Osman II, whose years of life 1604 -1622, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, he ruled from 1618 to 1622. Osman fought with Poland and lost the battle of Khotyn, although he retained control of Moldavia. Under him, the Khotyn Peace Treaty was signed.
The Sultan blamed the Janissaries for his defeat, he planned the implementation of military reform and replaced the Janissary corps with other formations consisting of the inhabitants of Anatolia. As a result, Osman was overthrown by the rebellious Janissaries and became the first Turkish sultan to be killed by his own subjects. The biography of Osman II will be presented next.
Early years
Osman was the son of Sultan Ahmed I, born from one of his concubines named Mahfiruz. Since he was the firstborn of Ahmed, he was named after Osman Ghazi, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty. At his birth, lavish festivities were arranged and continued for a week.
The second son of Ahmed I from another concubine, Kesem Sultan, was born 4 months after Osman. They named him Mehmed. Both brothers grew up and were brought up together. From some sources it is known that Osman began to read early, received a good education and, in addition to Oriental languages, also knew Greek, Latin, and Italian. However, a number of modern historians doubt this.
From childhood, the boy tried to establish good relations with Kesem Sultan. He treated his stepmother with great respect and even revered her.
Ascension to the throne
Despite the fact that he was the rightful heir, due to his infancy, after the death of his father, the weak-minded brother of the latter, Mustafa, ascended the throne. This was an unprecedented case, since usually power passed in a straight line - from father to son. However, Mustafa reigned for a very short time, only three months. During this period, his behavior was very strange. So, at a meeting of the sofa, he could tear off the turban from the vizier or pull his beard. He threw coins to fish and birds.
Osman II came to the throne in February 1618, when he was 14 years old. The period of his reign fell on the onset of adverse climatic conditions. These years were the coldest in the Little Ice Age.
Then periodically there were bad omens and catastrophes that followed them. A flood in one of the districts of Istanbul, which has never happened before.
In winter and summer, people fell ill with the plague. The Bosporus was frozen over, and since supplies and provisions could not be delivered by sea, hunger and terrible high prices reigned in the city.
Murder of a brother
Before leading the army in the Khotyn war,Osman II decided to deal with his 15-year-old brother Mehmed. After all, in his absence, he could declare himself a sultan. To do this legally, it was necessary to obtain a fatwa (permission) from one of the Qadis. Osman II, after the refusal of Sheikh al-Islam, turned to the kadiasker of Rumelia (judge for military and religious affairs) Tashkopruzade Kemaleddin Mehmed Effendi and received it. And in January 1621, Shehzade Mehmed was executed.
Discontent in the army and people
After the military defeats of Sultan Osman II, his reputation in the country was greatly shaken. Another event that aggravated his situation was his marriage to a Turkish woman. After all, the sultans were supposed to create families only with foreigners, while not having Turkish origin.
The first wife of Osman II, Aisha Khatun, was born in Istanbul, she is the granddaughter of the vizier Pertev Pasha by her father. His second wife was a girl named Akile. She was the daughter of Sheikh Haji Mehmed Essadulakhh and the great-granddaughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Besides, Osman had several concubines from whom he had children, but they all died at an early age.
Rebellion of the Janissaries
In 1622, in May, Osman II wanted to leave Istanbul for Anatolia, announcing his intention to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He intended to take the treasury with him. But the Janissaries found out about this and revolted. They, along with the Sipahis, gathered at the hippodrome. Sheikh al-Islam came to the Sultan and demanded the execution of six close associates of the ruler, to which hegave a fatwa, possibly forcedly.
But the Sultan broke the fatwa, threatening the rebels with violence. In response, the rebels invaded the dwelling of Omer-efendi, arranging a pogrom there. The crowd then moved towards Mustafa, who was locked up in the Old Palace, released him and declared him Sultan.
Strongly frightened, Osman ordered Dilavera Pasha to be handed over to the rebels. They found him, took him out of the gate, where he was immediately chopped to pieces. The Sultan announced that he would not go to Asia, however, he did not fully realize the seriousness of the situation. He refused to remove Suleiman Agha and Omer Effendi, as the Janissaries demanded.
Meanwhile, they broke into the courtyard of the Topkapi palace complex. At the same time, the chief eunuch and the grand vizier, who tried to block their path, were torn to pieces. Osman hid in a hiding place, but they found him and, dressed in rags, dragged him through the whole city on a horse, accompanying this trick with ridicule and mockery.
Murder of the Sultan
Osman, turning to the Janissaries, begged for mercy, asked not to take his life. In response, he heard that they did not want his blood. But at the same time they immediately tried to kill him. According to the recollections of one of the eyewitnesses, the head of the gunsmiths threw a rope around his neck to strangle him, but at the same time two other Janissaries prevented him.
There is evidence that Davut Pasha appeared in the Orta-Jami mosque, where Osman was taken, in whose hands he had a noose. But the former sultan reminded the rebels who surrounded him that he forgave Davut Pasha several times for the crimes he had committed. And then the military did not allow the captive to be killed on the territory of the mosque.
Deposedthe ruler was moved to the Istanbul fortress Yedikule. There, the next day, which was May 20, 1622, he was killed. The mentally unhe althy Mustafa I turned out to be a sultan for the second time, and Davud Pasha took the place of the Grand Vizier.
