Şehzade Bayezid
| Bayezid | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Fatma |
| Issue | |
| Orhan Osman Abdullah Murad Mihrumah Ayşe | |
| House | House of Osman |
| Father | Suleiman the Magnificent |
| Mother | Hürrem Sultan |
| Born | 1525 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | September 25, 1561 (aged 35-36) Safavid Persia |
| Religion | Islam |
Şehzade Bayezid (1525 – September 25, 1561) was an Ottoman prince (Turkish: şehzade) who attempted to win the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
Background
Bayezid's father was Sultan Suleiman I (known as the Lawgiver or the Magnificent). His mother was Hürrem Sultan. He ruled in the Anatolian region of the empire as a provincial (sanjak) governor. However, during his father's 12th campaign (see Campaigns of Suleiman the Magnificent) to Nakhchivan (a part of modern Azerbaijan) in 1553, he was assigned to rule in Edirne (The Ottoman capital in Europe) to control Rumeli (European territories of the empire) in the absence of his father. During the campaign, Bayezid's oldest brother, Şehzade Mustafa, was executed. The news of execution caused unrest in all parts of the empire and an impostor, claiming to be the executed Mustafa, rebelled against Suleiman in Rumeli. Although the rebellion was subdued by a vizier, Suleiman suspected that his son Bayezid was deliberately slow to react.[1]
Rebellion
Suleiman had five sons. His second son Mehmed had died a decade earlier. After the execution of Mustafa (who had been the heir apparent of the throne) and Cihangir's death (the youngest brother who suffered from poor health), only two princes were left to be the potential claimant to throne: Selim (the future Selim II) and Bayezid. Selim was the governor of Manisa and Bayezid was the governor of Kütahya, two cities at almost equal distance from Istanbul, the capital. Suleiman was in his 60s and the competition between the two brothers over the throne was evident. Suleimen scolded his sons and decided to change their places of duty. Selim was assigned to rule in Konya and Bayezid in Amasya, both provinces being this time further from the Istanbul but still equidistant. Selim was quick to obey and promptly moved to Konya. But to the dismay of his father, Bayezid obeyed only after much hesitatiton. Angered, Suleiman accused Bayezid of being a rebel and supported his elder son Selim against the disobedient Bayezid. Selim, in collaboration with Sokollu Mehmet Pasha (the future grand vizier), defeated his brother in battle near Konya on May 31, 1559.[2]
After the rebellion
Bayezid returned to Amasya and escaped to Safavid Persia with his sons and a small army. Although Shah Tahmasp I initially welcomed Bayezid, he later jailed him on the request of Suleiman. Both Suleiman and Selim sent envoys to Persia to persuade the shah to execute Bayezid's. Finally, on September 25, 1561, Bayezid and his four sons were executed in Persia by an Ottoman executioner.[3]
References
- ↑ An essay on Süleyman's sons (Turkish)
- ↑ Prof.Dr.Yaşar Yücel-Prof.Dr.Ali Sevim: Türkiye Tarihi II, AKDTYK yayınları, İstanbul,1990 p 299-300
- ↑ Joseph von Hammer:Osmanlı Tarihi Vol II (condensation: Abdülkadir Karahan), Milliyet yayınları, İstanbul. p 36-37
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1525