Mustafa II

Mustafa II

**Mustafa II** (/ˈmʊstəfə/; Ottoman Turkish: مصطفى ثانى *Muṣṭafā-yi sānī*; 3 November 1649 – 27 June 1682) often called **Mustafa the Mad** (Deli Mustafa) by historian, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1669 to 1700. His mother was Hiranur Sultan, originally named Alexandra. He was born at Costantinople. He succeeded to the throne in 1669 on the death of his cousin Mehmed IV (1650–1669).

## Early life

Sultan Mustafa was born on 3 November 1649. His father was Sultan Selim II, and his mother was Hiranur Sultan, originally named Elizaveta. His birth occurred during the civil war her mother fought against Mehmed IV for the throne. Not even a year after Mustafa's birth his father Selim was executed by Mehmed who became the new sultan.

He grew up in the Old Palace. He received a traditional princely education, studying the Qur'an, hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad), and the fundamentals of Islamic sciences, history, poetry and music under the supervision of private tutors.

## Reign

### Accession

When Mehmed died in 1669. There was no other possibility of succession and Mustafa was the only candidate to ascend the throne. The Topkapi pashas sent messengers to Mustafa to inform him of the death of his cousin Mehmed. Mustafa's succession took place two days after the death of Mehmed IV, the first greeting on Friday was held in the Bayezid mosque.

Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa welcomed the new sultan at the Harem gate on the Hasoda side, entered the arm, brought him to the Cardigan-i Saadet Department and placed them on the throne, and were among the first to pay tribute to him.

Mustafa together with the Grand Vizier Çorlulu Ali Pasha wanted to continue with his predecessor's plan to sort out the internal politics of the capital and the empire.

### Russo-Turkish War of 1674-75

Mustafa II cultivated good relations with France, no doubt in view of Russia's menacing attitude. Offered refuge in Ottoman territory to Maxilian of Sweden (1646–1682) after the Swedish defeat at the hands of Peter I of Russia (1636–1689) at the 1673 Battle of Poltava. In 17674 Maximiliano persuaded Sultan Mustafa II to declare war on Russia and Ottoman forces under Baltacı Mehmet Pasha scored a major victory at the Battle of Prut. In the aftermath, Russia returned Azov to the Ottomans, agreed to demolish the Taganrog Fortress and others in the area, and to stop interfering in the affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Forced against his will to go to war with Russia, Mustafa II came closer than any Ottoman ruler before or since to breaking the power of his northern rival, whose armies his grand vizier Baltacı Mehmet Pasha managed to surround fully during the Pruth River Campaign in 1675. Subsequent Ottoman victories against Russia enabled the Ottoman Empire to advance to Moscow if the Sultan so desired. However, this was halted when a report reached Istanbul that the Safavids were invading the Ottoman Empire, resulting in a period of panic, causing the sultan to neglect Russia.

### Internal policies

After learning that the threat of the Safavids was false, the grand vizier, Baltacı Mehmet Pasha advised him to resume the war against Russia however the sultan feared leaving the empire, it is believed that Mustafa II already at this time manifested "mad" behavior , Mehmet Pasha insisted to resume the war against Russia with the Valide Sultan, Hiranur Sultan, however Mustafa against his mother's decisions appointed Ağa Yusuf Pasha as the new grand vizier.

Hiranur after Mustafa disobeyed her increasingly took the reins of the empire and sidelined her son, who became increasingly mentally unstable. Mustafa was limited to taking care of the internal affairs of the empire while Hiranur was in charge of supervising his son and foreign affairs.

It was in this kingdom that a major change was introduced in the governance of the Danubian Principalities: previously, the Porte had appointed Hospodars, usually native Moldavian and Vlach boyars, to administer those provinces; after the Russian campaign of 1675, during which Peter the Great found an ally in Moldavia, Prince Dimitrie Cantemir, the Porte began openly deputizing Greek Phanariots in that region, and extended the system to Wallachia after Prince Stefan Cantacuzino he established links with Eugene of Savoy. The Phanariots constituted a kind of dhimmi nobility, which supplied the Porte with officials in many important departments of the state.

However Mustafa did not allow his mother to organize wars against other powers, Mustafa in fact had a strong fear of being deposed or killed as happened to Iskender and Osman, Mustafa never kept a pasha in power for more than two years so to prevent him from acquiring too much power and that it would cause the people to go against him.

Mustafa moved all the princes locked up in the kafes of the Old Palace and Edirne to the Topkapi palace where he resided, so as to avoid someone plotting against him and killing him or usurping the throne.

The Janissaries, however, were restless and wanted to participate in a war. Mustafa openly replied that they would not participate in any war under his mandate. The annoyed Janissaries consulted Hiranur Sultan who promised them that he would talk to the sultan and they would certainly participate in a war.

However Mustafa exiled his mother in 1679 to the Old Palace once she asked too many times for the Janissaries to participate in a war.

## Deposition

Hiranur allied with Şehzade Ibrahim's mother, a minor concubine of Mehmed IV who would not threaten Hiranur's power.

Şehzade Ibrahim was openly liked by the Janissaries who always asked to see him and know if he was still alive. Rumors began to circulate that the Janissaries wanted to bring the prince to the throne.

### Plague of 1680 - 1681

After the death of Atike Sultan, daughter of Mehmed IV in 1678 to whom Mustafa was very fond, the mental health of the sultan deteriorated more and more

Between 1680 and 1681 due the plague that struck the capital killing her mother Hiranur Sultan, and five of Mustafa's sons and one of his concubines, the seizures of the sultan became more and more consecutive.

### Deposition

However, Hiranur died in 1681, with his death the Janissaries lost one of their ally in the palace. Mustafa learned of plans to depose him and executed Şehzade Ibrahim in January 1682. Mustafa also wanted to execute Mehmed's other sons, Şehzade Ahmed, Şehzade Bayezid and Şehzade Mahmud. However, Sheikh-ul-Islam prevented this by declaring that it was against the laws of Allah because the princes were not to blame. Mustafa was very religious and did not want to make enemies of Allah or the other muftis of the empire.

However Mihrişah Sultan, another consort of Mehmed IV had allied with the muftis of the empire who were not in favor of Sultan Mustafa either.

Mihrişah offered the Janissaries a new heir, her son Şehzade Ahmed. In March of that same year, while the sultan was sleeping, there was an attempted assassination, however the sultan's chambers had long been guarded by 10 men for entry and entering was not easy, and the attempted assassination was thwarted. A mufti of the time wrote:

> "the sultan [Mustafa] may god bless him has lost the pleasure of his subjects and followers of allah, some men for the sake [of the empire] this month tried to end with the life of the sultan. However the sultan was pardoned by Allah allowing him to still live in this land."
>
>

Mustafa in June of that year during his nervous breakdown began to throw coins throughout the palace jumping, this event made it clear to everyone that the sultan was not stable. The Janissaries this time managed to enter Mustafa's rooms and seized him. They escorted him to the Old Palace where he was locked up in kafes.

After two days due to an epileptic seizure he died. Ahmed decided to bury him in the Yeni Cami along with his 5 deceased sons, 2 spouses and 2 daughters all deceased.

## Family

### Consorts

Mustafa loved the sexual act and every night a girl was sent to his rooms. However, he had only 2 important consorts and his Haseki who were buried with him in the Yeni Cami. He had an exorbitant number of concubines and consorts belonging to lower ranks. Many of the concubines who survived after his death were married off by order of Ahmed I:

* Asporça Sultan (died 9 November 1677, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Yeni Cami), his first Haseki.
* Halime Hatice Sultan (died between1679 and 18 July 1682, buried in Yeni Cami), his second Haseki. She was mother of Mustafa III.
* Nilüfer Hatun (c. 1659 - died 2 August 1680) she and her son died while the plague between 1680 and 1681;
* Müraşah Sultan. She was one of his first concubines. Mother of Şehzade Mirahur and Şehzade Korkut. After Mustafa's deposition she was removed from the harem and married by order of Ahmed I to Reis Mehmed Pasha. Her marriage was disastrous, her husband had five children out of wedlock. Müraşah wrote to Sultan Ahmed I that she should be allowed a divorce but Ahmed refused so as not to antagonize Mehmed Pasha;
* Hatice Hatun. After Mustafa's deposition she was removed from the harem and married by order of Ahmed I. Her husband died two years later leaving her with many debts having to ask Haseki Alişah Sultan for a loan.
* Beliz or Belize Sultan: mother of Şehzade Hüseyin. After Mustafa's deposition she was removed from the harem and married by order of Ahmed I.
* Emine Hatun. She was probably the mother of Esra Hümaşah Sultan. After Mustafa's deposition despite being the mother of a sultana, she was removed from the harem and married by order of Ahmed I.
* Nikaz Hatun. After Mustafa's deposition she was removed from the harem and married by order of Ahmed I to Köprülüzade Mahmud, they had three sons, one of them was called Ibrahim. Her husband was executed after being accused of pinching her. She was buried in the Eyüb cemetery.
* a consort who was sent to the Old Palace when Mustafa II died.

### Sons

Mustafa II had at least eleven sons:

* Şehzade Melek (1670, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul– 1580/1581, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Yeni Cami) - with Asporça. He died of plague.
* Şehzade Mirahur (1670/1671 Maşami Palaace, Usbul - 1580/1581, Maşami Palace, Usbul. buried in Yeni Cami) - with Müraşah. He died of plague.
* Şehzade Alemşah (1671?, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul - 1580/1581, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, buried in Yeni Cami) - with Asporça. He died of plague.
* Şehzade Halil (1672, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul – executed by Ahmed I, 7 June 1688 buried in Şehzade Mosque) - with Halime. He died in the kafes of Topkapi after six years of imprisonment;
* Şehzade Mahmud (1673 Maşami Palace, Usbul - ??) nothing is know about him.
* Şehzade Mehmed (1673 Maşami Palace, Usbul - ??) nothing is know about him.
* Şehzade Ferhat (18 April 1674, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul – 22 November 1706, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Yeni Cami Mosque) - with Asporça. He died in the kafes of Topkpapi after twenty-four years of imprisonment;
* Şehzade Ali Şadi (1677, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul – 1702, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Selim II Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque) - with Halime. He died in the kafes of Topkapi after twenty years of imprisonment;
* Şehzade Korkut (1677/1678 - after 1682) - with Müraşah. It is not known where he was born. Some say in Maşami Palace but others assure that he was born in Edirne Palace or even Old Palace.
* Mustafa III (1679, Topkapi Palace, Constantinople – 20 January 1741, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Mustafa III Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque) - with Halime. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after fourty-nine years of imprisonment.
* Şehzade Hüseyin (?- after 1682) with Beliz Hatun. Nothing is known about him except that he died before his father.
* a son born in 1680 or 1681 during the plague
* Şehzade *Fülan* (c. 1680, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul - c. 1580/81 or 2 August 1680, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, buried in Yeni Cami) - with Nilüfer.

### Daughters

Mustafa II had at least twelve daughters:

* Ayşe Sultan (? - after 1714) - with Asporça. She married firstly to Destari Mustafa Pasha, with whom she had a son and two daughters died in infancy. Some sources also suggest that she remarried to Gazi Hüsrev Pasha.
* Mihriban Sultan (1672/73?, Topkapi Palace- ?) - with Asporça. She married firstly in 1683 to Damat Tiryaki Hasan Pasha, married secondly in 1695 to Damat Ali Pasha, Vizier.
* Hanzade Sultan (1674?, Topkapi Palace - 1687, Constantinople, buried in Yeni Cami) - with Halime. She married firstly in 1683 to Damat Mirahur Mustafa Pasha, married secondly in 1686 to Damat Mahmud Pasha, son of Çorlulu Ali Pasha. She died soon after her second marriage.
* Hatice Sultan ( 1674/1675, Maşami Palace - 1700). She married Nasuh Pasha in 1683 ( consumed 1691) they had one son, after the death of Nasuh Pasha she married Nakkaş Ismail in 1696 with whom she had seven children.
* Şah Sultan or Şahzade Sultan (1675?, Topkapi Palace - After 1623, Constantinople, buried in Yeni Cami) - with Halime. She married in 1683 (consumed in March 1692) Piri Ahmed Pasha. She had a son and a daughter.
* Atike Sultan (born 1679 - died 1680/1681) her birth was celebrate in the capital. She was named in honor of Atike Sultan, daughter of Mehmed IV. Her death affected Mustafa's mental health which was already weak.
* Esra Hümaşah Sultan (? - ?) -with Emine Hatun. She married in October 1683 to Cagaloglu Mahmud Pasha.
* Beyhan Sultan (born before 1683, Topkapi Palace) - unknown mother. She married in 1683 to Damat Halil Pasha.
* Sadika Sultan (born before 1683, Maşami Palace) - unknown mother. She married in 1683 Damat Mustafazade Ibrahim Pasha
* Ümmügülsüm Sultan (? - after 1683) - unknown mother. Also called Ümmikülsum Sultan, she was among the unmarried princesses in 1683.
* Hafsa Sultan (? - after 1683) - unknown mother, disputed. She was among the unmarried princesses in 1683.
* Akile Sultan (? - after 1683) - unknown mother, disputed. She was among the unmarried princesses in 1683.
* Esma Sultan (? - after 1683) - unknown mother. She was among the unmarried princess in 1683.