Ibrahim I

Ibrahim I (Istanbul, November 5, 1615 — Istanbul, August 18, 1648) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 to 1648. He was known as "İbrahim the Mad."

Life

Ibrahim was born on November 5, 1615, son of Sultan Ahmed I and his consort, Kösem Sultan. When Ibrahim was 2 years old, his father died and Ibrahim's uncle, Mustafa I, became the new sultan, under Halime Sultan, who ruled through his son, who was mentally incapacitated.

At that time, Kösem Sultan and his sons, including the young Ibrahim, had been sent to the Old Palace. In less than a year, Mustafa was dethroned and Ibrahim's half-brother Osman II was installed as sultan. Shortly after, his brother, Şehzade Mehmed, was executed and his brothers locked up in the famous kafes, to avoid a possible rebellion. Osman's reign did not last long and he was dethroned and assassinated in 1622, placing Mustafa back on the throne. After a time, a coup d'état was organized and his eleven-year-old brother, Murad IV, was enthroned, who, due to his age, allowed absolute power in his mother, Kösem, becoming the first woman to take the regency. officially.

From what is said, his brothers were not confined to the Kafes and were allowed to have a little more freedom around the palace, under strict surveillance. But this changed in 1635, when Murad ordered the execution of two of his brothers.

Ibrahim was confined in the Kafes, which seriously affected his mental health. Ibrahim's other brothers, Şehzade Bayezid and Şehzade Süleyman, had been executed, so Ibrahim feared that he would be next in line, which is why he is recorded as suffering from constant panic attacks. Some historians say that he suffered from epilepsy.

One of the last things that ruined Ibrahim's common sense occurred in 1638, when after the victorious campaign in Baghdad, Murad executed his brother, Şehzade Kasım, who was said to be the closest to him among his siblings. According to some sources, Ibrahim was also present in the royal pavilion, where the execution took place and his life was saved only by the pleas of Kösem Sultan due to his mental illness. Others said Murad did not even attempt to execute Ibrahim at the time. After this, Ibrahim lived locked up knowing that at any moment he would be killed.

However, his brother died prematurely due to cirrhosis, allowing his ascension to the throne. After Murad's death, Ibrahim was left as the dynasty's only surviving prince. When the Grand Vizier, Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Paşa asked him to take over the sultanate, Ibrahim suspected that Murad was still alive and planned to trap him. It was necessary to show him the body of his brother to put an end to his doubts.

Reign

He succeeded his brother Murad IV in 1640. Ibrahim's accession to the throne in 1640 did not resolve the dynasty's biggest problem, the question of the heir. After Murad systematically murdered his brothers and his children died of natural causes, Ibrahim was the sole heir. New princes were needed as soon as possible, but Ibrahim showed no interest in women and sexuality. Some said that he was afraid to have a child because he feared that Murad would execute him at that time, others said that he simply did not care. They tried in every possible way to awaken the sultan's sexual desire, they gave him pornographic representations and offered him aphrodisiacs. The persistent effort was eventually successful, with his first son (and presumably his first or second son), Mehmed, born in January 1642. It is known that at some point in his reign, his brother's widowed consort, Ayşe Sultan, sought He helps Ibrahim to prevent Kösem from marrying his daughter, Ismihan Kaya to a vizier. Ibrahim took advantage of this situation and legend has it that he tried to abuse her. Apparently Ayşe was rescued and helped by the harem eunuchs. It is even said that Ibrahim tried to take her as his consort.

Inheriting all the cruelty and none of the skill of his brothers, Ibrahim brought the Empire to the brink of collapse in a very short space of time, paralleled perhaps only by the rule of Phocas in the Byzantine Empire.

It is believed that he had suffered from neurasthenia, and was depressed after the death of his brother. His reign was essentially that of his mother, Kösem Sultan, who did not prevent her from ruling the Empire as she bequeathed it.

We can't really talk about Ibrahim as a ruler. Due to his mental condition, his mother, Kösem Sultan, and Murad IV's last Grand Vizier, Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Paşa, ruled in his place. Although Kösem Sultan and Kemankeş Paşa did not have a good relationship and even constantly rivaled each other, they still worked excellently together for the good of the empire. Ibrahim, although not capable of ruling alone, tried to live up to expectations in the early years of his reign. He constantly followed events, negotiating regularly with the Grand Vizier, for which his handwritten letters also serve as a good example. These letters from Ibrahim are significant because they show that Ibrahim received a proper education, he was not weak-minded, so in reality he was just struggling with mental illnesses caused by his severe traumas. Over time, however, he fell under the influence of one Cinci Hoca and rebelled against his mother. Cinci Hoca was an occult charlatan who considered himself a religious leader.

The empire began to decline, while he began to execute or dismiss a hundred viziers, and put people he trusted, or those of Cinci Hoca, in all positions.

Shortly after Kemankeş Paşa's execution, Ibrahim also exiled his mother, Kösem Sultan. He originally intended to send her mother to the Island of Rhodes, but eventually, her consorts persuaded him to send her alone to another palace. Over time, dissatisfaction grew and more and more people turned to Kösem Sultan in exile for help. Kösem Sultan's well-known letter to Hezarpare Ahmed Paşa was written in this period. The letter says:

"In the end he won't leave you or me alive. We will lose control of the government. The entire society is in ruins. Have him removed from the throne immediately. The letter is a good indication that Ibrahim's insane government threatened more and more people. The sultan executed people for almost no reason and gave high positions to those who were unfit.

He waged a war against Venice, in which the Venetian ships managed to win in the Aegean Sea, capturing Tenedos in 1646, the gateway to the Dardanelles. As Ibrahim's rule became more unpredictable, he was deposed and assassinated, leaving Mehmed IV in his place. In 1644, Maltese pirates attacked an Ottoman ship on which, in addition to the chief black eunuch, was present the son of Prince Mehmed's wet nurse, whom Ibrahim loved and appreciated more than his own son. Under the pretext of the attack, the Fifth Venetian-Ottoman War broke out in 1645 and lasted 24 years.

Death

The situation deteriorated to the point that in 1647, Kösem Sultan and the new Grand Vizier, Salih Paşa and Seyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi, attempted to dethrone Ibrahim but failed. Salih Paşa was executed and Kösem Sultan remained in exile. The following year, both the Janissaries and the Ulema joined the rebellion, and on August 8, 1648, the Mad Sultan was easily dethroned and imprisoned. Then, due to the evidence, Kösem Sultan returned to Topkapı Palace. There he received a letter from the leading statesmen, asking him to give them Şehzade Mehmed to make him sultan in the Janissary Mosque. Kösem Sultan rejected the request and asked the leaders to go to the palace and discuss the situation.

Then she received them at the palace. She told them that the sultan had only followed the advice of bad people, so it was enough to get rid of these advisors. It is doubtful that Kösem Sultan really thought that or simply felt that this was expected of her as Ibrahim's mother. The latter can be inferred from her previous letter in which she clearly states that Ibrahim must be dethroned; and that, after two hours of speech, Kösem Sultan agreed to the ascension of Mehmed, who was barely six and a half years old. However, it is important to note that according to Kösem Sultan's recorded speech, she only agreed to Ibrahim's dethronement due to compulsion. Kösem Sultan concluded her speech with the following phrase: & # 34; Everyone is united in the opinion that the sultan should be deposed; It is impossible to do anything else. You tell me that if I don't hand over the Prince, they will enter the palace and take him by force. So, regardless of what he felt or thought, Kösem outwardly showed that he was trying to protect his son as mother.

Ibrahim's followers were removed from their positions at the same time as the sultan's dethronement, and most of them were executed. Then they had to soon decide the fate of Sultan Ibrahim, but it was not easy. There used to be a mad sultan who was simply locked away after his dethronement, so this might have been possible in Ibrahim's case. However, Ibrahim caused too much pain to the people, executed too many, and simply had too many supporters to keep him alive. Finally, the new Grand Vizier, Sofu Mehmed Paşa, asked the Seyhülislam Efendi to allow Ibrahim's execution. He allowed it. Some say that Kösem Sultan also agreed to the execution, others said that he was not notified until the last minute so that she could not prevent it. Finally, Ibrahim was strangled on August 18, 1648. According to descriptions, when the firing squad entered the sultan's room, he, clutching the Quran, asked to be shown which line of the Quran his execution suggests. He said that if they showed it to him, he would surrender. Of course, this was not possible, one of the executioners threw the rope around the sultan's neck from behind. Then his son, who was only six years old, ascended the throne as Mehmed IV. Originally, the regency was to go to the child's mother, Turhan Hatice Sultan, but due to his youth and inexperience, absolute power was given to Kösem again, this did not last. much since Kösem was murdered three years later. Ibrahim was buried in the Hagia Sophia Mosque.

Consorts

His obsession with obese women was known, warning his agents to find the fattest woman possible. A candidate was brought to him from Georgia or Armenia and Ibrahim was so pleased with her that he gave her a government pension and, supposedly, a governorship.

All of Ibrahim's Haseki received 1,000 aspers a day, except Saliha Dilaşub, who received 1,300 aspers a day, perhaps because he was more fond of her. Ibrahim gifted the revenues of Bolu, Hamid, Nicopolis, and the Eyalate of Syria to Saliha Dilaşub, Mahienver, Leyla Saçbağlı, and Şivekar, respectively. He also gave the treasure of Egypt to Leyla Saçbağlı and Telli Hümaşah, which by the way was also gifted to the latter the palace of Ibrahim Pasha.

Ibrahim had thousands of concubines, but his only known consorts are:

• Turhan Hatice Sultan, his first Haseki, and the mother of Mehmed IV, also future Valide Sultan, considered the penultimate woman to direct the famous Sultanate of Women and the woman to end definitively with the law of franchise, saving the other children of Ibrahim from execution, was of Ukrainian origin. It was Ruthenian or Eastern Slavic;
• Saliha Dilaşub Sultan, his second Haseki and the mother of Suleiman II, became Valide Sultan when his son ascended to the throne, was of Serbian origin, others say that he was from Greece or Croatia, or somewhere in the Balkan Peninsula;
• Hatice Muazzez Sultan, his third Haseki and the mother of Ahmed II, died in a fire before seeing his son ascend to the throne, so he never became Valide Sultan. It was from Krakow of the Two Nations Republic, it is currently Poland. It is believed to be Jewish or Eastern Slavic;
• Ayşe Sultan, his fourth Haseki, is first mentioned in 1645. She could have been of Tatar origin. A legend says that this Haseki was Murad IV consort, Ayşe Haseki Sultan, because Ibrahim once tried to abuse her, shortly after this event, this woman appeared and many believe that Ibrahim actually kidnapped her and forced her to be her consort;
• Mahienver Sultan, his fifth Haseki, is first mentioned on 2 May 1646. It was of circasian origin;
• Saçbağli Sultan, his sixth Haseki, is mentioned in the middle of 1646, was also of circasian origin;
• Şivekar Sultan, his seventh Haseki, was called "the fatest woman in the capital" and was one of the only two politically active spouses of Ibrahim. It was of Armenian origin and its original name was Mary;
• Telli Hümaşah Sultan, his eighth Haseki and the only one to become his legal wife, in this case, the only one to have the title of Haseki Sultan legally. After the extravagant wedding she had was nicknamed Telli Haseki, by the silver threads hanging from her hair, a Greek tradition for the newlyweds. It may have been of Georgian, circasian or Greek origin, the last is its most defended origin. It is the only consort of Ibrahim who, after the execution of this, was married to another man, in this case with the Kaymakam of Constantinople, Ibrahim Paşa, in 1672.

Offspring

Children

• Mehmed IV (2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693), son with Turhan Hatice Sultan;

• Suleiman II (15 April 1642 – 22/23 June 1691), son with Saliha Dilâşub Sultan;
• Ahmed II (25 February 1643 – 6 February 1695), son with Hatice Muazzez Sultan;
• Şehzade Murad (22 March 1643 – 16 January 1644), son with unknown concubine;
• Şehzade Selim (19 March 1644 – October 1669), son with Leyla Saçbağli Sultan;
• Şehzade Osman (August 1644-1646), son with Mahienver Sultan;
• Şehzade Bayezid (1 May 1646 – August 1647), son with Şivekar Sultan;
• Şehzade Cihangir (14 December 1646 – 1 December 1648), son of unknown concubine;
• Şehzade Orhan (October 1648 – January 1650), son with Telli Hümaşah Sultan.

Daughters

• Gevherhan Sultan (1642 — October 27, 1694), possibly daughter with Hatice Muazzez. He married first on 23 November 1646 with Cafer Paşa, married second to the Kapudan Çavușzade Mehmed Paşa, married third on 13 January 1692 with Helvacı Yusuf Paşa. He had no seed;
• Fatma Sultan (September 1642 — 1657), daughter with unknown concubine. She was raised by Atike Sultan and Turhan Hatice Sultan, suggesting that her mother died in giving birth. In 1645 he married Musahıp Silahdar Yusuf Paşa, who was executed on 22 January 1646. One month later, her father married Musahib Fazlı Paşa, whom Ibrahim exiled a couple of months later as he provoked his divorce. After his death, Turhan did much charity in his name and organized prayers for his soul. He was buried in the Yeni Valide Mosque. She had no seed;
• Ümmügülsüm Sultan (1642 — 1655), daughter with unknown concubine. Her name was also Ümmi Sultan. He was married in 1653 with Abaza Ahmed Paşa. He died shortly after the wedding and without descendants;
• Beyhan Sultan (1645 — 15 December 1700), daughter with unknown concubine. He was married for the first time in 1646 with Küçük Hasan Paşa, married second in 1647 with Hezarpare Ahmed Paşa, married third in Uzun Ibrahim Paşa, and fourth in Bıyıklı Mustafa Paşa. He had no seed;
• Ayşe Sultan (1646 — 1675), daughter with unknown concubine. She married İbşir Mustafa Paşa in 1655, but her husband was executed that same year. He then married Defterdar Ibrahim Paşa, governor of Cairo, and enviuded in 1664. Finally he married his cousin, the governor of Cairo and Buda, Canbuladzade Hüseyn Paşa, son of Fatma Sultan. He had descended;
• Atike Sultan (?—1667), daughter with Turhan Hatice. She married first in 1648 with Sarı Kenan Paşa; she married second in 1659 with Boşnak İsmail Paşa, married in 1665 with Hadim Mehmed Paşa, she died two years after marriage. He had descended;
• Kaya Sultan (?) daughter with unknown concubine. He married Haydarağazade Mehmed Paşa in 1649, which was executed in 1661. It is known that they had offspring;
• Fülane Sultan (?) daughter with unknown concubine. He married Baki Bey, who was the son of Grand Visir Hezarpare Ahmed Paşa. They had descendants;
• Fülane Sultan (?—after 1670), daughter with unknown concubine. He married Mehmed Paşa in 1659. You don't know when he was born and when he died, the only thing is that he was still alive in 1670. He has no known descendant;
• Bican Sultan (1649—?), daughter with Leyla Saçbağli. Born several months after the execution of Ibrahim, el privy purse mentions it for the first time at the beginning of 1649 as the newly born daughter of the late sultan, this makes sense since the ambassadors mention Leyla Saçbağli pregnant in September 1648 and called it "the last stroke". He was proposed to marry Kuloğlu Musahıp Mustafa Paşa, but he rejected her (later marrying the daughter of Mehmed IV, Hatice Sultan, in 1675). Bican married Cerrah Kasım Paşa in January 1666. They had descendants.