Selim II - 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 was his weakness that led to ridicule from the Janissaries?
Birth
The future Selim II was born in 1566 in Istanbul. His father was Suleiman the First, nicknamed the Magnificent. The mother is known as Roksolana - a concubine in the harem, and later the wife of the Sultan, who was Slavic by 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 elder brother Mehmed died. The father appointed Selim II as the ruler of the province of Manisa. Four years later, Suleiman went on a campaign against Persia, and left his son in the capital as regent.
In 1553, by order of the Sultan, Selim's elder brother Mustafa was executed. After that, he became the first heir to the throne.
Struggle between brothers
In 1558 Haseki Sultan died. This greatly worsened the relationship between Selim and Bayezid. The father triedcalm the sons by sending them away from Istanbul. They were to govern the outlying provinces. The first heir to the throne was sent to Konya, and the youngest of the brothers was sent to Amasya.
But this did not help, and a year later the brothers unleashed an internecine war for power. The initiator of the armed conflict was Bayezid. He was the first to move his troops against his brother, but was defeated near Konya. In this battle, Selim II was outnumbered thanks to his father's support.
After a crushing defeat, Bayezid and his family were forced to flee to Persia. Two years later, Shah Tahmasp betrayed him. As a result, shehzade was strangled along with his five sons.
After the suppression of the uprising, Selim ruled the province of Kutahya.
Reign
In 1566 Suleiman the Great passed away. His son reached the capital in three weeks. Upon arrival, he took the Sultan's throne.
During the years of his reign, he received two nicknames:
- Blond - due to hair color
- Drunkard - because of addiction to wine.
As many researchers prove, Selim II the Drunkard did not suffer from alcoholism. The fact is that according to faith, Muslims should not drink alcohol. The Sultan, on the other hand, could not deny himself this pleasure, therefore, against the background of others, he seemed to be a drinking person. 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 should annuallypay 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 capture Cyprus. The Holy League was created to help the Venetians. It included Spain, M alta, Genoa, Savoy. For three years, the most significant was the battle of Lepanto. The galleys of Porta and the Holy League participated in it. The Christians won the battle, but Selim won the war itself. Venice lost Cyprus and was obliged to pay an indemnity of three hundred thousand ducats.
- In 1574 - a campaign of forty thousand Turkish troops in Tunisia. The Spanish fortresses were taken, the prisoners executed. Significant territories of North Africa came under the authority of Porta.
The territory of the Ottoman Empire increased significantly under Selim's rule. However, this led to the problem of maintaining power over all the conquered lands. In 1572 an uprising broke out in Moldova. It was suppressed, but Porta's offensive power began to dry up.
Under Selim, the vizier Mehmed was in charge of 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. It happened in a harem, where Selim liked to visit no less than to drink wine.
The Sultan was buried in the mausoleum, which is consideredthe 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 and grandchildren were buried in the mausoleum.
Family and children
Ottoman Sultan Selim II had many sons. Their exact number is unknown. According to various sources, there were from six to nine of them.
His main wife was Nurbanu. The woman had Greek-Venetian roots. She bore him the future ruler Murad III and four daughters.
When Murad came to power, he executed all the other brothers.
Incarnation in cinematography
The eleventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire has become one of the heroes of modern Turkish cinema.
He is mentioned in the series "Hyurrem 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" became more famous. It aired from 2011 to 2014. The continuation of the series started in 2015. Adult Selim was played by Engin Ozturk. The biography of the Sultan in the film does not always correspond to historical realities, as the creators sought to create a spectacular product.
