Selim II

Selim II

**Selim II** (Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى *Selīm-i sānī*, Turkish: *II. Selim*; 16 April 1603 –28 January 1650), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1614 until 1623 and from 1649 until his death in 1650. He was a son of Mustafa and his wife Hirihmene Sultan. Selim died on 28 January 1650, murdered by his nephew, Mehmed IV and was buried in Hagia Sophia.

## Early life

Selim was born in 16 April 1603 at the Topkapi Palace, Costantinople, a month before his father's death. He had one twin sister, Atike Sultan.

After the death of her father his brother Iskender ascended the throne, he rest in Topkapi palace with her mother, new valide Sultan and her brothers and sisters. When Iskender exiled his mother to Old palace, Selim at the age of four or five years, followed his mother.

Selim return to Topkapi when Iskender died, and his brother took the throne as Ibrahim I. Selim during the reign of his brothers always remained locked up in the kafes, sometimes having opportunities to get out but was always supervised by aghas loyal to his brother sultans.

It is unknown what relationship she had with her brothers but with Atike Sultan, her twin sister had a strong relationship.

## Reign

### Ascension to the throne

When Ibrahim died on 29 March 1614 Selim ascended the throne as sultan as Selim II. Given his minority, Hirihmene, his mother was not only appointed Valide Sultan again but also the official regent (naib-i-sultanat).

As regent, Hirihemene effectively ran the empire, attending and arranging divan (cabinet) sessions on her own without hiding behind a curtain as she formerly did. She was in charge of appointing political figures and overseeing the administration of the state, which enabled her to make connections with statesmen, judges, and other judicial figures. She would meet foreign ambassadors from other countries to discuss international treaties. The leading viziers wrote letters to her directly, and in response, Hirihmene used her kira to compose letters to the viziers.

In 1615, Öküz Mehmed Pasha was made grand vizier. His worst mistake was allowing the Safavid Shah Abbas to capture Baghdad and Erivan in 1615, and then withholding the news from Selim, who was twelve at the time. Already displeased, Hirihmene immediately deposed him and had him strangled with the backing of chief black eunuch Mustafa Ağa. He was replaced as grand vizier by Ibşir Mustafa Pasha, newly married to Ayşe Sultan.

### Foreign policy and domestic policy

Cossack raids into the Ottoman Empire were common throughout the early 17th century, disrupting the security of the Black Sea and forcing the Ottomans to consider fortifying the Bosphorus, especially after the 1615 Cossack raid. His mother ordered the construction of two fortresses near the mouth of the Bosphorus, one in Anadolukavağı and the other in Rumelikavağı. The fortresses were erected in just one year.

In 1616 Selim, who was already critical of his mother's foreign policy, opposed her proposed truce between the Ottoman Empire and Spain. According to a Venetian dispatch of 1615,

> "the imperialists and the Spaniards declared that the matter was proceeding favourably, being actively assisted by the sultan's mother".
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A year later, the Venetian ambassador reported that the sultan,

> "with a prudence beyond his years," opposed the truce, as did most of the leading statesmen except Admiral Recep Pasha and Murad Pasha, governor of Egypt He noted that the Spanish “base their hopes on these two and on the sultan's mother and sister."
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>

However, the treaty was revoked by order of Selim. In addition to his correspondence with King Philip IV of Spain, Hirihmene also corresponded directly with Nur Jahan, the chief wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

### Battle of Focchies aftermath

after Selim's accession to the throne his mother, Hirihmene and Grand Vizier Ibşir Mustafa Pasha grew at enmity. It seems that the grand vizier considered himself regent as well as "temporary ruler". According to Naima, the Grand Vizier was deceived by "certain would-be doctors of religion" who cited legal texts that the guardian of a minor sultan had the right to exercise prerogatives of sovereignty; as a result, she resented Hirihmene's control over the government, hoping that he, rather than the sultan's mother, would act as regent. He once boasted:

> "The soldiers of this exalted state respect only the honor of the inherited nobility."
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### Campaigns in Transylvania and Civil War

Between 1618 or 1619 Selim tried to take care of the affairs of the kingdom himself, without however forgetting his mother, always asking her for advice on how to act. In April 1620 Selim left for Transylvania leaving his mother in power of the empire. However Şakrasad Sultan took advantage of the sultan's absence to attack the capital's palace and assassinate Hirihmene Sultan, Selim's mother. When Selim learned of Şakrasad Sultan's coup, he promptly returned to Topkapi, and he left Köprülü Mehmed Pasha in charge of the campaign. A spy of Şakrasad in the army alerted the sultana of Selim's arrival. Şakrasad immediately deployed the Janissaries loyal to her, increased the security of the palace, and awaited Selim's arrival.

When Selim arrived in Constantinople, he tried to enter Topkapi, the Janissaries prevented him, Selim decided to attack with the army that had arrived from the war, but some deserted and allied with Şakrasad. Selim attacked the palace causing a civil war in the capital.

Selim finally prevailed and upon entering Topkapi ordered Şakrasad Sultan to be brought to his feet. When they arrived inside the palace, however, the sultana had already escaped with her son and daughters. Selim ordered her to be searched throughout the capital, tortured and killed. Şakrasad was nowhere to be found, and Selim thought she had escaped by now.

#### Aftermath

The Grand Vizier Hilal Pasha was executed by Selim himself and Dilaver Pasha took his place as Grand Vizier. Dilaver's post as Grand Vizier would be short-lived and would be replaced by Köprülü Mehmed Pasha once he won the Transylvania campaign, however Dilaver Pasha managed to remain in the palace as Grand Vizier.

After his departure to Transylvania, Selim did not want to participate in subsequent campaigns that would have taken him out of the capital and would have given way to a supposed insurrection by Şakrasad Sultan. Dilaver Pasha however persuaded the sultan to leave towards Poland in a new campaign.

### Deposition

Şakrasad later allied herself with all possible pashas of Egypt thanks to the help of Mere Hüseyin Pasha, the Beylerbey of Egypt. In 1623 she decided to attack Istanbul. His arrival in Istanbul was favored by the fact that the sultan's new viziers were old supporters of Şakrasad and still supported her by advising the sultan negatively. Şakrasad along with his army invaded Istanbul once Selim left for a campaign. The fact that the non-presence of a Valide at the palace aided the rise of Şakrasad and Osman as sultan.

Şakrasad took power with the support of the grand vizier, Dilaver Pasha.

Şakrasad proclaimed her son Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and consequently became Valide Sultan. Selim tried to return to Istanbul but the janissaries of Gürcü Mustafa Agha, the agha of the janissaries prevented him. The Agha sent a letter to Şakrasad asking:

> "My sultana now that we have stopped Selim's urge to attack the Sultan [Osman]. How should we deal [with Selim] now captured?"
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Şakrasad Sultan ordered the agha to take Selim to Istanbul and lock him up in the kafes along with his sons and his concubines were exiled in the Old Palace. Gürcü Mustafa Agha did as the valide ordered and was elevated to governor of Kanije.

### Osman reign

Selim was locked up in kafes under the surveillance of multiple aghas and could not speak to anyone. However Selim was aided by one of his brother Iskender's consorts, Şivekar Sultan who gained a high place in the Old Palace's harem's hierarchy and a group of loyal pashas during her peak influence in Iskender's reign who were still loyal to her . Şivekar decided to help the prince presumably because since she was a former lady-in-waiting of his mother, Hirihmene it is believed that between Şivekar and Selim there was a relationship of motherly love.

Many speculate that taking advantage of the fact that Osman II was in Edirne, Selim poisoned him with the help of Şivekar Sultan's loyal pashas in order to ascend the throne before Mehmed, who would have taken longer than them to reach the capital.

Selim with the help of pashas loyal to Şivekar managed to get the throne after Osman's death in 1649.

### Second tenure

Selim succeeded in ascending the throne very easily, but Şehzade Mehmed his nephew, son of Ibrahim I, who was next in succession rebelled against Selim soon after he usurped the throne.

#### War against Mehmed IV

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 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 Selim.

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

## Burial

Selim's body was carried by Mahmed 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.

## Family

### Consorts

Selim had two known consorts, plus several unknown concubines, mothers of the other princes and princesses.

The known consort are:

* Hiranur Sultan. was his concubine, probably the only one during his second term as sultan, became his Haseki soon after she gave birth to his son. Was the mother and Valide of Mustafa II.
* Nirmina Hatun. She was his first concubine and mother of many sons of Selim, died in 1627 in the Old Palace.

### Sons

Selim II had at least four or five sons:

* Şehzade Mehmed (11 March 1618, Constantinople, Topkapı Palace – 12 March 1618, Istanbul, Topkapı Palace, buried in Mustafa I Mausoleum) died in infancy;
* Şehzade Bayezid (15 December 1618 – 18 June 1649, buried in Sultan Selim II Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia) with Nirmina Hatun
* Şehzade Orhan (1620, Constantinople – 1622, Constantinople, buried in Ahmed I Mausoleum, Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
* Mustafa II (3 November 1649, Constantinople, Topkapı Palace – 20 July 1682, Constantinople, Topkapı Palace, buried in Tomb of Şakrasad Sultan, New Mosque, Istanbul), with Hiranur, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire;

### Daughters

Selim had at least five known daughters:

* Fatma Sultan (22 September 1619 - May 1697) with Nirmina Hatun. She was her father's favorite daughter. She married twice and had two sons and two daughters.
* Hatice Sultan (21 January 1620 - 29 August 1707). Buried in the mausoleum Şakrasad Sultan in the Yeni Cami.
* Rukiye Sultan (3 March 1621 - 29 August 1707). She was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Mihrimah Sultan (17 June 1622 - ?). She died as a child and was buried in the Yeni Cami.
* Ayşe Sultan (? - 1676). Buried in the Yeni Cami.

## In popular culture

* Selim was played by the Turkish actors: Ahmed Gültem in the serie: *"Mühtereme yüzyil: Hirihmene"*