated proscription against the sell of Persian goods,everyone would know,it was a new era.
450Despite all of that,he would not let his new benevolence be mistaken for weakness and so the executions began,not many and none he deemed to be unjust,just enough to let the people know that the Empire was ruled by a tiger and not a lamb.
451Shortly after a revolt erupted in Syria,the first challenge of Suleiman's rule,the Governor of Egypt soon sent word to Suleiman,Suleiman saw this as an opportunity to show a display of force,he marched with his army south and crushed the revolt with overwhelming force.
452Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were at peace,but the terms of this peace involved an annual tribute to the Sultanate,but this year,upon hearing of a new young sultan ithe empire,instead of sending tribute,the brash Hungarian prince had the Ottoman envoy executed,Suleiman was furious and declared war on Hungary,now the world would see the Sultan's rage.
453The conquest of Belgrade was vital in removing the Hungarians and Croats who remained the only formidable force who could block further Ottoman gains in Europe.Suleiman encircled Belgrade and began a series of heavy bombardments.Belgrade, with a garrison of only 700 men,and receiving no aid from Hungary,fell in August 1521.
454The road to Hungary and Austria was laid open,but Suleiman turned his attention instead to the Eastern Mediterranean island of Rhodes,the home base of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John which were a thorn in the Ottomans' side,attacking and pirating their ships at every chance.He would march on the island with 100.000 troops,while the knights had around c.6.700.The siege was first met with complications,Rhodes was the most fortified bastion in Christendom,designed by the best engineering money could buy,Suleiman was so angry that he demanded that the Grand Vizier Piri Mehmed Pasha be executed yet relentled upon the pleading of his officials.Suleiman offered the Christians a chance to surrender,with the warning that if they turned it down,not even the cats of the island would be spared,in respons the knights sent him a messenger carrying a letter from his grandfather Bayezid II,promising them that they could keep the island,Suleiman tore the letter to shreds and sent back the envoys with 2 prisoners with their ears and noses cut off.Following the brutal five-month Siege of Rhodes(1522),Rhodes surrendered and Suleiman allowed the remaining Knights of Rhodes to depart.The conquest of the island cost the Ottomans somewhere between 1.000-20.000 dead from battle and sickness,the citizens of Rhodes were allowed to stay and were free from paying tribute for 5 years.Lastly,the son of Cem Sultan,Sehzade Murad resided on Rhodes,he was executed along his sons on Suleiman's orders after he refused to submit to him and come to Istanbul. 
455Suleiman resumed his campaign in Central Europe,before reaching the plains of Mohacs he ordered a bridge to be built on the Danube and then be destroyed after his armies crossed the river,showing that the Ottomans were not going to take one step back nor come back to their homeland without being victorious,and on 29 August 1526 he defeated Louis II of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács,the 2 armies met on the plains of Mohacs and the battle essentially resulted in a slaughter of the Hungarian army with the Ottomans suffering minimal casualties.In its wake,Hungarian resistance collapsed,and the Ottoman Empire became the preeminent power in Central Europe,Suleiman couldn't belive a kingdom as great as Hungary that was the shield of Europe against the Ottomans for more than 100 years could be so easily defeated.Upon encountering the lifeless body of the young King Louis,Suleiman is said to have lamented:"I came indeed in arms against him;but it was not my wish that he should be thus cut off before he scarcely tasted the sweets of life and royalty".After the battle,Suleiman was full of arrogance,Suleiman wanted to understand that not all honor and glory belonged to him,that he was nothing without the support of his people and Allah,he didn't want his ego to overcome him.To sate his arrogance he digged himself a hole in the ground and spent the whole night in it,he wanted to honor the dead and to feel equal to the ones who have fallen in battle. 
456Suleiman's campaigns continued but he would soon experience his first defeat,he unsuccesfully sacked Vienna in 1529.This was to be the Ottoman Empire's most ambitious expedition and the apogee of its drive to the West.With a reinforced garrison of 16.000  men,the Austrians inflicted the first defeat on Suleiman as his forces could not breach Vienna,his second attempt to conquer Vienna failed in 1532,as Ottoman forces were delayed by the siege of Güns and failed to reach Vienna.In both cases,the Ottoman army was plagued by bad weather,forcing them to leave behind essential siege equipment,and was hobbled by overstretched supply lines.Suleiman didn't consider either a loss and gave every soldier a winning's pay.
457Captured Baghdad in 1534 in his first Persian campaign,the city was taken without resistance,the Safavid government having fled and left the city undefended as they were not prepared to face Suleiman in battle.
458Allied himself with the King of France in 1536,an alliance which would last over 200 years and would help each other in countless battles during Suleiman's reign.
459In 1537 as part of the Franco-Ottoman alliance,the Ottomans invaded Apuila in Southern Italy,the Ottomans produced much terror but Otranto and Brindisi managed to hold out,the french failed to meet his commitment and Suleiman abandoned the campaign in Italy and led the Siege of Corfu against the Venetians but the Ottomans failed to take the city despite inflicting heavy casualties on the defenders.
460Invaded the unruly Moldavia in 1538,the voievode Petru IV Rares,the son of Stephen the Great fled into exile in Transylvania,Suleiman occupied the major cities,Suleiman was mesmerized by the richness such a small country could have and took Stephen The Great's sword as a trophy and appointed his brother Stefan as the new ruler.
461His trusty admiral Barbarossa defeated the Holy League at the Battle of Preveza in 1538,one of the biggest sea battles of the sixteenth century,thus establishing the Ottoman dominance over the Eastern Mediterranean.
462The Ottoman-Venetian started in 1537 and was dragging for 2 years straight but in 1539 Barbarossa inflicted a crushing victory against the Venetians in 1539 at the Siege of Castelnuovo,only 200 men were spared in the slaughter but the Ottomans lost 20.000 men,they continued to make significant advances into Dalmatia,they didn't occupy the Venetian cities but took Hungary's Croatian possessions,eliminating them as a buffer zone between the Ottoman and Venetian territory and as a result the Ottoman-Venetian War ended as an Ottoman victory in 1540.
463By the early 1540s a renewal of the conflict in Hungary presented Suleiman with the opportunity to avenge the defeat suffered at Vienna.In 1541 the Habsburgs laid siege to Buda but were repulsed,and more Habsburg fortresses were captured by the Ottomans in two consecutive campaigns in 1541 and 1544,as a result Ferdinand and Charles were forced to conclude a humiliating 5-year treaty with Suleiman.Ferdinand renounced his claim to the Kingdom of Hungary and was forced to pay a fixed yearly sum to the Sultan for the Hungarian lands he continued to control.Of more symbolic importance,the treaty referred to Charles V not as 'Emperor' but as the 'King of Spain',leading Suleiman to identify as the true 'Caesar'.
464Persia was accustomed to attacking the Ottomans from behind.Attempting to defeat the Shah once and for all,Suleiman embarked on a second campaign against the Safavids in 1548-1549.Suleiman abandoned the campaign with temporary gains in Tabriz and Persian Armenia,a lasting presence in the province of Van,and some forts in Georgia.
465He annexed much of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids and large areas of North Africa as far west as Algeria.Under his rule,the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and through the Persian Gulf.
466In 1553-1555,Suleiman began his third and final campaign against the Safavid Empire,he defeated the Safavid Persians in 1555 and concluded the Peace of Amasya which secured the Ottoman territorial gains and the eastern borders.
467Helped the Malaysians,Indians and Mughals against the Portuguese on the Indian Ocean,the naval expeditions were only partially succesful.
468Created the Haseki Sultan Position,this in turn starting the Sultanate of Women Era.
469An artist,scientist,historian,poet,theologist,politician,military commander and ruler.
470Befriended a slave who would later be named Pargali Ibrahim Pasha whom Suleiman would consider his brother,Ibrahim would slowly climb his way to the top,firstly by becoming Grand Vizier in 1523,reforming the egyptian provincial civil and military administration system and later marrying the sister of Suleiman,Hatice Sultan.Ibrahim's work with the West was a complete succes,convincing Hungary to turn into an Ottoman Vassal and allying the Empire with France against the Habsburgs.
471Ibrahim portrayed himself as the real power behind the Ottoman Empire and was even reffered to by a Venetian diplomats as "Ibrahim the Magnificent",a play on Suleiman's usual nickname.These 2 acts greatly enraged Suleiman who eventually ordered Ibrahim's assassination in 1536.
472Wanted his son Mehmed to succed him as sultan,Mehmed was said to be the most talented of the princes,even more talented than Mustafa,but he later died of smallpox but other sources claim that Mahidevran Sultan planned his death,Suleiman built the Sehzade Mosque in Istanbul to commemorate Mehmed.Also,Suleiman composed an elegy for his beloved son and ended the poem with the line "Most distinguished of the princes,my Sultan Mehmed".
473Suleiman had not only commissioned a mosque for Mehmed,but have it built in Istanbul as if he were a sultan(given that sehzade were buried in Bursa according to the custom) reflected how much the sultan loved his son.
474His oldest son Mustafa was the heir apparent to the Ottoman throne and the most popular prince among the army and the people,Mustafa's fame even reached Europe,one popular phrase about him was:"May God never allow a barbary of such strength to come near us".
475During the Safavid Campaign,Rustem Pasha,the Grand Vizier in colaboration with Hurrem sent a letter to Suleiman saying "The soldiers are beginning to whisper that our lord is weak and is succumbing to old age,he is not out here leading us,it is time for a younger sultan to rule us,those words even reached Mustafa and it is said that he has not entirely rejected them."Suleiman,in response sent a letter to Mustafa saying that if he came to join him in his campaign to Iran he was innocent,if he stayed away in fear,it would be an admission of guilt. 
476Mustafa came along his troops of such a great number that he could kill Suleiman but he desired no bloodshed,he came to prove his innocence,Mustafa entered Suleiman's tent,their eyes met,Suleiman said quietly"You've betrayed me Mustafa...",Mustafa couldn't even respond"Your Grace..."before he was attacked by Suleiman's guards,while from behind a curtain Suleiman watched,Mustafa fought ferociously,screaming that he didn't betray "his grace",it is said that Mustafa froze all of the guards with one look so full of courage and youthfulness,but then Suleiman got up and peered over the curtain with a glare of such rage and malice that all the men threw themselves upon Mustafa again subduing and killing him using a bow-string,Mustafa's body was then thrown in front of the tent for all to see.Mustafa's only son Murad would now have to be executed,when the executioners read the order to Murad,he simply said "I am willing to die in obedience,not to the Padishah's orders but to Allah's."
477Mustafa carried a letter on him which he prepared in case he was to be executed:"My Lord,you will probably never read this letter I keep close to my heart...I wrote it for a possible future I hope will never come,That is my wish,my desire,if my wish is not granted and you will read thus letter,it means you have acted agaunst me...Oh my Lord,My beloved father!If you are reading these words,it means that you have taken away your heart,and have thrown it away,As for me,I have left this treacherous world.Know that you are guilty,that you have acted against innocence.Regardless of our promise we made each other.I would never betray you,and you would never harm me.I have kept my promise father but you did not.I leave you this world where a father is able to kill his son,because I would rather die innocent,than murder my father for the love of power and rule.Maybe my name will not be mentioned in history's golden pages like yours...Nobody will speak of my victories,I will not have a throne,maybe I will be mentioned as a treacherous prince,a betrayer.Let them call me that,let them hide from the people what Allah already knows.One day,when the story of the innocent will be told too.Maybe after years,maybe after centuries,someone will tell my story also.That day,the justice will be delivered on the innocent.
478After hearing of Mustafa's death,Suleiman's youngest son Cihangir who suffered from poor health and was a humpback,was said to have died of grief shortly after.
479Suleiman was loyal to his wife,who had great influence over him,the newly appointed Haseki Sultan Hurrem Roxelana,one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history and the initiator of the sultanate of women,she was the first consort to be freed,breaking a two-century-old tradition,she later died of respiratory infection in 1558,this in turn starting the civil war between her last 2 remaining sons.
480Suleiman was in his 60s,the competition between the 2 remaining brothers over the throne was evident.Suleiman scolded his sons and decided to change their places of duty.Selim in Konya and Bayezid in Amasya,both provinces being further from the Constantinople but still equidistant.Selim was quick to obey,but to the dismay of his father,Bayezid obeyed only after much hesitation.Angered,Suleiman accused Bayezid of being a rebel and supported his elder son Selim against Bayezid.
481Selim,in collaboration with Sokollu Mehmet Pasha(the future grand vizier) and with additional help from his father's army,defeated Bayezid in a battle near Konya on 31 May 1559.
482Bayezid,the greatest warrior of his sons,that was said to resemble Suleiman the most,except for his explosive temper,took refuge in Iran after his request of forgiveness for Suleiman was denied,the Safavids refused to cede Bayezid even after tens of letters and offers of gold sent to them personally by Suleiman,but later after threats of war and the offer of 400.000 gold coins Bayezid was eventually sold to Suleiman and was later strangled along with his sons in 1561.
483His daughter Mihrimah previously travelled with him in some of his conquests,later she became his advisor,confidant and his closest relative,especially after Suleiman's other relatives and companions died or were exiled one by one:Ibrahim(executed 1536),Mustafa(executed in October 1553),Mahidevran(lost her status after Mustafa's death and went to Bursa),Cihangir(died in November 1553),Hurrem(died in April 1558),Rüstem(died in July 1561)and Bayezid(executed,September 1561).After Hürrem's death,Mihrimah took her mother's place as her father's counselor,urging him to undertake the conquest of Malta and sending him news and forwarding letters for him when he was absent from capital.She promised to build 400 galleys at her own expense to encourage Suleiman in his campaign against Malta.
484Lost at The Great Siege of Malta in 1565 where he once again met the knights of Saint John whom he once spared,both sides lost nearly their entire force,the Ottomans with most of their men dead had to retreat because of the threat of Spain who at the time was the greatest power in Europe,especially navally,it was the final defeat of Suleiman's reign and it foreshadowed the eventual stagnation and decline of the Empire.
485Suleiman prepared to march on Vienna one last time,he marshaled his forces and for the first time in 10 years planned to lead them himself,a venetian in Istanbul wrote the following:"People were expecting the old and tired Sultan would never leave his bed again.But the Great Turk shocked everyone.While everyone was waiting for his funeral,with a spectacular ceremony he left the palace with his army as if he was a young ruler,Constantinople witnessed one of the old,splendid days.The people gave the Great Turk a send-off with an indefinable enthusiasm and repsect.By this way,Sultan Suleiman once more proved to be the ruler of rulers as he was able to conquer anywhere he wished in the East and West while becoming the nightmare of his enemies during his long 46-year reign.We have to be prepared and look for alliances.Close the city gates!Prepare your soldiers!Pray!Suleiman The Magnificent is walking to the heart of Europe while challenging death.
486Suleiman's age got the better of him,even in his carriage,every bump seared his gout ridden joints but still he would not have them slow the army for him,.As he crossed into Transylvania,the prince he installed there when he was no more than a year old,now a full man grown scattered jewels at his throne in reverence.His army marched on,the rain fell,the ground swallowed cannons,rivers formed around them and yet they made it to Szigeth,Suleiman gave one last fiery speech to rally his troops,expecting Szigetvar to fall before sundown.Shortly after Suleiman fell ill,he would fade in and out of awareness,sometimes he would wake up,seeing his dead loved ones sitting near him one by one,he vaguely wondered what happened to the fortress outside,and then he closed his eyes.
487Suleiman died peacefully during the siege of Szigetvar which resulted in an Ottoman Pyrrhic Victory.
488
489XI.Selim II The Blond/The Drunk "Sari"
490Born	28 May 1524
491Died	12/15 December 1574
492Reign	7 September 1566 – 15 December 1574
493Sixthborn,Selim was very well educated and skilled,during his father's reign he ruled many provinces in Anatolia.
494Known in the Empire for his drunkness and debauchery even before he was a sultan.
495Selim was a political mastermind who managed to stay alive despite all the court intrigue,he was a survivor who became Sultan without much struggle,patience was his greatest weapon.
496After a struggle that lasted for over 14 years,of who shall become the succesor to Suleiman,in the end,it was the most unlikely of the sons,Selim:
497"My father Sultan Suleiman Khan always wanted Mehmed to become Sultan after his death,the army,religious leaders and the janissaries always wanted Mustafa.However after Mehmed's death,my mother Hurrem Sultan supported my younger brother Bayezid to rival me and Mustafa.My youngest brother Cihangir was never considered an option because he was sick and weak.When Mustafa died,the fight for the throne was left to me and Bayezid.My father stayed impartial with no clear favorite and my older sister Mihrimah Sultan and Rustem Pasha,her husband favored Bayezid,I could only lay my trust in Allah and my wife Nurbanu,with my mother's death the fight for the throne truly started,Bayezid was exiled and I had to face him in battle,I somehow managed to defeat him and successfully secured my seat on the throne when he died 2 years later.Slowly,with the help of Allah I came closer to the throne,but no one,not even me expected to become the next sultan after the death of Kanuni Sultan Suleiman Khan in 1566. 
498Waited for his father's corpse to return to Istanbul as a sign of respect.
499Initiated the tradition of the sultans to not go on expeditions but he has continued to extend the Empire neverthless.
500Two years into his rule,he succeded concluding at Constantinople a treaty 17 February 1568 with the Holy Roman Emperor,whereby the Emperor agreed to pay annually 30,000 ducats and granted the Ottomans authority in Moldavia and Walachia.
501For the first time,the Ottomans declared war on Russia,Selim was less fortunate in this war.A plan had been prepared in Constantinople for uniting the Volga and Don by a canal in order to counter Russian expansion toward the Ottomans' northern frontier.In 1569 A Russian relief army of 15,000 attacked and scattered the workmen and the Tatar force sent for their protection.The Ottoman fleet was destroyed by a storm.In 1570 the ambassadors of Ivan The Terrible concluded a treaty that restored friendly relations between the Sultan and the Tsar,the two Empires would not fight against one another for more than 100 years.
502Expeditions in the Hejaz and Yemen were more successful,but the conquest of Cyprus in 1571,led to the naval defeat against Spain and Italian states in the Battle of Lepanto in the same year.
503The Empire's shattered fleets were soon restored(in just six months),and the Ottomans maintained control of the eastern Mediterranean (1573) In August 1574,months before Selim's death,the Ottomans regained control of Tunis from Spain, which had captured it in 1572.
504Supported by his sister Mihrimah in political affairs and even lent him 50,000 gold sovereigns to sate his immediate needs.,Mihrimah is known for having access to considerable economic resources and often funded major architectural projects.
505Selim is known for giving back to Mahidevran,one of Suleiman's concubines,her status and her wealth,in contrast with his father,he also built the tomb of his eldest brother,Mustafa,Mahidevran's son.
506Built the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne,It was considered by Mimar Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture.
507Greatly loved his wife Nurbanu for her uncharacteristic inteligence and beauty.
508Expanded the borders to Central Europe,Cyprus and Tunisia
509Left the harem to be governed by the women in his palace thus indirectly enpowering the Sultanate of Women
510Selim's Grand Vizier,Mehmed Sokollu,considered a genius,controlled much of state affairs,and pretty much ruled instead of Selim but he didn't have that much control over the empire without the Sultan's accord.
511Despite all of his defects he was a progressive ruler,he cared for empire expansion,art,economy,was very tolerant for non-muslims and was said to be generally pretty kind.
512Selim died in the Tokpapi Palace after a period of fever brought on when he slipped on a soap on the wet floor of an unfinished bath-house,getting a head injury.He was the first Sultan to die in Istanbul.
513
514XII.Murad III The Artist "Sanatci"
515Born	4 July 1546
516Died	16 January 1595
517Reign	15 December 1574 – 15 January 1595
518"A superstitious soul,a lover,quick to anger and to commit cruel acts,addicted to mysticism,poetry and volition;an amateur dancer and musician,talked to spirits and made comedic stories,he loved mechanics,clockwork and acts of representaion;he lived surrounded by interpretors of dreams,astrologers,sheiks,poets,women,dancers,dwarves and madmen,leaving state bussiness most of the time to other people."
519Firstborn,ascended to the throne after strangulating his 5 brothers.
520His authority was undermined by harem influences,specifically,those of his mother and later of his favorite wife Safiye,often to the detriment of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha's influence on the court,Sokollu would later be assassinated in 1579.
521The reign of Murad III was marked by exhausting wars on the empire's western and eastern fronts. The Ottomans also suffered defeats in battles such as the Battle of Sisak against the Habsburgs.
522The Ottomans had been at peace with the neighbouring Safavids,but in 1577 Murad declared war,showing that he was a skilled politician,attacking in a vulnerable situation,seeking to take advantage of the chaos in the Safavid court.Murad was influenced by viziers Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha and Sinan Pasha and disregarded the opposing counsel of Grand Vizier Sokollu.The war would drag on for 12 years,which resulted in significant territorial gains for the Ottomans in the Middle East but temporary as they would be lost during his succesors' reigns.
523Numerous envoys and letters were exchanged between Elizabeth I of England and Sultan Murad III,discussing a joint military operation during the outbreak of war with Spain in 1585,as Francis Walsingham was lobbying for a direct Ottoman military involvement against the common Spanish enemy.This diplomacy would be continued under Murad's successor Mehmed III, by both the sultan and Safiye Sultan alike.
524Murad's reign was a time of financial stress.To keep up with changing military techniques,the Ottomans began training in the use of firearms more than before.By 1580 an influx of silver from the New World caused high inflation and social unrest.Deprivation from resulting rebellions,coupled with the pressure of over-population,was especially felt.Competition for positions within the government grew,leading to bribery and corruption,even Murad himself accepting enormous bribes in exchange for governorship.
525Murad took great interest in the arts, particularly miniatures and books:
526Murad wrote The Book of Dreams,it tells of Murad's spiritual experiences as a Sufi disciple.Murad wrote describing his dream visions of various activities:being stripped naked by his father and having to sit on his lap,single-handedly killing 12.000 infidels in battle,walking on water,ascending to heaven,and producing milk from his fingers.He frequently encounters the Prophet Muhammed,and in one dream sits in the Prophet's lap and kisses his mouth.
527Height of the Empire's territorial expansion overall was achieved under his rule
528Poisoned by his wife Safyie and became impotent:"The arrow [of Murad], [despite] keeping with his created nature,for many times[and]for many days has been unable to reach at the target of union and pleasure."
529His mother Nurbanu found a remedy and this fueled his sexual appetite,in turn,he would have fathered over 100 children just to spite his wife.
530Following the example of his father Selim II,Murad was the second Ottoman sultan who never went on campaign during his reign,instead spending it entirely in Constantinople.During the final years of his reign,he did not even leave Topkapi Palace.For two consecutive years he did not attend the Friday procession to the imperial mosque—an unprecedented breaking of custom.
531Whenever Murad planned to go out to Friday prayer,he changed his mind after hearing of alleged plots to dethrone him once he left the palace.Murad withdrew from his subjects and spent the majority of his reign keeping to the company of few people and abiding by a daily routine structured by the five daily Islamic prayers.Murad's personal physician described a typical day in the life of the sultan:
532"In the morning he rises at dawn to say his prayer for half an hour,then for another half hour he writes.Then he is given something pleasant as a collation,afterwards sets himself to read for another hour.Then he begins to give audience to the Divan on the 4 days of the week that this occurs.Then he goes for a walk through the garden,taking pleasure in seeing fountains and animals for another hour,taking the dwarves,buffoons and others to entertain him.He goes back to studying until lunch.He stays at table only half an hour,and goes again into the garden for as long as he pleases.Then he goes to say his midday prayer.Then he stops to pass the time and amuse himself with women for 1 or 2 hours,when it is time to say the evening prayer.He returns to his apartments or,if it pleases him more,he stays in the garden reading or passing the time until evening with the dwarfs and buffoons,then he returns to say his prayers,that is at nightfall.Then he dines and takes more time over dinner than over lunch, talking until 2 hours after dark,until it is time for prayer.He never fails to observe this schedule every day."
533Murad's sedentary lifestyle and lack of participation in military campaigns earned him the disapproval of different historians.
534Had his mother Nurbanu buried next to her husband Selim II,making her the first concubine to share a sultan's tomb.
535"I wish that the True Reality God, Celle ve Ala, had not created this poor servant as the descendant of the Ottomans so that I would not hear this and that,and would not worry.I wish I were of unknown pedigree.Then,I would have one single task,and could ignore the whole world."
536Greatest Territorial Expansion of the Empire was achieved under the rule of Murad.
537Died after a long planned plot between Safyie and his son Mehmed III in ascending him to the throne,poisoned.
538
539XIII.Mehmed III The Distressed "Adli"
540Born	26 May 1566
541Died	22 December 1603
542Reign	15 January 1595 – 21/22 December 1603
543Firstborn,ascended to the throne and proceeded to strangulate 19 of his brothers in the same night.
544This event was controversial even for Ottoman standards and badly seen by the citizens
545Was extremely saddened by the killing of his brothers and this took a toll on his mental and physical health.
546Said to be capable of falling ill after hearing bad news,this reflecting his bad mental state at the time.
547Was an idle ruler,was aided in much of his rule by his mother Safiye,the Valide Sultan and left government business to her.
548The first major problem of his reign was the rivalry of his 2 viziers and their supporters.Mehmed was prevented of taking control of the issue himself by his mother Safiye.The conflict grew to cause major disturbance in Istanbul.Later in July 1595,Mehmed finally dismissed the Grand Vizier and replaced him with his rival after his failure in Wallachia at the Battle of Calugareni,a humiliating defeat for the Ottomans where they lost against the Wallachians that were outnumbered by 10 to 1.The whole Ottoman forces were estimated at about 100,000 men,but not all of their troops were on the battlefield at Calugareni.It seems that about 30.000-40.000 Ottoman soldiers were involved in the battle.
549Ottoman defeats in the war against the Habsburgs caused Mehmed to take personal command of the army,the first sultan to do so since Suleiman.
550Accompanied by the Sultan, the Ottomans conquered Eger in 1596. Upon hearing of the Habsburg army's approach, Mehmed wanted to dismiss the army and return to Istanbul.However, the Ottomans eventually decided to face the enemy and defeated the Habsburg and Transylvanian forces at the Battle of Keresztes
551Upon returning to Istanbul in victory,Mehmed told his Viziers that he would campaign again.The next year "the doctors declared that the Sultan cannot leave for war on account of his bad health,produced by excesses of eating and drinking".
552The Victory was set back by losses to the Austrians and the Wallachian forces of Michael the Brave in 1599.In 1600,the Ottomans captured Nagykanizsa after a 40 day siege and later successfully held it against a much greater attacking force at the Siege of Nagykanizsa which inflicted devastating losses on the Habsburgs.
553Later that year he recognized Michael The Brave's rule along the Austrians.Wallachia accepted to pay tribute to both Empires and became a neutral territory.
554Died after the distress caused after the assassination his eldest son Mahmud on his orders.
555
556XIV.Ahmed I The Merciful "Bahti"
557Born	18 April 1590
558Died	22 November 1617
559Reign	22 December 1603 – 22 November 1617
560Fourthborn,ascended to the throne after the sudden death of his father.
561While Ahmed had a just,kind and witty nature and was said to resemble Suleiman the Magnificent,he was a victim of circumstance,he ascended to the throne in a time of terrible turmoil and instability in the Empire and his rule would be plagued by countless rebellions and the loss of territories.
562Abolished the brother killing rule and changed the succesion to be by seniority.
563Married and freed Kosem who would later become the most powerful woman in Ottoman history and the mother of 2 sultans.
564Ahmed was a poet who wrote a number of political and lyrical works under the name Bahti
565Rule challenged by his far lost uncle,pretender to the throne Yahya,Count Alexander of Muntenegro
566Ahmed showed decision and vigor,the wars in Hungary and Persia,which attended his accession,terminated unfavourably for the empire.Its prestige was further tarnished in the Treaty of Zsitvatorok,signed in 1606,abolished the tribute of 30,000 ducats paid by Austria and addressed the Habsburg emperor as the equal of the Padishah.The Jelali revolts were a strong factor in the Ottomans' acceptance of the terms.This signaled the end of Ottoman growth in Europe.
567Resubmissed the Romanian Principalities
568Following would be the crushing defeat against the neighbouring rivals Safavids,Georgia,Azerbaijan and other territories were ceded back
569Loved by the people for his religious and fair nature,built the Blue Mosque,one of the most famous mosques in Turkey and the magnum opus of the Ottoman architecture
570The sultan had a crest carved with the footprint of Muhammad that he would wear on Fridays and festive days and illustrated one of the most significant examples of affection to the prophet in Ottoman history.Engraved inside the crest was a poem he composed:
571“If only could I bear over my head like my turban forever thee, If only I could carry it all the time with me, on my head like a crown, the Footprint of the Prophet Muhammad, which has a beautiful complexion, Ahmed, go on, rub your face on the feet of that rose.
572Died of typhus and gastric bleeding.
573
574XV.Mustafa I The Mad "Deli"
575Born	24 June 1591
576Died	20 January 1639
5771st Reign
578Reign	22 November 1617 - 26 February 1618
5792nd Reign
580Reign	19 May 1622 - 10 September 1623
581The first brother of a sultan to ascend to the throne.
582Fifthborn,ascended to the throne after the death of his older brother
583His first reign lasted 4 months
584Was deposed and was the first person put in the "Kafes",the cage was the part of the Imperial Harem where possible successors to the throne were kept under a form of house-arrest and surveillance by guards
585It was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins at fishes to feed them and at birds
586Returned to the throne after the assassination of his nephew Osman II and after spending 4 years in the cage
587He commenced his second reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Osman
588He ran through the palace at all hours of the day and night,crying out for Osman,whom he believed was still alive,to rescue him from the burden of power.
589The first Sultan with no children
590Political instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis,followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when Abaza Mehmed Pasha,decided to march on Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman,the regime tried to end the conflict by executing Davud Pasha,but Abaza continued his advance.Clerics and the new Grand Vizier prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son.She agreed,on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.
591Was  deposed after ruling for 1 year due to his poor mental health and confined in the cage until his death
592Died 15 years after being deposed,either by epilepsy or according to a rumour,on Murad's orders.
593
594XVI.Osman II The Martyr "Sehid"
595Born	November 3 1604
596Died	May 20 1622
597Firstborn,ascended to the throne after the coup d'etat against his uncle.
598Very brash and arrogant,hated by the janissaries for not treating them fairly.
599He wrote many poems under the pseudonym 'Farisi'.
600The basic and exceptional weakness from which Osman suffered was the conspicuous absence of a female power basis in the harem
601Executed his brother Mehmet despite the abolishment of the brother killing rule
602Osman at the start of his reign sought to assert himself as a ruler,and after secured the empire's eastern border by signing the Treaty of Serav with Safavid Persia.
603He personally led the Ottoman invasion of Poland but was soon forced to sign a peace treaty with the Poles after the Battle of Chotin
604Osman returned home to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries and the insufficiency of his statesmen for his humiliation.
605Seeking a counterweight to Janissary influence,Osman closed their coffee shops which were the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne and started planning to create a new and more loyal army consisting of Anatolian sekbans,the result was a palace uprising by the Janissaries.
606The first and only sultan that was paraded and humiliated in the public
607While he was paraded in the public he continued to angrily spout demands,orders,insults and curses to the citizens and continued to show his arrogant nature which he was despised for.
608Soon,Osman was promptly imprisoned in the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul
609First sultan to be regicided
610Couldn't be restrained by 4 janissaries,in the struggle he got his balls crushed then strangled,one of his ears was cut and shown to his uncle Mustafa,the first time a sultan's blood got spilled.
611
612XVII.Murad IV the Dictator "Diktator"
613Born	27 July 1612
614Died	8 February 1640
615Reign	10 September 1623 – 8 February 1640
616Thirdborn,a very harsh and disciplined person,liked sports and was known for his incredible physical force,said to have lifted up a Pasha and thrown of a bridge with ease
617Ascended to the throne at 11 when his empire was in anarchy                                          
618For 9 years,during his early reign,his mother Kosem appointed regent,essentially ruled through him and had the power of a Sultan.    
619The Empire fell into anarchy,The Persians invaded Iraq,revolts in Northern Anatolia,and in 1631 the Janissaries stormed the palace and killed the Grand Vizier Murad feared suffering the fate of Osman II and decided to assert his power.
620Started his absolute rule at age 19 and tried to quell the corruption that had grown during the reigns of previous Sultans, and that had not been checked while his mother was ruling through proxy.
621Banned alcohol,tobacco and coffee in Istanbul,ordered execution for the breaking of this ban.
622When he was angry he could easily punish one with death which generated fear from the people as well as those around him
623Patrolled the streets as a civillian and beheaded offenders with his own hands.
624One source claims:"Very often at midnight he stole out of the women's quarters through the private gate of the palace with his drawn sword,and running through the streets barefooted with only a loose gown around him,like a madman,killed whoever came his way.
625He would sit in a kiosk by the water near his Seraglio Palace and shoot arrows at any passerby or boatman who rowed too close to his imperial compound,seemingly for sport.
626Restored the judicial regulations by very strict punishments,including execution,he once strangled the grand vizier with his own hands for beating his own mother in law.
627Waited for the execution of his orders and would follow it,in order to determine whether or not his orders were complied with
628He marched East,through Asia Minor,stopping at every single city that had refused to pay taxes and either deposing,executing,or otherwise horribly mutilate the city's leadership
629Quelled a rebellion in Lebanon by crushing their army,having their leaders beheaded and dragged through the streets,then hanging their impaled corpses outside the city
630His pirates briefly conquered Iceland and Newfoundland in Canada for a month but soon left because of how useless the places were.                  
631His reign is most notable for the Ottoman–Safavid War(1623–39)in which Azerbaijan was conquered,occupying Tabriz,Hamadan, and capturing Baghdad(1638).
632Murad himself fought and commanded the battle while suffering from cirrhosis,he fought in the front lines,he was the only sultan to do so.
633The siege of Bghdad lasted 40 days,after that the entire Persian Population of the city was massacred,Murad said the following:"Trying to conquer Baghdad was almost more beautiful than Baghdad itself."
634During the siege of Baghdad in,a huge Persian challenged the bravest Ottoman in mortal combat.Murad bravely accepted this challenge and was strong and skillful enough to defeat and kill the Persian.
635The Treaty of Zuhab after the war was followed by a near 100 year peace with the persians and generally reconfirmed the borders as agreed by the Peace of Amasya, with Eastern Armenia,Eastern Georgia,Azerbaijan,and Dagestan staying Persian,while Western Armenia,and Western Georgia stayed Ottoman.Mesopotamia was lost by the Persians.
636The borders fixed as a result of the war,are more or less the same as present-day Turkey
637Murad himself commanded the Ottoman army in the last years of the war,he was the last sultan to do so.
638In 1640,Murad witnessed the flight of Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi,which took him across the Galata District and Bosphorus strait,landing safely on the shores of the Asian continent.Impressed by Hezarfen's apparently supernatural abilities,Murad paid him a large bag of gold coins.He then banished him to Algeria,where he died some years later.
639Had a good relationship with The Mughal Empire
640Very little is known about the concubines of Murad IV,mainly because he did not leave sons who survived his death to reach the throne,all of them dying extremely young,this was said to have toughened up Murad and the reason of his angry outbursts.
641One of the gates of the city walls of Istanbul was built because of a Janissary,who broke the law and was caught by the Sultan himself.The Janissary,who wrongfully thought that drinking outside of Istanbul would be safe offered a bet to Murad.If he successfully guessed the gate which the Sultan would take on his way back to Istanbul,his life would be spared.He writes his guess on a paper and waits.On the other hand,Murad who was determined to punish this disobedient soldier,yet was too proud to refuse the bet,commanded to open a new gate on the citywalls.Then he checked the note in which the Janissary wrote:“Congratulations for your new gate your highness!” That gate stil known as New Gate in Turkish.The Janissary was executed shortly after.
642Murad's favorite hobbies included hunting(he was a crack shot with a rifle or bow),competitive javelin throwing, and wrestling against three or four guards at the same time,he was also a composer who sponsored poetry and invited many other poets to his palace.Murad also worte many poems himself,the verses he wrote when he had taken Baghdad contained the crypted date of the conquest of the city:"Baghdad conquered,by the soldiers of Islam,Sultan Murad said that,the date of the conquest is gazam",he was also fond of playing chess.
643Murad was said to be able to outride anyone in the empire,but yet again who would be so unwise to beat his Sultan with the risk of having his head impaled?
644The weapons he used in battles were an Odysseus-grade longbow, a 130-pound steel mace, and a massive broadsword that weighed in at 110 pounds which are today hanging in the museum at the Imperial Palace in Istanbul
645The only Sultan to execute a Sheyk of Islam.
646Executed his brothers Suleyman and Bayezid for attempting to overthrow him,after this his paranoia would increase dramatically and he would put his 2 remaining brothers in the Kafes.
647Murad ordered the death of Kasim and Ibrahim after 3 years of confinement,Kasim was strangled,Ibrahim was next but his mother Kosem intervened at the last moment,saving Ibrahim's life.
648Murad restored the revenues of the state,which was seized illegally by many different groups of people.When he first reached the throne,the public purse was empty but at the end of his reign there was an estimate of more than fifteen million gold pieces in the purse.
649Ordered the death of his brother Ibrahim again on his death bed,the order was not carried out but if it was,it would have been the end of the Ottoman Dynasty.
650Suffered from cirrhosis,died from over-drinking.
651
652XVIII.Ibrahim I the Caligula "Sefahat"
653Born	5 November 1615   
654Died	18 August 1648    
655Reign	9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648
656Driven insane by living in terror of being next to die after his brothers were executed by Murad and because of the time he spent in the Kafes.
657Spent 3 years in the Kafes because of Murad's paranoia under his absolute rule.
658Tenthborn,ascended to the throne after his brother's death.
659After Murad's death,Ibrahim was left the sole surviving prince of the dynasty.Upon being asked by the Grand Vizier to assume the Sultanate,Ibrahim suspected Murad was still alive and plotting to trap him.It took the combined persuasion of Kösem and the Vizier,and personal examination of his brother's dead body,to make Ibrahim accept the throne.
660Mustafa Pasha remained as Grand Vizier during the first four years of Ibrahim’s reign,keeping the Empire stable.He renewed peace with Austria and during the same year recovered Azov from the Cossacks.Mustafa also stabilized the currency with coinage reform,sought to stabilize the economy with a new land-survey,he also reduced the number of Janissaries,removed non-contributing members from the state payrolls,and curbed the power of disobedient provincial governors.
661During these early years,Ibrahim showed concern with properly ruling the empire,as shown in his handwritten communications with the Grand Vizier.Ibrahim,inspired by his brother often traveled in disguise,inspecting the markets of Istanbul and ordering the Grand Vizier to correct any problems he observed.
662Since Ibrahim was the only surviving male of the Ottoman dynasty,Ibrahim was encouraged by his mother Kösem to distract himself with harem girls and soon fathered three future sultans:Mehmed IV,Suleiman II and Ahmed II.The distractions of the harem allowed Kösem to gain power and rule in his name,yet even she fell victim to the Sultan's disfavor and left the Imperial Palace in 1644.
663After the departure of Kosem Ibrahim went unchecked and became less interested in ruling the empire,he started sleeping with a purported 24 women per day,and had 18 children in the first seven years of his rule.
664Often distracted by recurring headaches and attacks of physical weakness caused by the trauma Murad put on him.
665Was obsessed with sex,essentially remade his royal residence into a wild orgy palace,placing mirrors throughout the entire castle and chasing naked women around in the garden.
666He raised eight concubines to the favored position of haseki,granting each riches and land.After legally marrying the concubine Telli Haseki,he ordered the palace of Ibrahim Pasha to be carpeted in sable furs and given to her.
667His first Haseki Sultan was Turhan Hatice,one of the most powerful women of Ottoman History
668Ibrahim came under the influence of favorite harem ladies such as the mistress Sekerpare Hatun and the charlatan Djindji Khodja,who pretended to cure the Ibrahim's physical ailments.The latter,along with allies Silahdar Yusuf Agha and Sultanzade Mehmed Pasha,enriched themselves with bribes and eventually usurped enough power to secure the execution of Grand Vizier Mustafa.Djindji Khodja became High Judge of Anatolia, Yusuf Agha was made Grand Admiral and Sultanzade Mehmed became Grand Vizier
669Liked really fat women
670Ibrahim was so obsessed with sex that he formulated his own theories on pleasure,he became curious whether the limits of pleasure were related to size,he then had his messengers scour the empire for the largest woman they could find.Taking on the nickname of "Sugar Cube",the Armenian woman they brought back weighed 330 pounds and quickly became his favored concubine
671Had 280 concubines drowned after one of them cheated on him.
672Conquered Crete and started a 2 decade war with Venice
673The defeat of the Ottoman navy by the Venetians outside the Dardanelles
674Discord was caused by the Venetian blockade of the Dardanelles which created scarcities,great famine in the capital—and heavy taxes during a war economy to pay for Ibrahim's whims
675In 1647 the Grand Vizier,Kösem Sultan and the Sheyk of Islam unsuccessfully plotted to depose Ibrahim and replace him with one of his sons.The Vizier was executed and Kösem was exiled from the harem.
676During his final days,many people had petitioned to overthrow him because of his terrible reign,as the success of the empire was not important to Ibrahim anymore.His own mother was one of the people who voted to overthrow him,betraying him once again,saying "In the end he will leave neither you nor me alive. We will lose control of the government. The whole society is in ruins. Have him removed from the throne immediately."
677In 1648 the Janissaries and members of the ulema revolted.On 8 August 1648,the corrupt Grand Vizier was strangled and torn to shreds by an angry mob,gaining the posthumous nickname "Hezarpare" ("thousand pieces").On the same day,Ibrahim was seized and imprisoned in Topkapi Palace.
678Ibrahim was forced to resign and go back and spend his final days locked in the Kafes,the same cage where he spent the worst moments of his life for another 10 days,the old memories where he spent years in the Kafes came back haunting Ibrahim,making him scream in agony and wail.
679On the eleventh day, he was strangled and killed by the Ottoman authorities.
680
681XIX.Mehmed IV The Hunter "Avci"
682Born	2 January 1642
683Died	6 January 1693 
684Reign	8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687
685Soon after his birth,his father and mother quarreled,Ibrahim was so enraged that he tore Mehmed from Turhan's arms and flung the infant into a cistern.Mehmed was rescued by the harem servants but was left with a lifelong scar on his head
686Firstborn,ascended to the throne after his father's death during a very volatile time for the Ottoman dynasty. 
687Youngest Sultan to reach the throne,age 6.
688Second longest reigning sultan
689Because of his fondness and talent for hunting, he was nicknamed The Hunter. 
690Mehmed was to be overthrown in 1651 and to be replaced with his brother Suleiman who was a few months younger,ironically the next sultan after Mehmed that would have spent almost all his life in the Kafes just because Mehmed was older by a few months by his grandmother Kosem,when this plan was found out,Turhan ordered the assassination of Kosem.
691Kosem is assassinated during Mehmed's third year as sultan on Turhan's orders,Kosem’s control was so powerful that after she died, the Ottomans came to the decision to not give women the right to rule over the empire any longer.
692Presided over the Köprülü era,an exceptionally stable period of Ottoman history
693The Köprülü era was a period in which the Empire's politics were frequently dominated by grand viziers from the Köprülü family credited with reviving the empire's fortunes after a period of military defeat and economic instability.
694Two thirds of Istanbul were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1660.The fire destroyed 280,000 houses,burned for approximately 49 hours and 40.000 lives were lost in the conflagration.
695Regained the Aegean islands,fought successful campaigns against Transylvania(1660) and Poland(1670–1674).
696Accepted the vassalage of Petro Doroshenko,Ottoman rule extended into Podolia and Right-bank Ukraine
697Height of the Empire's territorial expansion in Europe.
698Mehmed's succesful reign was owed to the people whom he appointed to,Mehmed while a good politician and administrator left the state to more capable people personally appointed by him.
699The Second Major Lose of the Ottoman Empire:The Second Siege of Vienna,The Decisive Battle between Islam and Christianity:
700Over 150.000 Ottoman Troops marched on Vienna,prepared to battle everything the Holy Roman Empire could throw at them.
701Mehmed was not present during this battle,the Ottomans employed almost 150 pieces of cannon and they also dug tunnels under the Hapsburg walls to place mines under the fortifications.
702Even with the support of the Pope and the arrival of the Imperial Army,the Habsburgs were on the verge of defeat and the Ottomans on the threshold of a great victory. By September 1683, the Ottoman forces had seized a portion of the walls of the city and it seemed that Vienna was about to fall,the only problem was that the bombs did not explode.
703The Ottomans were caught off guard by 18.000 horsemen charging down the hills,the largest cavalry charge in history.Sobieski led the charge at the head of 3,000 Polish heavy lancers,the famed "Winged Hussars".The charge broke the lines of the Ottomans,who were tired and dispirited,soon started to flee the battlefield.The cavalry charge was the final deadly blow.Less than 3 hours after the cavalry charge,the Christian forces had won the Battle of Vienna."Veni,vidi,Deus vicit" 
704The Start of The Fall of The Ottoman Empire:The Second Battle of Mohacs,Hungary and Transylvania are no longer under Ottoman control and are gained by the Habsburgs
705Sari Suleyman Pasha is executed after the loss of the battle and Mehmed IV was thrown off his horse by his guards,attempting to restrain him,Mehmed took out his sword,screaming "I am your Sultan,not a mere servant!How dare you put me at your mercy and dispose of me whenever you wish!" and killed at least 4 of his guards before he was overwhelmed.He was imprisoned in the Tokpapi Palace.
706Was asked to return to the throne multiple times but he refused.
707Died in the Edirne Palace.