The Turkish sultan Bayazid, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Roksolana, went down in history as a troublemaker and rebel who went against his living father and brother, but was defeated. Despite his outstanding inclinations, he did not become either a wise ruler or a great commander. Instead, he suffered the unenviable fate of the exile. Instead of brilliant accomplishments, he became known to the West and East as the failed heir of Bayazid, the son of Suleiman. The biography of this person is full of dark spots and strange coincidences. This is described in the article.
Bayazid, son of Suleiman. Children and teenagers
The first contender for the paternal throne was Suleiman's eldest son - Mehmed. Bayazid and Selim in their youth did not lay claim to the throne. Already then, according to the records of the palace chroniclers, they had significant differences in character. Selim inherited a motherly beautiful appearance and her fiery red hair color. And all the willpower and fighting character went to Bayazid. Selim grew up cowardly, incredulous and reserved. In 1543, the heir Mehmed dies. And this meant that the sultan had to choose among his sons the next ruler. Selim and Bayazid at that time were nineteen and sixteen years old respectively. For some reason, the father chooses the first, despite the apparent weakness of Selim. Perhaps the reason for this was precisely his calm nature, in connection with which the old sultan hoped that he would not aspire to power until his last days.
Rebellious Bayazid, son of Suleiman
However, the youngest son showed himself to be a brave and successful commander and was not going to put up with this state of affairs. And after the death of Roksolana’s mother, the brothers completely quarreled. To prevent internecine conflict, the father sent his sons as governors to different ends of their possessions. However, in 1559, Bayazid, the son of Suleiman, opposed such a decision and opposed his brother. The battle took place in May of that year near Konya, where the troops of Suleiman and Selim defeated Bayazid's army in numerical superiority. The latter tried to hide with his father’s recent enemy, the Persian Shah Tahmasp. However, having received a generous bribe of 400 thousand gold, the Shah agreed to execute Bayazid. The disgraced prince and all his children were put to death by strangulation.
Reign of Selim II
After Bayazid was executed, the son of Suleiman Selim II did not become a worthy heir to the Ottoman dynasty. It was said about him that he had no friends and never committed serious acts. Selim II spent the entire period of his reign behind wine and entertainment. He often drank alone, for which he received the nickname Drunkard. His attempts to continue the aggressive offensive policies of his predecessors were also unsuccessful. No, the wars continued, but they did not have significant success. And Selim himself almost always remained in his palace, practically without leading the campaigns. His reign lasted only eight years, from 1566 to 1574, after which the unlucky sultan died and power passed into the hands of his son Murad III.