The Ottoman Empire in the era of "Mehmed III" went through one of the worst periods of weakness.. even worse than the era of "Suleiman the Lawgiver" himself and the drunkard Sultan "Murad III".
And "Mehmed"'s era was a struggle between two senior ministers.. the Grand Vizier "Sinan Pasha" and the Serdar "Ferhad Pasha (Serdar Ferhad Pasha)".. each of them trying to monopolize power.. and his mother "Sultana Safiye", along with her daughter's husband "Damat Ibrahim Pasha (Damat Ibrahim Pasha)", were in "Sinan Pasha"'s camp.
Accordingly, "Safiye" prevented her son from taking control.. and surrounded him with concubines.. then they decided to get rid of "Serdar Ferhad Pasha" in an inventive way.. so they sent him to the Ottoman Empire's nightmare, to bring it under control.. to Wallachia.
And "Catherine Salvaresso (Catherine Salvaresso)", the princess of Wallachia, had already died.. but Wallachia, despite that.. defeated the Ottoman forces.. and sent them back empty-handed. So "Safiye" seized the opportunity of the terrible defeat.. and declared that "Ferhad" was a weak failure.. and dismissed him.. even though "Sinan Pasha", the one she was supporting.. had failed in Wallachia before him.
The Ottoman Empire in Anatolia at that time was all problems.. "Sinan Pasha" began, together with Safiye, to come up with a new invention as well.. they did not choose the people for posts according to competence.. no.. they began to sell posts.. you want to become a night watch commander.. come and pay.. but on condition that you pay me such-and-such a sum annually.. and consequently the night watch commander, in order to raise the "M'aloum" annually.. would bully the people and rob them and seize their money by force.. and this led to the people's grumbling and several demonstrations and riots broke out.
"Mehmed III" thought.. that the people needed a war to rally around like the old days and feel enthusiasm.. so he took one of the stupidest decisions of his life.. that he would set off himself at the head of an army.. and attack Austria once again in the year 1593. And he attacked suddenly.. and actually managed to defeat its garrisons.. and occupy one of its fortresses.
Of course Austria was very strong.. so it shook off this sudden defeat.. and recovered its fortress.. and marched on the lands of the Ottoman Empire itself.. and took the fortresses of Esztergom and Visegrád, after slaughtering the Ottoman garrison there, down to the last soldier.
"Mehmed" decided to respond to them, so he sent a huge army to these fortresses.. but the army that went did not come back.. so he raised a new army.. and went to engage the Austrian army once again.. six months later.
And in this period there were Ottoman soldiers in Anatolia called the "Firaris".. and those were soldiers of the Ottoman army who had fled the battlefield and turned cowardly when the enemy appeared to them.. so they were nicknamed the "Firaris".. these Firaris launched a sudden revolt.. seizing the opportunity of "Mehmed III" being occupied with the war against Austria.. and "Mehmed III" was taken by surprise by their leader "Abdul Halim Karayazıcı".. occupying Urfa.. and declaring himself sultan over the Ottoman Empire.. and he gained supporters and followers!
And here.. the son of "Mehmed III".. "Mahmud".. asks him to allow him to go and fight the Firaris.. but this drove doubt into "Mehmed"'s heart.. and he suspected that his son wanted to win so as to gain popularity and demand the throne.. so he killed his son.. and decided to withdraw.. and go fight the Firaris himself.
And these people had fortified themselves in the city of Urfa.. and the Ottoman army could no longer enter it.. so he made an agreement with their leader.. that he would submit to the Ottoman Empire.. in return for his being made governor of Amasya. And indeed the agreement was concluded.
Matters settled.. and "Mehmed" went back to confront Austria.. and offered them surrender and the payment of tribute.
But Austria gave him a reply that was very gentle and diplomatic.
It razed his army to the ground for the third time in the year 1594.
And during "Mehmed"'s defeat in Austria.. the Firaris rose up once again!
The leader of the Firaris, "Abdul Halim", was determined to rule Bursa along with Amasya.. but this time the Ottoman army managed to capture and kill him.. so the Firaris rallied around his brother.. and he was not one of the Firaris at all.. the Ottoman army had got rid of him because he was completely insane.. and in battles, when he took up arms, he killed whoever he met on his way.. even if they were from his own army..!! I mean, he just killed.
They went to this man.. and his name was "Hasan the Mad" or "Deli Hasan (Deli Hasan)".. and they asked him to lead them.. and he did lead them.. and this time.. "Hasan the Mad" defeated the Ottoman army 4 times.. and encamped before the walls of Istanbul.
And "Mehmed III" rushed to bring brother "Hasan the Mad" and negotiate with him.. and granted him "Bosnia" to rule over for the rest of his life.. and "Hasan the Mad" agreed.. and went to Bosnia.
And in the year 1596.. "Safiye" advised "Mehmed" to send "Hasan the Mad" and his forces to confront Austria.. since they had grown bold and become fine and did not run from battle and were so strong.. so "Hasan" agreed in return for 500,000 coins.. and went to Austria to fight the Austrian forces.. and neither he nor his army returned.. after a crushing defeat.. that completely annihilated them.. and "Hasan the Mad" was captured and imprisoned in Austria.. and from there they transferred him to Belgrade.. and he remained a prisoner until they executed him in the year 1605.
Can you imagine that we are talking about a state that had a military commander named "Hasan the Mad"?
And without prior warning.. the plague struck the capital Istanbul, in the year 1597, because of the spread of the brothel khans, and the transmission of infection from those practising prostitution with the professionals, and corpses piled up in the streets.. and the epidemic spread.. so the sultan ordered the burning of the corpses so that the infection would not spread.. but the burning process, with the large numbers, caused the winds to drive the flames.. so a terrifying, huge fire broke out in Istanbul, in the year 1598.
"Mehmed" had not yet recovered from these shocks.. when the cavalry in Anatolia launched a revolt.. and history called this the "Cavalry Revolt".. and its demand was "why did you give the Firaris money and lands.. where is our right too?".
And the cavalry of the Ottoman army in Anatolia set off.. plundering houses and shops and even mosques.. so "Sinan Pasha" sent the Janissary forces against them.. and they entered into a terrible war together.. in which the Janissaries ultimately prevailed.. and with all these turmoils.. and the weakness of the Ottoman Empire.. resistance flared up in Egypt.. where the Mamluks had been defeated and wiped out.. and a new generation emerged from among them.. 90% of it submissive and subordinate to the Ottoman Empire.. and detesting everything Egyptian.. except for a very few of them.. who inherited the love of the land in which their forefathers were raised.. and hated the Ottoman Empire generation after generation.
And at the height of the Egyptian resistance.. the Safavids marched on Anatolia.. shrinking the territory of the Ottoman Empire.. and increasing the area of their own land.
And in the year 1603.. "Safiye" decided that "Mehmed" was no longer of any use.. the state's territory had shrunk.. and the people were angry and wanted a new face.. so she slipped poison to her son.. and raised to the throne in his place his son "Sultan Ahmed".. and he was a kid of 13 years.
And Sultan "Ahmed" was a submissive child subject to "Safiye".. and this did not please his wife, who coveted this influence and power.. and this wife of his was a kid his age too.. and her name was.. her name was something that cannot be a person's name.
I mean, she was given a name that is not good like that.
So, in these episodes, because we do not want vulgarity and insults.. we will refer to her as Sultana "Mahpeyker".. and this was a pet name he used to call her by.. and it means "moon face".
And the story of "Sultan Ahmed" and his wife.. and Safiye.. is a long tale.. so we will continue our talk about them later.
And there remains for the talk.. a remainder.
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- Previous posts in the first comment.
- The image is of Sultan Ahmed I.
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#Ottoman_Caliphate 27