Suleiman II

Süleyman II (April 15, 1642 – June 22 or 23, 1691) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 until his death. Brought to the throne by an armed mutiny, Süleyman managed to reconquer small territories and achieve some internal reforms to stabilize and improve the empire. His was one of the shortest governments in the empire. His brother Ahmed II succeeded him to the imperial throne.

Biography

As the youngest brother of Mehmed IV, Süleyman had spent most of his life in the Altin kafes (the golden cage), a kind of luxurious prison for princes of the imperial blood within the confines of the Topkapi Palace (was designed and established to ensure that no one could organize a rebellion). He was a very intelligent, simple and religious man.

When approached with the proposal that he accept the Ottoman throne following the death of one of his brothers by murder in 1687, Süleyman assumed that the delegation had come with the intention of assassinating him in turn and only with the greatest of By persuasion he could be convinced to leave the palace to be ceremoniously girded with the sword of the Caliphs.

Barely able to take control of events himself, Süleyman nevertheless made a commendable choice by appointing one of the members of the illustrious Köprülü family, Fazil Mustafa, as his Grand Vizier. Under Köprülü the Turks stopped an Austrian advance into Serbia and crushed an uprising in Bulgaria. However, during a military campaign to re-conquer eastern Hungary, Köprülü was defeated and killed by Austro-Hungarian Imperial troops led by Louis William of Baden at Szlankamen in 1690.

Consorts

• Hatice Kadın
• Behzat Kadın
• İvaz Kadın
• Süylün Kadın
• Şehsuvar Kadın
• Zeyneb Kadın

Death

Sultan Suleiman II died a year later in Edirne.