17th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640
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Murad IV (
Ottoman Turkish: مراد رابع, Murād-ı Rābiʿ;
Turkish: IV. Murad, 27 July 1612 – 8 February 1640) was the
sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in
Constantinople, the son of Sultan
Ahmed I (r. 1603–17) and
Kösem Sultan.[2] He was brought to power by a palace conspiracy when he was just 11 years old, and he succeeded his uncle
Mustafa I (r. 1617–18, 1622–23). Until he assumed absolute power on 18 May 1632, the empire was ruled by his mother,
Kösem Sultan, as nāʾib-i salṭanat (regent). His reign is most notable for the
Ottoman–Safavid War, of which the
outcome would partition the
Caucasus between the two Imperial powers for around two centuries, while it also roughly laid the foundation for the current
Turkey–
Iran–
Iraq borders.
Grand Vizier Kemankeş Ali Pasha and
Şeyhülislam Yahya Efendi were deposed from their position. The next day, the child of the age of 6 was taken to the
Eyüp Sultan Mausoleum. The swords of
Muhammad and
Yavuz Sultan Selim were bequeathed to him. Five days later he was circumcised.[4]
Reign
Early reign (1623–1632)
Murad IV was for a long time under the control of his relatives and during his early years as Sultan; his mother,
Kösem Sultan, essentially ruled through him. In this period, the
Safavid Empire invaded
Iraq, Northern
Anatolia erupted in revolts, and in 1631 the
Janissaries stormed the palace and killed the Grand Vizier, among others.
At the age of 16 in 1628, he had his brother-in-law (his sister
Fatma Sultan's husband, who was also the former governor of Egypt),
Kara Mustafa Pasha, executed for a claimed action "against the law of God".[5]
After the death of the Grand Vizier Çerkes Mehmed Pasha in the winter of
Tokat, Diyarbekir Beylerbeyi Hafiz Ahmed Pasha became a vizier on 8 February 1625.[6]
An epidemic, which started in the summer of 1625 and called the
plague of Bayrampaşa, spread to threaten the population of
Istanbul. On average, a thousand people died every day. The people fled to the Okmeydanı to escape the plague. The situation was worse in the countryside outside of Istanbul.[6]
Absolute rule and imperial policies (1632–1640)
In 1632, Murad IV banned the smoking of tobacco and opium as well as closing
coffeehouses as it was believed to be centers of sedition. Also in the same year as noted by
Dimitrie Cantemir, he legalized the selling and drinking of alcohol even for Muslims, an act which had no precedent at the time. Previously known to be fond of drinking, in 1634 he realized the dangers of wine, and banned both the sale and drinking of alcohol and ordered taverns to close.[7][8][9] He ordered execution for breaking this ban[10] and restored the judicial regulations by very strict punishments, including execution; he once strangled a
grand vizier for the reason that the official had beaten his mother-in-law.[11]
Fire of 1633
On 2 September 1633,[12] the Cibali fire broke out, burning a fifth of the city. The fire started during the day when a caulker burned the shrub and the ship caulked into the walls. The fire, which spread from three branches to the city. One arm lowered towards the sea.[12] He returned from Zeyrek and walked to Atpazan. The most beautiful districts of Istanbul were ruined, from the Yeniodas, Mollagürani districts, Fener gate to Sultanselim, Mesihpaşa, Bali Pasha and Lutfi Pasha mosques, Şahı buhan Palace, Unkapanı to Atpazarı, Bostanzade houses, and Sofular Bazaar. The fire that lasted for 30 hours was only extinguished after the wind stopped.[12]
War against Safavid Iran
Murad IV's reign is most notable for the
Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–39) against Persia (today Iran) in which Ottoman forces managed to conquer Azerbaijan, occupying
Tabriz,
Hamadan, and capturing Baghdad in 1638. The
Treaty of Zuhab that followed the war generally reconfirmed the borders as agreed by the
Peace of Amasya, with Eastern Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Dagestan staying Persian, Western Georgia stayed Ottoman.[13] Mesopotamia was irrevocably lost for the Persians.[14] The borders fixed as a result of the war, are more or less the same as the present border line between
Iraq and
Iran.
Murad IV himself commanded the
Ottoman Army in the last years of the war.
Relations with the Mughal Empire
While he was encamped in
Baghdad, Murad IV is known to have met ambassadors of the Mughal Emperor
Shah Jahan, Mir Zarif and Mir Baraka, who presented 1000 pieces of finely embroidered cloth and even armor. Murad IV gave them the finest weapons,
saddles and
Kaftans and ordered his forces to accompany the
Mughals to the port of
Basra, where they set sail to
Thatta and finally
Surat.[15]
Architecture
Murad IV put emphasis on architecture and in his period many monuments were erected. The Baghdad Kiosk, built in 1635, and the Revan Kiosk, built in 1638 in
Yerevan, were both built in the local styles.[16] Some of the others include the Kavak Sarayı pavilion;[17] the Meydanı Mosque; the Bayram Pasha Dervish Lodge, Tomb, Fountain, and Primary School; and the Şerafettin Mosque in
Konya.
Music and poetry
Murad IV wrote many poems. He used the "Muradi" penname for his poems. He also liked testing people with riddles. Once he wrote a poetic riddle and announced that whoever came with the correct answer would get a generous reward. Cihadi Bey, a poet from Enderun School, gave the correct answer and he was promoted.[18]
Murad IV was also a composer. He has a composition called "Uzzal Peshrev".[19]
Family
Due to the prominence of his mother
Kösem Sultan during his reign and the fact that all of his sons died in infancy, Murad IV's family is not well known.
Only few of his many concubines are known and of the thirty-two children that
Evliya Çelebi said that Murad IV had, five have not yet been identified, and the name of some of others is still unknown.
Furthermore, no child had a certain nominated mother.
Consorts
Murad IV had several consorts and concubine, but only few are known and some of them are disputed:[20][21][22][23][24][25]
Ayşe Sultan. First
Haseki of Murad IV and the only one whose title is confirmed.
Şemsişah (Şemsperi) Sultan (?). According to L. Pierce, Murad IV had a second Haseki in the last years of his reign. The identity and title of this concubine are however disputed, but some have proposed Şemsişah as a probable identity. She started with a salary of 2,751 daily
asprons, the highest ever recorded for a concubine, but after seven months it was reduced to 2,000 daily asprons, on par with Ayşe Sultan. She disappears from the records soon after Murad IV's death.
Sanavber Hatun. She founded a charity in the capital in 1628. Since this required high wealth and Murad's first children were born in 1627, she was likely one of his first concubines and the mother of at least one of Murad's older children.
Safiye Hatun.
Şemsperi Hatun (disputed). Maybe only an other name of Şemsişah.
Emirgün's sister (disputed). Her brother, the governor of Yerevan, would offer it to Murad IV to earn his favors. Being beautiful, the sultan fell in love with her, but later left her in Damascus instead of taking her to the capital.
Rosana Sultan (existence disputed, also called Rossana, Roxana o Roxane): according to the sources, she was the favorite of Murad IV, and she was tall, blonde and extremely pale. She had a bad temper and even the sultan feared her. She had followed him to war in 1635, but was sent back to Constantinople when Murad fell in love with Emirgün's sister. In the capital she was received with every honor, but jealousy for the new concubine led her to issue an imperial order to execute Murad IV's brothers, who hated her. When Murad returned, one of his sisters tried to accuse her, but he didn't believe her and furiously hit her. Eventually his mother Kösem Sultan managed to find evidence and witnesses against Rosana and Murad IV stabbed her himself. From that moment on, the sultan swore never to favor another woman. Although the story has spread widely in European sources (she in a main characters of play Bajazet), most historians dismiss it as a romantic legend or a fictionalized and more dramatic version of Ayşe Sultan's story.
Sons
Murad IV had at least fifteen sons, but none of them survived infancy and all of them died before their father (died in February 1640):[21][22][24][25][26][27][28][29]
Şehzade Ahmed (
Constantinople, 21 December 1627 - Constantinople, 1637).
Şehzade Fülan (Constantinople, March 1631 - Constantinople, March 1631). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the
Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Süleyman (Constantinople, February 1632 - Constantinople, 1632). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the
Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Mehmed (Constantinople, 8 August 1633 - Constantinople, 1638). Born in the Pavilion of the Kandilli Garden, buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Fülan (Constantinople, February 1634 - Constantinople, March 1634).
Şehzade Fülan (Constantinople, 10 March 1634 - Constantinople, March 1634).
Şehzade Alaeddin (Constantinople, 16 August 1635 - Constantinople, 1637). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Ahmed (
Izmit, 15 May 1638 - 1639). He is referred to as "son of Haseki".
Şehzade Abdülhamid (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Selim (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Orhan (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Numan (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Hasan (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Mahmud (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Şehzade Osman (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Rabia Sultan (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Fatma Sultan (Constantinople, ? - Constantinople, ?). Buried in the Ahmed I mausoleum in the Blue Mosque.
Bedia Sultan (Constantinople, ? - ?).
Bedia Ayşe Sultan (Constantinople, ? - ?). She married Malatuk Süleyman Paşa before 1655.
Hafsa Sultan (Constantinople, ? - ?). She married Ammarzade Mehmed Paşah.
Safiye Sultan (Constantinople, after 1634 - Constantinople,
c. 1670). She married firstly on 27 August 1649 to Hayderağazade Mehmed Pasha,[35]: 168 [36] married secondly Sarı Abaza Hüseyin Paşah (brother or son of Grand Vizier
Siyavuş Paşah) in 1659. She had three sons and a daughter: Sultanzade Abubekr Bey, Sultanzade Mehmed Remzi Paşah (d. 21 November 1719), Sultanzade Abdüllah Bey (stillborn,
c. 1670) and Rukiye Hanımsultan (died January 1697). She died to give birth to Abdüllah.
Rukiye Sultan (Constantinople, 1640 - 1696). She married Şeytân Melek İbrâhîm Pasha and was widowed in 1685. She had two daughters: Fatma Hanımsultan (1677 - 1727) and Ayşe Hanımsultan (1680 - 1717).[37] She may have remarried to
Gürcü Mehmed Paşah or
Bıyıklı Mehmed Paşah in 1693.[30] She was buried in the
Şehzade Mosque.
Esma Sultan (? - ?). She died in infancy.
Death
Murad IV died from
cirrhosis in Constantinople at the age of 27 in 1640.[38]
Rumours had circulated that on his deathbed, Murad IV ordered the execution of his mentally disabled brother,
Ibrahim (reigned 1640–48), which would have meant the end of the Ottoman line. However, the order was not carried out.[39]
^Hari, Johann (2015). Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Bloomsbury USA. p. 262.
ISBN978-1620408902.
^Davis, William Stearns (1922). A short history of the Near East: from the founding of Constantinople (330 A.D. to 1922). New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 259–260.
^M. Çağatay Uluçay - Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları
^
abcFrançois de Chassepol - Historia delli vltimi due gran visiri con alcuni secreti intrecci del Serraglio, e molte particolarità sopra le Guerre di Candia, Dalmatia, Transilvania, Polonia & Ungheria
^
abLeslie P. Peirce (1993). The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-508677-5.
^Akgunduz, A.; Ozturk, S. (2011). Ottoman History - Misperceptions and Truths. IUR Press. p. 205.
ISBN978-90-90-26108-9.
^Murphey, R. (2008). Exploring Ottoman Sovereignty: Tradition, Image and Practice in the Ottoman Imperial Household, 1400-1800. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 105.
ISBN978-1-84725-220-3.
^Mustafa Naima Efendi (1968). Naîmâ Târihi - Cilt 3. Zuhuri Danişman Yayinevi. pp. 1216, 1237, 1312, 1374.
^
abMustafa Çağatay Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 80–90.
^Murphey, Rhoads (1 January 2007). Studies on Ottoman Society and Culture, 16th-18th Centuries. Ashgate Publishing Company. p. 214.
ISBN978-0-7546-5931-0.
^Hafiz Hueseyin Ayvansaray-i (2000). The Garden of the Mosques: Hafiz Hüseyin Al-Ayvansarayî's Guide to the Muslim Monuments of Ottoman Istanbul. Brill. pp. 10, 25.
ISBN978-9-004-11242-1.
^Ayvansarayı̂, Hafız Hüseyin; Sâtı, Ali; Besîm, Süleyman (2001). Hadı̂katü'l-cevâmiʻ: İstanbul câmileri ve diğer dı̂nı̂-sivil miʻmârı̂ yapılar. İşaret. p. 46.
ISBN978-9-753-50118-7. İsmihân Sultân bint-i Murâd Hân-ı Râbi'
^Kal'a, Ahmet; Tabakoğlu, Ahmet (1999). İstanbul su külliyâtı: Vakıf su defterleri : İlmühaber 4 (1856–1928). İstanbul Araştırmaları Merkezi. pp. 76–7.
ISBN978-9-758-21504-1. merhume İsmi- hân Kaya Sultân tâbe serâhâ
Roemer, H. R. (1986). "The Safavid Period". The Cambridge History of Iran: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Vol. VI. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 189–350.
ISBN0521200946.
Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2008). Bu mülkün kadın sultanları: Vâlide sultanlar, hâtunlar, hasekiler, kadınefendiler, sultanefendiler. Oğlak Yayıncılık. p. 303.
Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2015). Bu Mülkün Sultanları. Alfa Yayıncılık.
ISBN978-6-051-71080-8.