Shehzade Mehmed is the son of
Suleiman the Magnificent. His biography is known to the general public, not least because of the palace intrigues of his mother, the Slavic Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Yes, that same concubine of Suleiman I, who is known in our country (and in the rest of Europe) under the name Roksolany. In addition, shehzade Mehmed is the son of Suleiman, whose biography has also become widely known recently thanks to the popular television series The Magnificent Century. Be that as it may, the name of this hero of Turkish history is well known today. And surely many of us were wondering: who was the prototype of that character who was perfectly beaten in the famous series?
Mehmed, son of Suleiman. Early biography and background
Shehzade was the son of one of the greatest sultans of the Ottoman Empire from its heyday and a concubine with Ukrainian roots, who became the favorite of the ruler. Anastasia-Alexandra (according to versions of various historians) came from a peasant family of an Orthodox priest from the town of Rogatin, in modern Western Ukraine. Between 1517 and 1520 she was captured during one of the Tatar raids, and a little later she was in the Suleiman’s harem. Here she was given the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Roksolana was named by one of the Ottoman ambassadors to the Turkish court. Very soon, the girl becomes the beloved concubine of the Sultan, and in 1521 Mehmed, the son of Suleiman, was born. The biography of the boy from an early age is full of intrigue and cruelty.
The fact is that his mother was not the first wife of the ruler. Moreover, he himself was not his first son. However, Roksolana, being a rather ambitious woman, did a lot to ensure that it was her son who became the next heir to the throne. For many years Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska conflicted with the other wives of the Sultan, especially Makhidevran, which affected the upbringing and early life of her son.
Mehmed, son of Suleiman. Biography: Sultan Governor
When the young Mehmed was 20 years old (in 1541), the sultan unexpectedly removed from his post the governor of the city of Manisa, his first son Mustafa, and appointed Mehmed instead. In Turkish traditions, preparing heirs learned in this way the skills of administrative management, fulfilling the duties of governor in small provinces. And in medieval Europe, this practice was very common. The position of governor in Manisa was traditionally considered in the Ottoman Empire as an unofficial place for the future heir to the throne. Therefore, the act of his father most likely meant that now it was Mehmed who was considered as the future sultan.
However, this was destined to happen. After only two years, shehzadeh dies from an unknown disease. The most popular version that has survived to this day indicates smallpox. Moreover, there are very serious assumptions that Mahidervan, one of the sultan’s concubines, who lost the competition for his heart to Mehmed’s mother, Roksolana, could infect him. At the same time, the son of Sultan Suleiman Mehmed, whose biography was so short, managed to leave behind a daughter who lived a long life in the dynasty's palace. It is also interesting to note that Roksolana nevertheless achieved her goal: not Mehmed, but her youngest son, Selim, became the next ruler of the empire.