Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire

Ibrahim
Ottoman Caliph
Amir al-Mu'minin
Kayser-i Rûm
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah)
Reign9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648
PredecessorMurad IV
SuccessorMehmed IV
Born5 November 1615
Topkapı Palace, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died18 August 1648(1648-08-18) (aged 32)
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Burial
Spouses
Issue
Among others
Names
Ibrahim bin Ahmed
DynastyOttoman
FatherAhmed I
MotherKösem Sultan
ReligionSunni Islam
TughraIbrahim's signature

Ibrahim (/ˌɪbrəˈhm/; Ottoman Turkish: ابراهيم; Turkish: İbrahim; 5 November 1615 – 18 August 1648) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Constantinople, the son of sultan Ahmed I by Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia.[1][2][3]

He was called Ibrahim the Mad (Turkish: Deli İbrahim) due to his mental condition and behavior.[4] However, historian Scott Rank notes that his opponents spread rumors of the sultan's insanity, and some historians suggest he was more incompetent than mad.[5]

Early life

Ibrahim was born on 5 November 1615, the son of Sultan Ahmed I and his Haseki Sultan and perhaps legal wife, Kösem Sultan. When Ibrahim was 2, his father suddenly died, and Ibrahim's uncle Mustafa I became the new sultan. By that time, Kösem Sultan and her children, including young Ibrahim, had been sent to the Old Palace. After the succession of his brother Murad IV, Ibrahim was confined in the Kafes, which affected his health. Ibrahim's other brothers Şehzade Bayezid, Şehzade Süleyman and Şehzade Kasım had been executed by the order of Murad, and because of that, Ibrahim feared that he was next in the line. However, after his brother's death, Ibrahim became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Reign

Accession

One of the most notorious Ottoman Sultans, Ibrahim spent all of his early life in the close confinement of the Kafes before succeeding his brother Murad IV (1623–40) in 1640. Three of their brothers had been executed by Murad, and Ibrahim lived in terror of being the next to die. His life was saved only by the intercession of Kösem Sultan, mother of Ibrahim and Murad.[6]

After Murad's death, Ibrahim was left the sole surviving prince of the dynasty. Upon being asked by Grand Vizier Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha to assume the Sultanate, Ibrahim suspected Murad was still alive and plotting to trap him. It took the combined persuasion of Kösem and the Grand Vizier, and personal examination of his brother's dead body, to make Ibrahim accept the throne.

Early years as the sultan

During the early years of Ibrahim's reign, he retreated from politics and turned increasingly to his harem for comfort and pleasure. During his sultanate, the harem achieved new levels of luxury in perfumes, textiles and jewellery. His love of women and furs led him to have a room entirely lined with lynx and sable. Because of his infatuation with furs, the French dubbed him "Le Fou de Fourrures." Kösem Sultan kept her son in check by supplying him with virgins she personally purchased from the slave market, as well as overweight women, whom he craved.[7][8]

An account of his reign is given by Demetrius Cantemir. He wrote of Ibrahim:

"As Murat was wholly addicted to wine, so was Ibrahim to lust. They say he spent all his time in sensual pleasure and when nature was exhausted with the frequent repetition of venereal delights he endeavoured to restore it with potions or commanded a beautiful virgin richly habited to be brought to him by his mother, the Grand Vezir, or some other great man. He covered the walls of his chamber with looking glasses so that his love battles might seem to be enacted in several places at once. He ordered his pillows to be stuffed with rich furs so that the bed designed for the Imperial pleasure might be the more precious. Nay, he put sable skins under him in a notion that his lust might be flamed if his love toil were rendered more difficult by the glowing of his knees."[9]

Kara Mustafa Pasha remained as Grand Vizier during the first four years of Ibrahim's reign, keeping the Empire stable. With the treaty of Szön (15 March 1642) he renewed peace with Austria and during the same year recovered Azov from the Cossacks. Kara Mustafa also stabilized the currency with coinage reform, sought to stabilize the economy with a new land-survey, reduced the number of Janissaries, removed non-contributing members from the state payrolls, and curbed the power of disobedient provincial governors. During these years, Ibrahim showed concern with properly ruling the empire, as shown in his handwritten communications with the Grand Vizier.[10] Kara Mustafa in turn wrote a memo on public affairs to coach his inexperienced master. Ibrahim's replies to Kara Mustafa's reports show he had actually received a good education. Ibrahim often traveled in disguise, inspecting the markets of Istanbul and ordering the Grand Vizier to correct any problems he observed.[11]

Decadence and crisis

Ibrahim was often distracted by recurring headaches and attacks of physical weakness, perhaps caused by the trauma of his early years.[12] Since he was the only surviving male member of the Ottoman dynasty, Ibrahim was encouraged by his mother Kösem Sultan to distract himself with harem girls and soon fathered three future sultans: Mehmed IV, Suleiman II and Ahmed II. The distractions of the harem allowed Kösem Sultan to gain power and rule in his name, yet even she fell victim to the Sultan's disfavor and left the Imperial Palace.[13]

Ibrahim came under the influence of various unsuitable people, such as mistress of the imperial harem Şekerpare Hatun and the charlatan Cinci Hoca, who pretended to cure the Sultan's physical ailments. The latter, along with his allies Silahdar Yusuf Agha and Sultanzade Mehmed Pasha, enriched themselves with bribes and eventually usurped enough power to secure the execution of Grand Vizier Ḳara Muṣṭafā. Cinci Hoca became Kadiasker (High Judge) of Anatolia, Yusuf Agha was made Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral) and Sultanzade Mehmed became Grand Vizier.[12]

In 1644, Maltese corsairs seized a ship carrying high-status pilgrims to Mecca. Since the pirates had docked in Crete, Kapudan Yusuf Pasha encouraged Ibrahim to invade the island. This began a long war with Venice that lasted 24 years—Crete would not completely fall under Ottoman domination until 1669. In spite of the decline of La Serenissima, Venetian ships won victories throughout the Aegean, capturing Tenedos (1646) and blockading the Dardanelles. Kapudan Yusuf enjoyed temporary success in conquering Canea, starting a jealous rivalry with Nevesinli Salih Pasha the recently installed Grand Vizier. The rivalry led to Yusuf's execution (January 1646) and the Grand Vizier's deposition (December 1645).

With his cronies in power, Ibrahim's extravagant tendencies went unchecked. He raised eight concubines to the favored position of haseki (royal consort), granting each riches and land.[14] After legally marrying the concubine Telli Haseki, he ordered the palace of Ibrahim Pasha to be carpeted in sable furs and given to her.[12]

Deposition and execution

Mass discontent was caused by the Venetian blockade of the Dardanelles—which created scarcities in the capital—and the imposition of heavy taxes during a war economy to pay for Ibrahim's whims. In 1647 the Grand Vizier Salih Pasha, Kösem Sultan, and the şeyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi unsuccessfully plotted to depose the sultan and replace him with one of his sons. Salih Pasha was executed, and Kösem Sultan was exiled from the harem.[14]

The next year, the Janissaries and members of the ulema revolted. On 8 August 1648, corrupt Grand Vizier Ahmed Pasha was strangled and torn to shreds by an angry mob, gaining the posthumous nickname "Hezarpare" ("thousand pieces").[12] On the same day, Ibrahim was seized and imprisoned in Topkapı Palace.[13] Kösem gave consent to her son's fall, saying "In the end he will leave neither you nor me alive. We will lose control of the government. The whole society is in ruins. Have him removed from the throne immediately."[15]

Ibrahim's six-year-old son Meḥmed was made sultan. The new grand vizier, Sofu Mehmed Pasha, petitioned the sheikh ul-Islam for a fatwā sanctioning Ibrahim's execution. It was granted, with the message "if there are two caliphs, kill one of them." Kösem also gave her consent. Two executioners were sent for; one being the chief executioner who had served under Ibrahim.[16] As the executioners drew closer, it was reported that Ibrahim's last words were: "Is there no one among those who have eaten my bread who will take pity on me and protect me? These cruel men have come to kill me. Mercy! Mercy!"[17] As his mother, Kösem Sultan, and officials watched from a palace window, Ibrahim was strangled on 18 August 1648. His death was the second regicide in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Family

Consorts

Ibrahim I had eight Haseki Sultans, the last of whom was also his legal wife, plus a number of known and unknown minor concubines:[18][19][20][21]

All of Ibrahim's Hasekis received 1,000 aspers a day except for Saliha Dilaşub Sultan who received 1,300 aspers a day.[22] Ibrahim gifted the incomes of Bolu, Hamid, Nicopolis Sanjaks, and Syria Eyalet to Saliha Dilaşub, Mahienver, Saçbağlı, and Şivekar Sultans respectively.[23] He also lavished the treasury of Egypt upon Saçbağlı Sultan and Hümaşah Sultan,[24] and presented the Ibrahim Pasha Palace to Hümaşah. His known consorts were:

  • Turhan Sultan, BaşHaseki (First Haseki) and mother, Valide Sultan and regent of Mehmed IV. She was of Russian origin and her original name was Nadya. After her son's accession to the throne, she protected Ibrahim's remaining children from execution, resulting in the definitive abandonment of the Law of Fratricide;[25]
  • Saliha Dilaşub Sultan, also called Aşub Sultan or Aşube Sultan. She was the second Haseki and mother and Valide Sultan of Suleiman II; she was Ibrahim's first concubine. She was of Serbian origin and her original name was Katarina;[25]
  • Muazzez Sultan, third Haseki, and the mother of Ahmed II. She predeceased her son and therefore was never Valide Sultan;[25]
  • Ayşe Sultan, the fourth Haseki, she was titled such in January 1645. She was of Tatar origins;[25][26]
  • Mahienver Sultan, fifth Haseki, she is mentioned for the first time on May 2, 1646. She was of Circassian origin;[25]
  • Saçbağlı Sultan,[24] sixth Haseki, she was of Circassian origin and the original name was Leyla;
  • Şivekar Sultan,[25] seventh Haseki, she was called "the fattest woman in the capital" and was one of only two politically active spouses of Ibrahim. She was of Armenian descent and her original name was Maria;
  • Hümaşah Sultan, Eighth Haseki and Ibrahim's only legal wife; after the wedding she was nicknamed Telli Haseki. She was of Georgian or Circassian descent. She is one of only two politically active spouses. Years after Ibrahim's death, in 1672 she was remarried with the Kaymakam of Constantinople, Ibrahim Paşah;[25]
  • Zafire Hatun, Also called Zarife Hatun. Ibrahim's Georgian concubine. While he was still Şehzade, she became pregnant in violation of harem rules. Kösem Sultan, Ibrahim's mother, handed her over to the kızları agasi Sümbül Ağa to drown her, but the man hid her in his house, where she gave birth to her son. Having discovered this, Kösem exiled them to Egypt, but the ship was attacked. While the child was saved and taken to Malta, it is not known what happened to Zafire.
  • Hubyar Hatun. One of the concubines Ibrahim became infatuated with for a while. She was then released and given in marriage to Ibrahim Ağa;
  • Şekerpare Hatun. First concubine and then musahibe (companion), treasurer and hostess of the harem;
  • Sakizula Hatun.
  • Şekerbanu Hatun.
  • Hatice Hatun.
  • The wife of the Grand Vizier Hezarpare Ahmed Paşah. Falling in love with her, Ibrahim forced her to divorce her husband. In return, both Ahmed Paşah and his son received a daughter of Ibrahim as a wife, respectively the little Beyhan Sultan, at the time one year (according to some sources she was later raised by his ex-wife), and Safiye Sultan, the eldest;
  • The daughter of Şeyhülislam Muid Ahmed Efendi. According to A.L. Castellan, Ibrahim asked her for his harem, but her father objected, so the sultan had her kidnapped from the baths, and then sent her home after some time.

At one point, Ibrahim took a great liking to the infant son of a slave woman, to the extent of preferring the unrelated child to his son Mehmed. Turhan, Mehmed's mother, grew extremely jealous and vented her anger to Ibrahim, who flew into a rage and grabbed Mehmed from Turhan's arms and threw him into a pool. Mehmed would have drowned if a servant had not rescued him. He was left with a permanent scar on his forehead.[27]

Sons

Ibrahim had at least six sons:

  • Mehmed IV (2 January 1642, Constantinople – 6 January 1693, Edirne) – with Turhan Sultan, 19th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Suleiman II (15 April 1642, Constantinople – 22 June 1691, Edirne) – with Saliha Dilaşub Sultan, 20th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Ahmed II (25 February 1643, Constantinople – 6 February 1695, Edirne) – with Muazzez Sultan, 21st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Şehzade Murad (21 March 1644, Constantinople[28] – 16 January 1644, Constantinople, buried in Sultan Ahmed I mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque[28]);
  • Şehzade Selim (19 January 1645, Constantinople[28] – 26 May 1693, Constantiople, buried in Sultan Mustafa I mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque[29]);
  • Şehzade Orhan (October 1648, Constantinople[30] – January 1650, Constantinople[30]) – with Hümaşah Sultan;

Daughters

Ibrahim had three daughters, who included:[31]

  • Fatma Sultan (1642, Constantinople – 1657, Constantinople),[32] married firstly in January 1645 to Musahip Silahdar Yusuf Pasha (executed 22 January 1646), Admiral of the Fleet and Vizier, married secondly on 23 February 1646 to Fazlı Pasha (died 1657), Admiral of the Fleet;[31][33]
  • Gevherhan Sultan (1642, Constantinople – 21 September 1694, Edirne, buried in Şehzade Mosque),[29] married firstly on 23 November 1646, Cafer Pasha, married secondly in August–September 1648 to Kenan Pasha,[28] married thirdly to Çavușzade Mehmed Pasha (died 1681), Admiral of the Fleet and Vizier, married fourthly on 13 January 1692, to Helvacı Yusuf Pasha (died 1714);[31][33][29]
  • Beyhan Sultan (1645 – 5 March 1701, Istanbul, buried in Suleiman the Magnificent Mausoleum, Süleymaniye Mosque),[34] married firstly in 1647 to Hezarpare Ahmed Pasha (murdered 1648), Grand Vizier 1647–1648, married secondly to Uzun Ibrahim Pasha (died 1683), married thirdly on 13 March 1691 to Bıyıklı Mustafa Pasha (died 1699);[31][33][29]

In popular culture

The tragic play Ibrahim, the Thirteenth Emperor of the Turks, written by Mary Pix and first performed in 1699, purported to describe incidents in Ibrahim's life. The numbering is correct only if Mehmed the Conqueror is regarded as the First Emperor, and the disputed reign of his son Cem is counted as well.

In the Turkish series, Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem he is portrayed by actor Ridvan Aybars Duzey as a prince and by Tugay Mercan as a Sultan.[35]

In the film Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022), Ibrahim is portrayed by Jack Braddy, with Hugo Vella as him as a child.[36]

References

  1. ^ Singh, Nagendra Kr (2000). International encyclopaedia of Islamic dynasties. Anmol Publications PVT. pp. 423–424. ISBN 81-261-0403-1. Kosem Walide or Kosem Sultan, called Mahpaykar (ca. 1589–1651), wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmad I and mother of the sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim [q.vv.]. She was Greek by birth, and achieved power in the first place through the harem, exercising a decisive influence in the state
  2. ^ Sonyel, Salâhi Ramadan (1993). Minorities and the destruction of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish Historical Society Printing House. p. 61. ISBN 975-16-0544-X. Many of these ladies of the harem were non-Muslim, for example Sultana Kosem (Anastasia), of Greek origin, who was the wife of Ahmet I (1603–17), and the mother of Murat IV (1623–40), and of Ibrahim (1640–448)
  3. ^ al-Ayvansarayî, Hafiz Hüseyin; Crane, Howard (2000). The garden of the mosques : Hafiz Hüseyin al-Ayvansarayî's guide to the Muslim monuments of Ottoman Istanbul. Brill. p. 21. ISBN 90-04-11242-1. Kosem Valide Mahpeyker, known also simply as Kosem Sultan (c. 1589–1651), consort of Sultan Ahmed I and mother of Murad IV and Ibrahim. Greek by birth, she exercised a decisive influence in the Ottoman state
  4. ^ John Freely, Inside the Seraglio: private lives of the sultans in Istanbul (2000) p. 145. online
  5. ^ Rank, 2020 ch 4. online
  6. ^ Baysun, M. Cavid (2012). "Kösem Wālide or Kösem Sulṭān". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill Online. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  7. ^ Mansel, Philip (1995). Constantinople: City of the World's Desire, 1453–1924. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 200. ISBN 0719550769.
  8. ^ Janda, Setareh (10 January 2020). "Facts About Ibrahim I, The Man Who Lived In A Cage". Ranker.
  9. ^ Freely, John (2001). Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p. 151. ISBN 978-1784535353.
  10. ^ Gökbilgin, M. Tayyib (2012). "Ibrāhīm". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill Online. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  11. ^ Börekçi, Günhan. "Ibrahim I." Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Ed. Gábor Ágoston and Bruce Masters. New York: Facts on File, 2009. p. 263.
  12. ^ a b c d Gökbilgin, "Ibrāhīm."
  13. ^ a b Baysun, "Kösem Wālide or Kösem Sulṭān"
  14. ^ a b Börekçi, p. 263.
  15. ^ Quioted in Thys-Senocak, p. 26.
  16. ^ Kohen, p. 142.
  17. ^ Mansel 1995, p. 201.
  18. ^ Resimli tarih mecmuasi. Iskit Yayinevi. 1956. p. 229.
  19. ^ Çelebi, Evliya; Erkılıç, Süleyman Cafer (1954). Turk Klasikleri, Issue 34. p. 62.
  20. ^ Mustafa Çağatay. Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 56–61.
  21. ^ Kal'a, Ahmet (1997). Vakıf on defterleri: Hatt-ı Hümâyûn, 1577–1804. İstanbul Araştırmaları Merkezi. p. 57. ISBN 978-9-758-21504-1.
  22. ^ Thys-Şenocak, Lucienne (2006). Ottoman Women Builders: The Architectural Patronage of Hadice Turhan Sultan. Ashgate. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-754-63310-5.
  23. ^ Resimli tarih mecmuasi. Iskit Yayinevi. 1956. p. 229.
  24. ^ a b Çelebi, Evliya; Erkılıç, Süleyman Cafer (1954). Turk Klasikleri, Issue 34. p. 62.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Mustafa Çağatay. Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 56–61.
  26. ^ Kal'a, Ahmet (1997). Vakıf su defterleri: Hatt-ı Hümâyûn, 1577–1804. İstanbul Araştırmaları Merkezi. p. 57. ISBN 978-9-758-21504-1.
  27. ^ Thys-Senocak, p. 25.
  28. ^ a b c d Mustafa Naima Efendi (1968). Naîmâ Târihi - Cilt 4. Zuhuri Danişman Yayinevi. pp. 1566, 1584, 1659, 1789.
  29. ^ a b c d Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Agha (2012). ZEYL-İ FEZLEKE (1065-22 Ca.1106 / 1654-7 Şubat 1695). pp. 1290, 1400, 1483–1484, 1580.
  30. ^ a b Kaya, Nevzat (1990). Kara Çelebi-zade Abdülaziz Efendi'nin Zeyl-i Ravzatü'l-Ebrar'ı : tahlil ve metin. pp. 21, 59.
  31. ^ a b c d Mustafa Çağatay Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 63–65.
  32. ^ Uluçay, Mustafa Çağatay (1992). Padışahların kadınları ve kızları [Women and daughters of the sultans] (in Turkish). Türk Tarihi Kurumu Yayınları (Turkish Historical Society Publications). p. 101. ISBN 9789751604613.
  33. ^ a b c Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2008). Bu mülkün kadın sultanları: Vâlide sultanlar, hâtunlar, hasekiler, kadınefendiler, sultanefendiler. Oğlak Yayıncılık. pp. 260–262.
  34. ^ Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Agha (2001). Nusretnâme: Tahlil ve Metin (1106-1133/1695-1721). p. 461.
  35. ^ Muhtesem Yüzyil: Kösem (TV Series 2015– ), retrieved 13 October 2017
  36. ^ Marcus, Dan (26 August 2022). "'Three Thousand Years of Longing' Cast and Character Guide: Meet the Djinn and All Who Knew Him". Collider. Retrieved 27 August 2022.

Further reading

  • Rank, Scott. History's 9 Most Insane Rulers (2020) ch 4.

External links

  • Media related to Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire at Wikimedia Commons
Ibrahim
Born: 5 November 1615 Died: 18 August 1648
Regnal titles
Preceded by Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
9 February 1640 – 8 August 1648
Succeeded by
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