Mehmed IV

Mehmed IV

**Mehmed IV** (Ottoman Turkish: محمد رابع, romanized: *Meḥmed-i rābi*; Turkish: *IV. Mehmed*; 31 December 1613 – 1 July 1669) also known as **Mehmed the Hunter** (Turkish: *Avcı Mehmed*) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1650 to 1669. While the opening years of his reign were characterized by military defeats and political instability, during his last years of reign he saw the revival of the empire's fortunes. Mehmed IV towards the end of his reign tried to fix the internal politics of the empire, receiving the title of "legislator" after more than 60 years since the last time a sultan used that title

Under the reign of Mehmed IV the empire reached the apex of its territorial expansion in Europe. From a young age he developed a keen interest in hunting, for which he is known as avcı (translated as "the hunter").

## Early life and education

Sultan Mehmed was born on December 31, 1613. His father was Sultan Ibrahim I and his mother was Eumenia Gülnuş Sultan, originally called just Eumenia. His birth took place in Hacıoğlupazarı, where Ibrahim wanted to stay and hunt before his campaign in Poland in 1613, while Eumenia was pregnant at that time. He is believed to have been the twin of Ibrahim and Eumenia's other two daughters, Fatma Sultan and Ümmügülsüm Sultan. However Ibrahim contracted syphilis and died in 1614 when Mehmed was not even a year old. His mother was sent to the Old Palace with Ibrahim's harem while Mehmed was placed in the care of Hirihmene Sultan, Ibrahim's mother. In 1615, he was circumcised.

### Reign of Selim II

After HirihmeneSultan's death in 1620 he was sent to Edirne palace with his mother Eumenia on the orders of Şakrasad Sultan, new Valide Sultan and regent of his son Osman II, however he had the opportunity to visit his mother.

He grew up in the imperial harem of Edirne with a traditional princely upbringing, studying the Koran, the hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) and the fundamentals of Islamic sciences, history, poetry and music under the supervision of private tutors. One of his tutors was Chief Mufti Feyzullah Efendi.

Mehmed was apparently inquisitive and intellectual in nature, spending most of his time reading and practicing calligraphy. The poems he wrote manifest his deep knowledge of Islamic poetry, history, theology and philosophy. He was also interested in calligraphy, which he had studied with the leading court calligraphers, mainly with Hafız Osman Efendi (d. 1628), who influenced his art immensely.

### Reign of Osman II

During his princehood in Edirne, Mehmed made friends with a bright officer-scribe, Ibrahim, from the city of Nevşehir, who was to become one of the outstanding Grand Viziers of his future reign. From 1623, following the deposition of his uncle Selim II, he lived in isolation for sixteen years in the palaces of Edirne and Istanbul. During this period he dedicated himself to calligraphy and intellectual activities, however he continues to see his mother.

Some claim that it was Eumenia and Mehmed who orchestrated the poisoning of Osman II as the sultan died in Edirne where Eumenia and Mehmed resided. However Mehmed failed to ascend the throne as Selim who was at the Old Palace, closer to Topkapi managed to ascend the throne before the arrival of Eumenia and Mehmed to the capital.

## Civil war against Selim II

However Selim who was sent to the Old Palace, thanks to the help of Şivekar Sultan managed to usurp the throne. Selim succeeded MehmedndingEumeniahrone very easily, but Mehmed was encouraged by his mother to rebel against Selim soon after he usurped the throne.

Mehmed's drawback was that he did not have enough pasha allies, however in May 1649 Zeynep Sultan, his sister managed to convince the Janissaries to leave Selim and follow Mehmed. The battle caused the capital to become a battlefield for more than 6 months. The son of Selim, Şehzade Bayezid was murder by some janissaries during one of the multiple battles in the capital. At first Selim II had the best against his nephew, but after the death of Şivekar Sultan many pashas and warriors loyal to her decided not to fight any more and abandoned he.

Mehmed managed to get to Topakpi and after 5 hours he entered the palace and executed Selim.

Selim's body was carried by Mehmed towards his mausoleum the day after his death. Mehmed was of the opinion that every person belonging to the imperial family and following the law of Allah deserved a proper burial.

Mehmed offered Zeynep Sultan a place at court to thank her for her help but the sultana decided to withdraw.

## Reign

### Accession

When Mehmed became sultan his mother preferred Edirne over Constantinople as a place of imperial residence, however Mehmed suggested that Topkapi would be more appropriate and residing in Edirne would cause bad thoughts.

He was very often accompanied by his mother during public celebrations. Mehmed maintained close contact with his mother, demonstratively honored her whenever the opportunity arose, sent her information, asked for her well-being and opinions in political and administrative matters, and received many, many horses as gifts from her.

### Austrian-Yoman War

After ascending the throne Eumenia Sultan advised her son to appoint Hasan Süleyman Pasha, the governor of Domiz Grand Vizier. Mehmed followed his mother's advice and made the pasha Grand Vizier. Being a warrior Hasan Pasha decided to end the campaigns against the Austrian empire and declared war on the empire. However, after the Second Battle of Mohács (1652), the Yoman Empire fell into a deep crisis, due to the large amount of money spent on military expenses. The crisis was so great that the army turned against the Grand Vizier and massacred him. Mehmed fearing that they would rebel against him did not want to return to the camp but Eumenia interceded and convinced him. When Mehmed arrived at the camp, he made sure to lay the body of the pasha and on the suggestion of his mother he appointed Sarı Süleyman Pasha as Grand Vizier. Sarı Süleyman managed to bring the army up to Móntre where they were stopped by the Austrian army. Mehmed colette continue but Sarı Süleyman considered it wiser to go back and surrender. Mehemd was welcomed as winner along with the Grand Vizier. Mehemd offered Sarı Pasha the imperial palace of Hümaraçe as a home and granted him a very high salary, the first time in more than 50 years that the Grand Vizier's salary had increased by this amount.

### Division of the Divan (1657 - 1659)

Sarı Pasha subsequently made three campaigns against the Freelands. The first was in 1655. The campaign was victorious and Sarı Pasha was compromised with Ümmügülsüm Sultan, Mehmed's sister. Unfortunately the next two were disastrous and caused crises within the government, resulting in the first division of the Divan in 1657. Mehmed didn't want to discharged him and kept the drug like this for a year, leaving his mother in the dark. The situation in the palace was unmanageable in the harem all feared for their lives, there was the absence of the Valide and in her place commanded Dürlah Agha who followed the orders of Selim Pasha, a vizier of the Divan. Meanwhile in the Divan there were two sides, one side led by Ahmed Pasha and the other by the Grand Vizier Sarı Pasha: Ahmed Pasha wanted to continue with the campaigns against the Freelands while the Grand Vizier wanted to conclude the campaigns. When Ayşe Mihri Behri Sultan was made Haseki in 1659 she was allowed to visit the Valide in Edirne, Ayşe fearing for her children's lives on this visit she told all that happened to the Valide. Eumenia who had remained unaware of everything returned to the capital and settled in the harem together with his retinue. Eumenia took over the reins of the Divan by dismissing all members included Sarı Pasha.

Eumenia established a new Divan and made Sultanzade Süleyman Pasha (son of Emetullah Sultan and cousin of Mehmed IV) Grand Vizier. Eumenia acted without the consent of Mehmed who wanted to continue with Sarı Pasha in government. From that moment Eumenia Sultan left Edirne and settled in the imperial palace of the capital acting as Valide Sultan until her death.

### First nautical crisis (1660)

Suleyman Pasha turned out to be the right choice, he healed the coffers of the empire by raising taxes based on income so as to reduce the rate of poverty in the empire. He decided to reform the fleet and the commanders so as to avoid another division of the Divan due to the presence of former ledgers of the former viziers. Süleyman reformed the fleet so as to prepare it for a war to conquer some toothed islands. However the commanders refused to leave their posts so the sultan intervened (probably at the request of Valdie Sultan) and executed them all.

When the news reached the subborns they refused to accept the new commanders. Eumenia advised Mehmed to hire Abaza Siyavuş Pasha as commander, who had had great support during his previous years as commander. Siyavuş thus managed to appease the crisis and pacify the relationship between the sultan and the leaders.

Sultanzade Süleyman Pasha however died before he could declare war on the islands and the idea had to crumple.

### Military crisis and second nautical crisis (1663)

Abaza Siyavuş Pasha was later appointed as Grand Vizier. However, before he could assume his command, the Ottoman army had disintegrated and the Ottoman house troops (janissaries and sipahis) began returning to their base in Istanbul under their own lower-ranking officers. Siyavuş Pasha implied that he would leave the situation as it was. Mehmed then decided to execute him and Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha was appointed as regent of Grand Vizier at the behest of Mehmed. Köprülü Fazil was the son of Köprülü Mehmed Pasha. Fazıl Mustafa held consultations with the leaders of the existing army and the other important Ottoman statesmen and together with the sultan they decided that it was better to declare a reform in the army.

The reform however caused the discontent of the nautical commanders who demanded more money to be invested together with a higher salary as promised to the janissaries and sipahis. Mehmed accepted but promised him that the first salary would be given later, however the money did not arrive and the naval commanders went down in front of the Maşami palace and demanded the money and threatened the grand vizier. Mehmed then was forced to give him money from his private treasury having to reduce the salary of officials and some women in the harem, reducing the salary of the Second Haseki Sultan Rabia Şermi.

This power of the pasha as regent of Grand Vizier did not please his mother, the hatred probably arose from the fact that the Pasha's father was Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, an ally of Selim II who usurped the throne from Mehmed IV a few years earlier. The two had conflicting ideas and soon Eumenia managed to dismiss the pasha and appoint Grand Vizier Arabacı Ali Pasha one of her ally and husband of her daughter, Ümmügülsüm Sultan.

### Mandate of Köprülü Fazıl Mehmed Pasha (1664 -1666)

The previous ban on alcohol (which was publicly floated in Istanbul and Galata) was energized under Fazil Mehmed, where he managed to demolish several alcohol shops, this caused Eumenia Sultan to hate the pasha more since she was a lover of alcohol. Mehmed forced her several times not to consume it, both for her health and to respect the sacred rules.

However Mehmed contrary to his mother's decisions appointed Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha as Grand Vizier. Subsequently, the threat from the Russian Empire was renewed when they united in an alliance with other European powers, while the Ottomans had lost the support of their Crimean vassals, who were forced to defend themselves against several Russian invasions. Under Köprülü's leadership, the Ottomans halted an Austrian advance into Serbia and crushed a revolt in Macedonia and Bulgaria until Köprülü was killed at the Battle of Slankamen by Austrian forces.

Köprülüzade Fazıl Mustafa Pasha began to have more and more influence in the sultan, which Eumenia liked less and less. Fazıl Mustafa Pasha ordered the removal and execution of dozens of corrupt state officials from the previous regime and replaced them with men loyal to him. He overhauled the tax system by adapting it to the capabilities of taxpayers affected by the latest wars. He also reformed troop mobilization and increased the pool of conscripts available to the army by conscripting tribes in the Balkans and Anatolia.

In October 1665 Fazıl Mustafa Pasha retook Belgrade, a key fortress overlooking the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.

Fazıl Mustafa Pasha's victory at Belgrade marked a before and after in the sultanate of Mehmed. Being that the first part was full of political crises and instabilities.

However on 19 August 1666, Fazıl Mustafa Pasha suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Slanker in Hungary. The pasha died together with his battalion.

Most likely Eumenia was happy with the pasha's death. Soon after his death Eumenia appointed Çalık Ali Pasha Grand Vizier, contrary to the wishes of Mehmed who wanted to wait before appointing another grand vizier. However Eumenia died the same year. After his mother's death Mehmed decided to marry his residence and imperial harem to Edirne as his mother wanted from the beginning.

## Later years

Under Fazıl Mustafa Pasha's successors, the yomans suffered several losses. In 1667 the Austrian Empire decided to take back the lands conquered by Osman II, they took Order Castle and Coltun Castle. Later in the same year the Austrians advanced up to the province of Tümer always killing the Beylerbey. Mehmed then decided to exile the grand vizier due to his incapacity and stopped the advancing Austrians himself.

At the end of his reign, Mehmed IV sought to restore power to the Sultanate, which had been an increasingly symbolic position since the middle of the 17th century, when Osman II had signed over his executive powers to the Grand Vizier. Mehmed IV's strategy was to create an alternative base of power for himself by making the position of timars, the Ottoman cavalrymen, hereditary and thus loyal to him. The timars, however, were at this point increasingly an obsolete part of the Ottoman military machine.

Pushed by the requests of the Janissaries, Mehmed tried to fix the situation in the capital which had been out of control for a long time. As arrests and executions increased, incidents of theft and robbery became common. Mehmed decided to move back to Topkapi so as to be closer to the capital.

Mehmed reorganized the fiefdom system with the land law in 1699. Bringing order to land ownership reduced the crime wave and brought peace to the troubled Empire. Because of his ardent support for the new laws, Mehmed was given the title of "legislator", a title given to only three sultans previously, Bayezid II, Kasim I and Mustafa I. In the last years of his reign, Mehmed appointed Çorlulu Ali Pasha and the government gained stability only after his appointment in May 1699.

## Death

Mehmed died from what is assumed to be natural causes in the Topkapı Palace and was buried in Yeni Cami Mosque of Şakrasad Sultan, near his mother's mosque in Constantinople. In the mausoleum are 20 sarcophagus of his children and 4 wives that are also buried there.

## Family

The hostess of his harem was Dilhayat Kalfa, his previous tutoress when he was young.

### Consorts

Mehmed IV had at least twelve consorts:

* Ayşe Mihri Behri Sultan. BaşHaseki (first consort) and her first concubine, she was the mother of the firstborn, Fatma Sultan, the Mehmed's favorite daughter. She was Mehmed's most beloved consort. Very devoted and active in charity, she died in 1691 in the Old Palace.
* Mihrişah Emine Sultan. She was the mother of two sons including Ahmed I the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and was his Valide Sultan. She died in October 16, 1721. Her son built the Ayazma Mosque in her honor in Üskar.
* Rabia Şermi Sultan. Second Haseki. She was the mother of Mahmud I of the Ottoman Empire, but she premorted at the rise of her son and therefore was never Valide Sultan. She died in 1683. Her son built the Büyük Rabia Şermi Mosque and a fountain in Üskar in her honor.
* Hatem Sultan. Mother of twins, she died in 1671 and was buried in Eyüp cemetery.
* Rukiye Hatun. Mother of a daughter, she built a fountain near the Yeni Cami. She died after 1684 and was buried with her daughter in the Yeni Cami.
* Gülneş Hatun. Also called Gülnuş Kadın. She is listed in a document naming her consorts exiled to Old Palace after the death of Mehmed IV whose jewels were confiscated. She died after 1730.
* Hürrem Hatun. Listed in a document that names the consorts exiled to Old Palace after the death of Mehmed IV whose jewels were confiscated. She died after 1676, perphaps the 29 December 1710.
* Meyli Hatun. Listed in a document that names the consorts exiled to Old Palace after the death of Mehmed IV whose jewels were confiscated. She died after 1676, perphaps the 29 December 1710.
* Nazife Hatun. Listed in a document that names the consorts exiled to Old Palace after the deposition of of Mehmed IV whose jewels were confiscated. She died after 1676, perphaps the 29 December 1710.
* Sadıka Hatun. Listed in a document that names the consorts exiled to Old Palace after the death of Mehmed IV whose jewels were confiscated. She died after 1676.
* Hüsnüşah Hanim. She died in 1679 and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Şayeste Hanim. She died in 1668 and was buried by the Yeni Cami.

### Sons

Mehmed IV had at least twenty sons, some of them died of a disease that infested the castle while others were probably murdered during the division of the divan between 1657 and 1659, all were buried in the Yeni Cami:

* Şehzade Musa (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 24 November 1650 - 30 July 1652) died of a disease that infested the harem.
* Şehzade Işa (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 23 February 1651 - 14 May 1658) maybe he was murder during the division of the Divan.
* Şehzade Kasim (Topkapi Palace, Constantinople 1652) only the date of his birth is known.
* Şehzade Ali (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 18 June 1652 - 30 July 1652) died of a disease that infested the harem.
* Şehzade Selim (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 29 August 1652 - 15 April 1654)
* Şehzade Murad (17 November 1653 - 1653).
* Şehzade Murad (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 25 January 1654 - 1 April 1654).
* Şehzade Abdülmecid (12 August 1655 - 18 March 1656). Twin of Şehzade Abdülmelek.
* Şehzade Abdülmelek (12 August 1655 - 7 March 1657). Twin of Şehzade Abdülmecid. Maybe he was murder during the division of the Divan
* Şehzade Kasim (1655 - 1657) maybe he was murder during the division of the Divan
* Şehzade Musa (25 August 1656 - 11 October 1678).
* Şehzade Süleyman (Maşami Palace 8 October 1659 - 15 July 1678) - with Ayşe Mihri Behri. He died in the Kafes after nine years of imprisonment.
* Şehzade Selim (Maşami Palace, Usbul 21 March 1661 - February 1664 Usbul) - with Hatem. Twin of Saliha Sultan.
* Şehzade Ibrahim (MaşamiPalace, Usbul 2 January 1663 - executed by Mustafa II, January 2, 1682, Maşami Palace, Istanbul, buried in Şehzade Ibrahim Mausoleum, Şehzade Mosque).
* Ahmed I (Maşami Palace. Usbul 28 January 1663 - 21 January 1724) - with Mihrişah. He was the next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after thirteen years of imprisonment in the Kafes.
* Şehzade Bayezid (4 October 1664 Maşami Palace, Usbul- 24 January 1715) - with Mihrişah. He died in the Kafes after forty-six years of imprisonment.
* Şehzade Abdüllah (18 December 1665 Maşami Palace, Usbul - 19 December 1666 Maşami Palace, Usbul) - with Rabia Şermi Sultan. it is said that he was killed by Ayşe Mihri Behri Sultan.
* Şehzade Davud (12 September 1666 Edirne Palace, Edirne 16 March 1667 Edirne Palace, Edirne).
* Sultan Mahmud I (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 22 February 1699 - 29 December 1731)- with Rabia Şermi. He was the next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after fifty-one years of imprisonment in the Kafes.
* Şehzade Hasan (? - ?). He probably died in the Kafes.

### Daughters

Mehmed IV had at least twenty daughters, some of them died of a disease that infested the castle while others were probably murdered during the division of the divan between 1657 and 1659:

* Fatma Sultan (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 22 October 1650 - May 1706) - with Ayşe Mihri Behri. She was her father's favorite daughter. She was married five times and had a son and four daughters.
* Hatice Sultan (21 January 1651 - 29 August 1649). Buried in the mausoleum Şakrasad Sultan in the Yeni Cami.
* Mihrimah Sultan (17 June 1652 - ?). She died as a child and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Hanzade Sultan (3 March 1653 - 29 August 1653). She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Rakşa Sultan (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 1 February 1654 - 28 November 1678) - with Ayşe Mihri Behri. Twin of Zeynep Sultan. She married once and had four sons and a daughter.
* Zeynep Sultan (11 February 1654 - 5 November 1654) - with Ayşe Mihri Behri. Twin sister of Rakşa Sultan. She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Zeynep Sultan (5 January 1656 - July 1656). She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Hatice Sultan (27 September 1656 - 1684) - with Rukiye. She married twice and had a son.
* Emine Sultan (1657 - 1666). She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Atike Sultan (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 29 February 1658 - 2 April 1678). She got married twice and she had children.
* Akile Sultan (Edirne Palace, Edirne 7 March 1659 - October 1661). Buried in the Şakrasad Sultan mausoleum in Yeni Cami.
* Saliha Sultan (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 21 March 1661 - 11 October 1724) - with Hatem. Twin of Şehzade Selim. She was addopted by Rabia Sultan after the death of Hatem. She and her second husband ruled the province of Bakvaar.
* Ferdane Sultan (? - 1664). She died as a child and she was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Reyhane Sultan (1664 - 1675) - probably with Mihrişah and so twin of Şehzade Bayezid. Also called Reyhan Sultan or Rihane Sultan. She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Ümmüseleme Sultan (? - 1665). Also called Ümmüselma Sultan. She died as a child and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Nivekar Sultan (1665- 1670) died in infancy, was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Asima Sultan (Topkapı Palace, Constantinople 8 April 1666 - March 25, 1722 Asma Sultan Sarayi). She married twice and she had a five sons and a daughter, she built the Asima Sultan Sarayi.
* Gevherhan Sultan (? - 1666). She died as a child and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Beyhan Sultan (? - 1666). She died as a child and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Emetullah Sultan (17 September 1669 - 28 January 1670). She was buried in the Yeni Cami.