Selim II
| Selim II سليم ثانى | |
|---|---|
|
Caliph of Islam Amir al-Mu'minin Padişah Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques | |
 | |
| 3rd Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate 11th Ottoman Sultan (Emperor) | |
| Reign | 7 September 1566 – 15 December 1574 |
| Sword girding | 8 September 1566 |
| Predecessor | Suleiman I |
| Successor | Murad III |
| Born |
28 May 1524 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Died |
12/15 December 1574 (aged 50) Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Consort |
Nurbanu Sultan (legal wife) Selimiye Hatun |
| Issue |
Murad III Şehzade Abdullah Şehzade Osman Şehzade Mustafa Şehzade Süleyman Şehzade Mehmed Şehzade Mahmud Şehzade Cihangir Ismihan Sultan Şah Sultan Fatma Sultan Gevherhan Sultan |
| Dynasty | Osmanli (Ottoman) |
| Father | Suleiman I |
| Mother | Hürrem Sultan |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Tughra |
 |
Selim II (Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى Selīm-i sānī, Turkish:II.Selim; 28 May 1524 – 12 December/15 December 1574), also known as "Selim the Sot (Mest)" in west and as "Sarı Selim" (Selim the Blond) in east, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. He was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Haseki Hürrem Sultan. Selim had been an unlikely candidate for the throne until his brother Mehmed died of smallpox, his brother Mustafa was strangled to death by his father, and his brother Bayezid was killed in a coordinated effort between him and his father. His reign is generally marked as the start of a decline following the excellent reign of his father.
Biography
He was born in Constantinople a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his legal Ruthenian wife, Hürrem Sultan.[1] She later became the first Haseki Sultan and was a prominent figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women.
In 1545, at Konya, he married Nurbanu Sultan whose background is disputed. It is said that she was originally named Cecelia Venier Baffo, or Rachel, (or Kale Katenou). She was the mother of Murad III. She later became the first Valide Sultan who acted as co-regent with the sultan in the Sultanate of Women.[2]
After gaining the throne after palace intrigue and fraternal dispute, he succeeded as Sultan on 7 September 1566, According to one source Selim II became the first Sultan devoid of active military interest and willing to abandon power to his ministers, provided he was left free to pursue his orgies and debauches. His Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokollu, from what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, controlled much of state affairs, and two years after Selim's accession succeeded in concluding at Constantinople an honourable treaty (17 February 1568) with the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II, whereby the Emperor agreed to pay an annual "present" of 30,000 ducats and essentially granted the Ottomans authority in Moldavia and Walachia.
Against Russia, Selim was less fortunate and the first encounter between the Ottoman Empire and her future northern rival gave presage of disaster to come. A plan had been prepared in Istanbul for uniting the Volga and Don by a canal, and in the summer of 1569 a large force of Janissaries and cavalry were sent to lay siege to Astrakhan and begin the canal works, while an Ottoman fleet besieged Azov. But a sortie of the garrison of Astrakhan drove back the besiegers; a Russian relief army of 15,000 attacked and scattered the workmen and the Tatar force sent for their protection; and finally, the Ottoman fleet was destroyed by a storm. Early in 1570 the ambassadors of Ivan IV of Russia concluded at Constantinople a treaty which restored friendly relations between the Sultan and the Tsar.
Expeditions in the Hejaz and Yemen were more successful, but the conquest of Cyprus in 1571, which provided Selim with his favourite vintage, led to the calamitous naval defeat against Spain and Italian states in the Battle of Lepanto in the same year, freeing the Mediterranean Sea from corsairs.
The Empire's shattered fleets were soon restored (in just six months; it consisted of about 150 galleys and 8 galleasses) and the Ottomans maintained control of the Mediterranean (1573). In August 1574, months before Selim's death, the Ottomans regained control of Tunisia from Spain who had controlled it since 1572.
During his reign, his elder sister Mihrimah Sultan acted as his Valide Sultan, because his mother Hürrem Sultan, died before his reign began.
However, Sultan Selim was loved by the people because of his soft character and his sensitive attitude and for his generosity. He is known for giving back to Mahidevran Sultan her status and her wealth back, contrasting with his father Suleyman's decision. He also built the tomb of his eldest brother Şehzade Mustafa who was executed in 1553.
Children and marriages
He married Nurbanu Sultan a Venetian who was the mother of his successor Murad III and of three of his daughters, as a Haseki Sultan she received 1,000 aspers/a day while each mother of each prince was receiving 40 aspers/a day.
He also had a consort, Selimiye Hatun.
- Sons
- Murad III (b. 1546, Manisa - d. 1595, Istanbul), son of Nurbanu Sultan
- Şehzade Abdullah (murdered 1568), son of Selimiye Hatun
- Şehzade Cihangir (murdered 22 December 1574).
- Şehzade Mustafa (murdered 22 December 1574).
- Şehzade Osman (murdered 22 December 1574).
- Şehzade Süleyman (murdered 22 December 1574), after his execution, his mother has committed a suicide.
- Şehzade Mehmed (d. 1572).
- Daughters
- Esmahan Sultan (b.1544, Manisa.-d.1585, Istanbul)
- Gevherhan Sultan (b.1544, Manisa.-d.1580, Istanbul)
- Şah Sultan (b.1544, Manisa.-d.1580, Istanbul)
- Fatma Sultan (b.1559, Konya.-d.1580. Istanbul)
Selim II between reality and myths
The discussion about the personality of Sultan Selim II goes back centuries, he was most likely the center of discussion even in the period of time in which he lived. This would be understandable, as his father, Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, would be difficult to surpass in greatness.[3]
Actual imperial orders from the Sultan seem hardly able to fit within the uncited fictional character seeking to escape Islam’s commandments to pursue Western frivolities. On the contrary, imperial orders show firm resolve to ease the burden of those engaging in the strenuous Hajj pilgrimage, and special consideration for Muslims living under the subjugation of intolerant colonialists.
An excerpt of an imperial order from the Sultan:
"..because the accursed Portuguese are everywhere owing to their hostilities against India, and the routes by which Muslims come to the Holy Places are obstructed and moreover, it is not considered lawful for the people of Islam to live under the power of miserable infidels … you are to gather together all the expert architects and engineers of that place and investigate the land between the Mediterranean and the Red Seas and report where it is possible to make a canal in that desert place and how long it would be and how many boats could pass side by side."[4]
Many Western sources created the common story that Sultan Selim II was actually controlled by his Grand Vizier. This theory has left out important information contained within Ottoman Archives where Sultan Selim II was often deciding between various viziers and creating his own hierarchies of authority:
"In 1568 a strong expedition was sent to pacify the province under the command of Sultan Selim’s former tutor and confidant Lala Mustafa Pasha, a choice which showed that Selim was not entirely the pawn of his grand vezir, for Sokullu Mehmed resented Lala Mustafa’s place in the Sultan’s affections. To put down the uprising in Yemen Lala Mustafa needed men and supplies from Egypt but the provincial governor, another rival Koca Sinan Pasha, refused his requests and made it impossible for him to pursue the campaign. In a spate of petitions to the Sultan the two defended their respective positions. Koca Sinan proved the stronger and Lala Mustafa was dismissed from command of the Yemen campaign. To mark his continuing favour, however, Selim created for him the position of sixth vezir of the governing council of the empire. -Osman’s Dream by Caroline Finkel".[5]
Marks of decay
Scottish historian Lord Kinross, in his The Seeds of Decline, sees the massive outlay for the fleet-rebuilding following the Battle of Lepanto as the start of the Empire's slow decay, although many historians confirm the Empire's decay started with Murad III his son. Sultan Selim II died in Topkapı Palace after a period of fever brought on when he slipped over on the wet floor of an unfinished bath-house, getting a head injury.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ The Speech of Ibrahim at the Coronation of Maximilian II, Thomas Conley, Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer 2002), 266.
- ↑ Bernard Lewis, The Muslim discovery of Europe, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001, p. 192.
- ↑ "False History and Sultan Selim II: http://www.yursil.com/blog/2007/11/a-taste-of-the-real-sultan-selim-ii/
- ↑ Ottoman Archives: Muhimme Defteri Vol 7 No 721
- ↑ Osman’s Dream by Caroline Finkel
- ↑ The Turkish Language Reform: A Catastrophic Success (Oxford Linguistics) – Geoffrey Lewis
Sources
- Finkel, Caroline, Osman's Dream, Basic Books, 2005.
-
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Selim". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Further reading
- Ancestry of Sultana Nur-Banu (Cecilia Venier-Baffo)
- Patrick Balfour Kinross, Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire (1977), ISBN 0-688-08093-6
- John Julius Norwich, A History of Venice (1989), ISBN 0-679-72197-5
External links
Media related to Selim II at Wikimedia Commons
| Selim II Born: May 28, 1524 Died: December 12, 1574[aged 50] | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Suleiman I |
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Sep 5, 1566 – Dec 12, 1574 |
Succeeded by Murad III |
| Sunni Islam titles | ||
| Preceded by Suleiman I |
Caliph of Islam Sep 5, 1566 – Dec 12, 1574 |
Succeeded by Murad III |
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