Murad III (1546-1595) was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was part of the Osmanlí dynasty, a family that was in charge of ruling from 1299 to 1922. He was the twelfth sultan that the Turkish State had, of the 37 different ones that reigned.
The sultanate of Murad III occurred between the years 1574 and 1595. During that time there were important wars against other territories and the social and economic problems were aggravated due to the conflicts.
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Murad III's goal was for the Ottomans to gain even more power in the region. To do this, he was in charge of improving some aspects of the state organization, such as education or the army.
Biography
Manisa was the city in which Murad III was born, who at first received the name of Sehzade Murad, on July 4, 1546. Currently it corresponds to a city with more than 200 thousand inhabitants and which is in the western part of Turkey.
The sultan's academic training was very demanding. That is why he mastered languages such as Arabic and Persian without problems. His instruction was in charge of the most important teachers of the time, which is why he was considered one of the most enlightened sultans of all time.
His training in theology was very exhaustive, which generated great respect on his part for all the norms established in Islamic law. Although she still suffered from some vices due to the excesses that she had at her disposal.
At the age of 10 he was appointed as governor of Manisa, but it was on December 15, 1574 when he managed to ascend the throne after his father died, who only held the position of sultan for eight years. It is then that it receives the name of Murad III
Family
Murad III was one of the sons of Sultan Selim II and Afife Nurbanu, who was originally from the Republic of Venice and who advised his son during his sultanate. The couple married and had four children apart from Murad III.
Selim II had nine other children with different partners, although the number is inconclusive to historians. Of all of them, males were ordered to be executed when Murad ascended to the throne. An order that was carried out on December 22, 1574.
The sultan had several wives, although his favorite was always Safiye, who later became Mother Sultana. It is said that he had more than 20 sons and a similar number of daughters.
His son Mehmed was the one who occupied the throne when Murad III died. Like his father, Mehmed had most of his brothers executed to avoid problems in the succession as sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Reign
Wars
With the aim of expanding the Turkish territory during their reign, the Ottomans continued to fight with other states. In 1578, the empire had already conquered the territory of Fès (now part of Morocco), which at that time was dominated by the Portuguese.
From that year until 1590, a long battle against Iran began, which allowed the territories of Azerbaijan, a part of Georgia and Iran to be added to the empire.
The next mission occurred on the European continent. The army began a fight against Austria that lasted 13 years, from 1593 to 1606. It was called the Long War. The conflict came to an end thanks to a peace treaty. The sultan only lived through the first two years of this war.
The women of his harem and his mother played a leading role in the sultan's decision-making, while the prime minister was rarely taken into account.
Economically, the Ottoman Empire suffered greatly during this period. The continuous battles forced the state to collect high taxes, which caused many to abandon their lands because they could not meet their obligations. This was a severe blow to an empire based on feudalism.
Life in the palace
Murad III followed his father's example and never went to the battlefield to fight any of the wars. Some historians claim it was because he did not support these battles. Throughout his reign he remained in Constantinople (today Istanbul). He and his father were the only sultans who had never gone to fight.
Detractors
Critics of Murad III's reign complained about the kind of life the sultan led. He was considered a lazy ruler and his null military participation was what caused the most negative opinions.
Kingdom
Not everything was negative during the reign of Sultan Murad III, since he fulfilled his objective of territorial expansion. In fact, during his rule, the Ottoman Empire had the largest extension in its history, with almost 20 million square kilometers.
Murad III also stood out for the relations he had with England, specifically with Queen Elizabeth I. Both exchanged a large number of letters with their ideas, in a clear example of diplomacy.
Contributions
She made some decisions that changed the role of women in the Ottoman Empire. His mother, Afife Nurbanu, was buried alongside her husband, Sultan Selim II. This represented a major change in the traditions of the time.
He was very passionate about artistic expressions. She became interested in the miniaturist style that lived its most important stage during the Turkish golden age, in the 15th century.
The books were also of great interest to Murad III and he ordered the creation of different copies on very varied subjects. One of them was The Book of Happiness, a work that the artists of the time were ordered to do so that they could give it to one of their daughters. Currently the book is of great importance to those who practice astrology.
Death
Sultan Murad III died naturally when he was only 49 years old on January 15, 1595. His remains are found in the mausoleum of the Hagia Sophia mosque, which is now a museum.
In the mausoleum where Murad III was buried there are 54 other places that were occupied by members of his family, specifically his children and their partners.
One of the myths after his death has to do with the number of children he had. It was said that there were more than 100 descendants who carried his blood.
References
- Black, J. (2011). War in the early modern world. Hampshire: Palgrave McMillan.
- Fetvaci, E. (2013). Picturing history at the Ottoman court. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
- Kohen, E. (2007). History of the Turkish Jews and Sephardim. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America.
- Necipoglu, G., & Leal, K. (2010). Muqarnas. Leiden: BRILL.
- Tezca, B. (2012). The second Ottoman Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.