Selim II is the eleventh ruler of the Ottoman Empire. He was the son of famous historical figures, about whom legends and films are still being made. Who was Selim and what weakness led to ridicule from the Janissaries?
Birth
The future Selim II was born in 1566 in Istanbul. His father was Suleiman First, nicknamed the Magnificent. Mother is known as Roksolana - a concubine in a harem, and later the wife of the Sultan, who was Slavic in origin. In the Ottoman Empire, her name was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Haseki.
As the first heir to the throne
He was not the eldest child of the Sultan, so he could not claim the throne. However, in 1544 his older brother Mehmed died. Father appointed Selim ii ruler of the province of Manisa. Four years later, Suleiman went on a campaign against Persia, and left his son as regent in the capital.
In 1553, on the orders of the Sultan, the elder brother of Selim Mustaf was executed. After that, he became the first heir to the throne.
Fight between brothers
In 1558, the Haseki Sultan died. This greatly worsened the relationship between Selim and Bayazid. The father made an attempt to reassure the sons by sending them away from Istanbul. They had to manage distant provinces. The first heir to the throne was sent to Konya, and the youngest of the brothers to Amasia.
But this did not help, and a year later the brothers unleashed a civil war for power. The initiator of the armed clash was Bayazid. He was the first to move his troops to his brother, but was defeated at Konya. In this battle, Selim II had a numerical superiority thanks to the support of his father.
After a crushing defeat, Bayazid and his family were forced to flee to Persia. Two years later, he was issued by Shah Tahmasp. As a result, shehzade was strangled with his five sons.
After the suppression of the uprising, Selim ruled the province of Kutahya.
Reign
In 1566, Suleiman the Great died. His son reached the capital in three weeks. Upon arrival, he occupied the Sultan throne.
Over the years of his reign, he received two nicknames:
- Blond - due to hair color
- Drunkard - due to addiction to wine.
As many researchers prove, Selim II the Drunkard did not suffer from alcoholism. The fact is that, by faith, Muslims should not drink alcohol. The Sultan could not deny himself this pleasure, therefore, against the background of others, he seemed to be a drinking man. For this, the Janissaries did not like the ruler.
In foreign policy, the sultan continued his father’s aggressive tactics:
- In 1568, an agreement was concluded with Austria to end the war. The state was to annually pay the Ottoman Empire thirty thousand ducats.
- In 1569 there was an attempt to seize Astrakhan, which was an important trading center. It was unsuccessful - there were not enough resources to storm the city, and the siege was completed due to lack of food and the approach of cold weather.
- In 1570, the war with Venice. The Sultan sought to conquer Cyprus. To help the Venetians, the Holy League was created. It included Spain, Malta, Genoa, Savoy. For three years, the battle of Lepanto turned out to be the most significant. Galleys of Porta and the Holy League participated in it. Christians won the battle, but Selim won the war itself. Venice lost Cyprus and was obliged to pay indemnities of three hundred thousand ducats.
- In 1574, the campaign of the forty thousandth Turkish army in Tunisia. Spanish fortresses were captured, prisoners executed. Significant areas of North Africa came under the control of Porta.
The territory of the Ottoman Empire increased significantly during the reign of Selim. However, this led to the problem of maintaining power over all conquered lands. In 1572, an uprising broke out in Moldova. It was suppressed, but Porta's offensive power began to dry out.
Under Selim, Vizier Mehmed governed state affairs. Many researchers believe that the power of the empire is associated with the activities of this particular person.
In 1574, the sultan died. This happened in a harem in which Selim loved to be no less than drinking wine.
The sultan was buried in the mausoleum, which is considered the most beautiful and decorated in Istanbul. It was built by the famous architect Mimar Sinan on the territory of Hagia Sophia. Construction began when Selim ascended the throne, and was completed after his death. Later, his beloved wife and some children with grandchildren were buried in the mausoleum.
Family and Children
The Ottoman Sultan Selim II had many sons. Their exact number is unknown. According to various sources, there were from six to nine.
His main wife was Nurbanu. The woman had Greek-Venetian roots. She bore him the future ruler Murad the Third and four daughters.
When Murad came to power, he executed all the other brothers.
Cinematography
The eleventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire became one of the heroes of modern Turkish cinema.
He is mentioned in the TV series "Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan", which was released in 2003. The role of the son of Roksolana and the Sultan was played by Atilay Uluyshik.
The series "The Magnificent Century" has become more famous. It was broadcast from 2011 to 2014. Since 2015, the continuation of the series started. Adult Selima was played by Engin Oztürk. The biography of the sultan in the picture does not always correspond to historical realities, since the creators sought to create a spectacular product.