Sultan Murad IV, one of the most formidable rulers of the Ottoman Empire, reigned from 1623 to 1640. Known for his military prowess and strict governance, Murad IV’s era was marked by significant reforms and territorial expansions. His reign saw the recapture of Baghdad and the suppression of internal revolts, which restored stability to the empire. This article delves into the lesser-known aspects of his rule, shedding light on his strategic decisions, personal life, and the lasting impact of his policies on the Ottoman Empire.
Murad IV ascended to the throne at a tumultuous time, inheriting an empire fraught with internal strife and external threats. Despite his young age, he quickly established himself as a decisive and ruthless leader. His efforts to curb corruption, enforce law and order, and strengthen the military were pivotal in revitalizing the Ottoman state. This exploration of Murad IV’s reign reveals the complexities of his leadership and the extraordinary measures he took to secure his legacy.
The 17th ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Murad IV was born in Istanbul on July 27, 1612. He was the son of Ahmet I and Mahpeyker (Kösem) Sultan. Despite being a minor after Mustafa I was dethroned for the second time, he ascended to the throne on September 10, 1623, under the influence of his mother Kösem Sultan. He was circumcised five days after ascending to the throne. During the first years of his reign, his mother Kösem Sultan governed the palace. This situation continued until 1632. After dismissing Grand Vizier Recep Pasha in May 1632 and eliminating the palace tyrants, he became a real ruler. During the years when Sultan Murad IV ascended to the throne at the age of 11, a great power vacuum occurred in the Ottoman Empire. His mother Kösem Sultan began to govern the palace through Grand Vizier Kemankeş Ali Pasha. This situation led to a great power vacuum in Istanbul, and disorder intensified in Anatolia. The activities of Abaza Pasha, who started a rebellion in Erzurum and its surroundings in 1624 on the grounds that he was pursuing a blood feud with Genç Osman and marched on Ankara with the soldiers he gathered around him, and Bekir Subaşı in Baghdad jeopardized the territorial integrity and public order of the state. As a result of the developments, Baghdad fell into the hands of the Safavids. Although no results were achieved in the attempts to recapture Baghdad, Abaza Pasha was persuaded to surrender after long struggles and asked for forgiveness from the sultan. Brought before Murad IV, Abaza Pasha was appointed as the governor of Bosnia and the rebellion was ended.
Baghdad Could Not Be Taken in the Second Campaign
The years when state affairs were conducted under tutelage had a high cost to the Ottoman Empire. The Safavids’ influence, especially on the eastern borders, increased. After the operation to capture Baghdad from the Safavids in 1626 failed to yield any results, Husrev Pasha set out on a campaign to Hamadan and Baghdad on June 10, 1629. Using Abaza Pasha’s influence, Husrev Pasha re-added places such as Karbala, Najaf and Hille to Ottoman territory and made the tribes in the region swear allegiance again. Then, on October 6, 1630, he laid siege to Baghdad. However, he could not achieve any results from this siege. Following this failure, Husrev Pasha was dismissed and replaced by Hafiz Ahmet Pasha.
Europe’s Internal Problems Became the Ottoman’s Security in the West
The Thirty Years’ War between European states was the greatest guarantee of the Ottoman Empire during this period. Istanbul was the scene of political struggles between Catholic state ambassadors and European ambassadors who adopted the Calvinist sect. While the French were struggling to bring the Catholic sect to the first place in the protocol through Jesuit priests, the Netherlands and England were struggling to spread the Protestant sect. Catholics and Protestants who were struggling to take the lead in the protocol in the eyes of the Ottoman palace were trying to portray each other as dangerous to the palace. The losers in this struggle were the Jesuits who were trying to bring the Catholic sect to the first place in the protocol. The Jesuits’ printing houses in Istanbul were closed and their priests were exiled to the island of Chios. On the other hand, Bethlen Gâbor, the prince of Transylvania, which geographically included the central and western regions of Romania and was also known as Transylvania, was helping to spread the Protestant sect within the German Empire by cooperating with states such as England, Venice and the Netherlands.
He Showed His Authority at 20
Due to his young age, Sultan Murad IV was left in the hands of his mother, the palace bureaucracy and the janissary aghas. This was the reason for the uprisings that broke out one after another after he ascended to the throne. The lack of authority in the palace gave birth to local authorities. After Cennetoğlu became powerful enough to disperse the government forces in Balıkesir and after struggling with the state for about six months, he was defeated in Manisa, captured in Denizli and executed in Birgi in December 1625. As the years passed and he matured, Sultan Murad IV began to learn the affairs of the state. Therefore, after a while, the tutelage of his mother, who managed the affairs with the help of the Kızağası Mustafa Ağa, began to be difficult. Because she was aware of what was happening around her. For this reason, she tried to supervise the events herself. This was also why she changed clothes and walked around the city from time to time. Her mother, Kösem Sultan, noticed the change in him and tried to entertain him with entertainment.
Sultan Murad IV took control of the state administration 9 years after ascending to the throne. The dismissal of Hüsrev Pasha after his failure in the Baghdad campaign in 1630 and the instigation of the soldiers who supported him by the District Governor Topal Recep Pasha against Hafız Ahmet Pasha provided an opportunity for the constantly postponed showdown. On February 7, 1632, the soldiers and their collaborators gathered at the At Meydanı and demanded the heads of 17 people from the palace, starting with Grand Vizier Hafız Ahmet Pasha. Although Sultan Murad IV initially acted calmly and stalled them, he was forced to accept the rebels’ demands after the threats of dethronement and Topal Recep Pasha’s insistence, understanding the seriousness of the situation. When he witnessed the murder of Hafız Pasha by tyrants, he vowed revenge on February 10, 1632 and retired to his quarters in tears.
The demonstrators achieved their goal and Topal Recep Pasha became Grand Vizier. However, Recep Pasha started a new uprising in order to be completely unchallenged. On March 12, 1632, the soldiers and their collaborators gathered at the At Meydanı and demanded the heads of the Janissary Chief Hasan Halife, Musahip Musa Çelebi and the Chief Defterdar Mustafa Pasha. They also stated that they did not trust Sultan Murad IV and took the princes Bayezid, Süleyman, Kasım and İbrahim to the outer gate called Babüssaade to see them. No one paid attention to the warnings of Princes Bayezid and Süleyman that the rebels’ actions were endangering their own lives. In the end, the tyrants got what they wanted.
Rebels Targeted Sultan Murad IV
The rebel soldiers and their collaborators, led by Topal Recep Pasha, began to plan to dethrone Sultan Murad IV, considering that their own lives were also in danger after they had taken 20 lives from his entourage. Encouraged by the murder of Genç Osman and the dethronement of Mustafa I, they planned to dethrone Sultan Murad IV and replace him with one of the princes. However, one of the ringleaders, Rum Mehmet, was of the opinion that no further action should be taken. In addition, Janissary Chief Köse Mehmet Agha also kept the sultan informed of the developments. For this reason, the rebels could not agree on a course of action. At the same time,
Sultan Murad IV thwarted the plans against him through his collaborators. During this period, Istanbul turned into a den of vagrants. Crime rates in the city increased steadily. The tyrants who dominated the city asked Topal Recep Pasha, whom they had appointed as Grand Vizier, to give them state duties and distribute usufe. When things were about to get out of control, Murad IV took action. Murad’s first action was to eliminate Recep Pasha on 18 May 1632. He appointed Tabanıyassı Mehmet Pasha in his place. The sipahis and collaborators gathered in Ok Meydanı to show their reaction to this unexpected move. In order to suppress the reactions targeting him, Sultan Murad IV convened a standing council attended by all the notables, especially the janissary aghas, at the Sinan Pasha Mansion and summoned the sipahi representatives, explained at length that everyone had to obey the state and after listening to their answers, made them swear on the Quran. He had Sheikh Mehmet Efendi record what was said and the oaths and had this document signed by the Grand Vizier and Sheikh ul-Islam, as well as Vizier Hüseyin and Bayram Pashas, and Sheikh Efendi. In the face of this maneuver by Mura IV, the sipahis were deprived of the support of the janissaries. IV. As a second step, Murad summoned Sipahi Ağası Cafer and Silahtar Ağası Ahmet to the council and ordered them to catch the ringleaders.
When Silahtar Ağası Ahmet showed his helplessness, he had his head cut off. After this incident, the palace authority began to be felt. According to the decision, those who started a rebellion would be killed wherever they were. Thus, the pursuit of tyrants began in Istanbul and the provinces, and those who were caught were immediately killed. These steps taken by Murad IV showed their effects in a short time. Then, in July 1632, he had a roll call conducted among the sipahis and janissaries, and had those who wanted to become timariot sipahis included in the timariot sipahis class. Thus, he put the corrupt timariot sipahis organization in order.
Lebanon Uprising Suppressed
In parallel with his assertion of his will, Sultan Murad IV suppressed the rebellion of the Druze emir Manoğlu Fahrettin, who had established a virtually independent administration in Lebanon in 1635. In the meantime, an administration that did not recognize the will of Istanbul had emerged in the Hejaz and Yemen since 1631. The Zaydi imam Mueyyed-Billah Muhammed b. Kasım, who minted coins and became an independent authority in the city of Kevkeban, which is on the road to Mecca, north of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, also took control of the entire country in 1633.
Istanbul Burned, Coffeehouses Closed
A major fire broke out on September 2, 1633, due to the negligence of a ship caulker outside Cibalikapısı in Istanbul. The fire caused irreparable damage. Many manuscripts were lost in this fire. The most important social venues of the period were coffeehouses. Gossip in coffeehouses was very intense due to the fire. Murad IV had the coffeehouses closed down on the grounds that they would cause a new fire in Istanbul due to the tobacco products they smoked. He also had rooms built in the coffeehouses for bachelors, tanners and blacksmiths. He also banned smoking tobacco. In fact, Murad IV himself was a sultan who was fond of alcohol. However, he made this decision to please the anti-tobacco circles. He implemented the same decision in Edirne. He even took this ban so far that he punished many people who did not comply with his ban with death both in Istanbul and during the Revan and Baghdad campaigns.
He Became the First Sultan to Kill Sheikh-ul-Islam
Sultan Murad IV also went down in history as the first sultan to have a sheikh al-islam strangled. Murad IV, who went on a trip to Bursa in the last days of 1633, executed the judge of Iznik, where he stopped by while hunting, on the grounds that he had not repaired the roads. Sheikh al-islam Ahizade Hüseyin Efendi wrote a letter to his mother Kösem Sultan, saying that this situation would draw the reaction of the madrasah scholars and judges. Kösem Sultan, who interpreted the gathering of the madrasah scholars and judges for a feast after the letter she received as a discussion on the issue of dethroning the sultan, informed her son Murad about the situation.
Sultan Murad IV, who received the news sent by his mother on January 5, 1634, left the hunting party he had set out on and immediately returned to Istanbul, deposed Sheikh al-islam Ahizade Hüseyin Efendi and exiled him to Cyprus. However, he found the punishment of exile insufficient and had the ship stopped before it had even left the Sea of Marmara and landed it off the coast of Çekmece. He went to Çekmece and ordered the Bostancıbaşı Duçe Mehmet Ağa to have Şeyhülislam Ahizade strangled on January 7, 1634.
First Contact Established with the Swedes
During the reign of Sultan Murad IV, there were important developments in Ottoman-Polish relations, including the Crimean Khanate, the Kazakhs and Russia. Due to the Ottoman campaigns against Iran, attacks on the Kazakhs and Russians on the Crimean line had been suspended. Özi Beylerbeyi Murtaza Pasha signed a seven-article agreement with the Poles on September 9, 1630. With this agreement, Poland would continue to pay taxes to Crimea, the Kazakhs would leave the islands they were on and the Ottoman Empire would prevent attacks on Crimea. In his response to Russian Tsar Mikhail Romanov, who had requested his help against Poland, Sultan Murad IV advised him to provide this assistance when the situation permitted and to remain friendly with Sweden until then. The Sublime Porte also began its first political relations with Sweden during this period.
While the Russians were preparing for war with Poland, Sultan Murad IV left Edirne on July 27, 1634 and set out on an Iranian campaign. Meanwhile, Poland was attacked by Turkish forces under the command of Murtaza Pasha on one side and Russian forces on the other. Poland, which was experiencing defensive weakness against the two forces, made a peace offer. The Polish ambassador to Istanbul, Alexandre Trzebinski, signed a seven-article agreement with Murtaza Pasha. According to the agreement, the Ottoman Empire would remove the Tatar families settled in the Belgorod steppes, which are within the borders of today’s Russia, from their homes, and Poland would take control of the Zaporozhians living on the banks of the Dnieper River.
He Destroyed the Taverns
After Sultan Murad IV closed down the coffeehouses and returned to Istanbul from Edirne to set off on his Iran campaign, he also banned alcohol. Then, on August 5, 1634, he had the taverns destroyed. He also imposed severe punishments, including the death penalty, on those who did not comply with the ban.
He Made Two Great Expeditions
During his reign, Sultan Murad IV launched two major expeditions under his own command. His first expedition was called the Revan expedition after the castle he conquered. He took Sheikhulislam Zekeriyazade Yahya Efendi with him on the expedition. In the expedition he set out on in March 1635, he followed the route of Izmit, Eskisehir, Konya, and Kayseri. After leaving Sivas, he conducted a major battle exercise with his army on the Border Plain. Then, with 200 thousand soldiers, 25 balyemez, and more than 100 shahi cannons, he crossed the Soganli plateau in six days and reached Kars, the border city of Iran, on July 17, 1635, and arrived in front of Revan (Yerevan), the capital of Armenia today, on July 26. Revan surrendered after an 11-day resistance on August 8, 1635. IV.
Sultan Murad IV then assigned a force under the command of Kenan Pasha to re-incorporate Ahıska, which had fallen due to lack of assistance, into Ottoman territory, and then marched on Tabriz. He was carried in a litter for a while because he fell ill on the way to Tabriz. During this campaign, he thought that his mother would use his absence from Istanbul against him, so he had his brothers, Prince Bayezid and Süleyman, killed on August 27, 1635. When the news of the conquest of Revan reached Istanbul, Bayezid and Süleyman were strangled during the four-night festivities. The strangling of the 25-year-old princes brought an icy cold weather to Istanbul. Sultan Murad IV reached Tabriz on September 11, 1635. However, he entered Tabriz without encountering any resistance because he could not find the Safavid forces in front of him. Sultan Murad IV, who carried out great plunder and destruction in the city, returned due to the approaching winter. As was the case after every campaign, after the Ottoman forces left the region, Revan fell into Safavid hands again on April 1, 1636. Although Shah Safi took Revan back and then defeated the forces of Küçük Ahmet Pasha near Mihriban Castle, he sent Maksud Khan to Istanbul for peace.
Sultan Murad IV said that he would receive the envoy sent by the Safavid ruler in Baghdad and began preparations for a great campaign. Before setting out on the campaign, he had his brother Prince Kasım strangled, whom he thought would pose a danger to him. Sultan Murad IV left Istanbul on May 8, 1638, and followed the route of Ereğli, Adana, İskenderun and Aleppo, Antep, Birecik, Urfa and Diyarbakır, reaching Mosul on November 6, 1638. The army arrived in Baghdad on November 14, 1638. The sultan, who wanted to follow all the stages of the siege, had his tent set up opposite the Imam-ı Azam Tomb. The Iranian forces defending Baghdad surrendered the city on December 24, 1638. After the conquest, Murad IV repaired the castle and the tombs of Imam-ı Azam and Abdulkadir Geylani, then left his grand vizier in Baghdad and set off for Istanbul on January 17, 1639. When he reached Mosul, he received the Safavid ambassador Maqsud Khan and gave him a letter in which he demanded that the lands that had belonged to the Ottoman Empire for a long time be returned, that a gift of respect and loyalty be sent every year, or that otherwise the war would begin again.
When he arrived in Diyarbakır, the winter conditions became severe. For this reason, he stayed in Diyarbakır for 70 days. On 15 April 1639, he set out again and arrived in İzmit via Malatya, Sivas, Tokat and Ankara. From there, he set off for Istanbul by sea and entered the city on 12 June 1639.
Kasr-i Şirin Agreement Signed
The letter sent by Sultan Murad IV to the Safavid ruler Shah Safavid had an impact. The Kasr-ı Şirin Treaty was signed on May 17, 1639, at the Zühâb location near Kasr-ı Şirin, which marked the beginning of a long period of peace in Ottoman-Iranian relations. Of course, the problems on the borders spread over three continents never ended. Great difficulties were experienced in resolving the occasional conflicts in Albania and Bosnia. Similarly, there were ups and downs in relations due to the status of Avlonya, a city on the Adriatic Sea coast of Albania, with the Republic of Venice. Finally, a treaty based on the preservation of long-standing commercial relations and including compensation was signed on July 16, 1639.
He Suffered From Gout
While Sultan Murad IV was on the Revan expedition, he had caught gout, which recurred and gradually increased in effect. The disease increased in severity on his return from the Baghdad expedition and put him to bed. Doctors first thought that Sultan Murad IV, who had severe headaches and shivering, had malaria, then diagnosed him with paralysis. The sultan, who improved somewhat as a result of the treatments, stopped drinking excessively when he got worse again in the Beykoz region where he went hunting in November. The sultan, who rested for 10 days in the Üsküdar Palace, was in a very bad mood. Despite this, he started preparations for a great expedition he planned to launch against the Venetians by land and sea. He had new ships built and cannons cast in the shipyard and armory. He sent soldiers to Thessaloniki. This situation caused concern in the West.
Because the Ottoman Empire had not been on an expedition to the West for a long time. It is rumored that the preparations were against the Maltese pirates and that Murad IV sent a man to get a plan of the Island of Malta. However, this plan of Murad IV remained unfinished. Because on January 25, 1640, which was a very joyful year, he fell ill again. Despite all the treatments, his illness progressed. Sultan Murad IV died in the room where he had his brother Kasım strangled, 13 days after falling into bed, on February 8, 1640. His body was buried in the tomb of his father Ahmet I next to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque.
He was one of the Sultans who participated in the war with his army
It is narrated that Sultan Murad IV, who was among the Ottoman sultans who participated in the war at the head of the army, was very strong and lifted Silahtar Musa Pasha, a big man, by the sash around his waist and carried him around the Has Oda several times and wrestled with the famous wrestlers of the period. Evliya Çelebi recorded that Sultan Murad IV had 32 children. However, historical records state that he had 16 children, five of whom were boys. Since Murad IV’s sons died while he was alive and he strangled three of his brothers, only his brother İbrahim was left to succeed him when he died. It is narrated that he ordered the execution of Prince İbrahim, whom he saw as the reason for his serious illness not being cured, and that Kösem Sultan prevented the order from reaching the officials and ensured that İbrahim survived.
The reign of Sultan Murad IV was a remarkable period in history, literature, calligraphy and music. Names such as Evliya Çelebi, Katip Çelebi, Nefî, Şeyhülislam Yahya, Veysi, Koçi Bey, Azmizade Haletî are only a few of the prominent figures of the period in the field of literature. Sultan Murad IV, who knew Arabic and Persian, wrote poems under the pen name Muradî, although he did not have a high literary talent, and was interested in music to the extent of composing. It is reported that he wrote the ta’lik calligraphy especially beautifully. There are very few charitable works from Sultan Murad IV that have survived to the present day. He had a mosque built in Çamlıca, Üsküdar, and castles with annexes and mosques built in Anadolukavağı and Rumelikavağı to defend the straits against Kazakh attacks. Upon the order he gave during the Revan campaign, Bayram Pasha worked on the construction of Istanbul and rebuilt the walls and burned mosques. He had the Baghdad and Revan pavilions built in Topkapı Palace in memory of the conquests of Revan and Baghdad. The Baghdad Pavilion, completed in 1636 and 1639, is one of the highest works of art in the 17th century, bringing together various branches of Turkish art.
Musical activities, which had stagnated in the palace due to the political and economic problems encountered by the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century, were revived, spread and developed during the reign of Murad IV. When he conquered Tabriz, he brought 12 musicians, the most famous of whom was Şeştari Murad Ağa, to Istanbul, and brought new artists to the ranks, and these contributed greatly to the musical activities of the period. Evliya Çelebi, one of the famous travelers of the period who was favored by Sultan Murad IV, mentions in his “Seyahatname” the literary and musical societies held in the palace meşkhane and in the presence of Sultan Murad. He explains that meetings were held on Friday nights with the participation of ulema, sheikhs and hafiz, and religious works were performed and fasıls were organized with the participation of ilahihan, singers and saz players on Saturday nights.
Final Words
In conclusion, Sultan Murad IV’s reign was a period of transformation and consolidation for the Ottoman Empire. His relentless pursuit of power and order, though often brutal, was instrumental in stabilizing the empire during a critical period. The recapture of Baghdad and his stringent policies left an indelible mark on Ottoman history. Murad IV’s legacy is a testament to his ability to navigate the challenges of his time and reinforce the empire’s dominance.
Reflecting on the extra history of Sultan Murad IV, it is evident that his leadership was a blend of strategic brilliance and uncompromising authority. His reign not only restored the empire’s territorial integrity but also set a precedent for future sultans. The lessons from his rule continue to resonate, offering valuable insights into the governance and resilience of the Ottoman Empire.
Source: The Most Powerful Dynasty of History, from Ertuğrul Bey to Sultan Vahdettin, The Ottomans, Masters of Three Continents, Hasan Yılmaz, Elips Kitap, 1st Edition May 2015, Ankara.