Yavuz Sultan Selim, also known as Selim the Grim, was a pivotal figure in Ottoman history. His reign from 1512 to 1520 was marked by significant territorial expansion and military conquests. This article delves into the extra history of Yavuz Sultan Selim, exploring his strategic brilliance and the profound impact of his leadership on the Ottoman Empire. Known for his relentless pursuit of power, Selim’s campaigns against the Safavids and the Mamluks not only expanded the empire’s borders but also solidified its dominance in the Islamic world.
During his short yet impactful reign, Yavuz Sultan Selim transformed the Ottoman Empire into a formidable power. His victories in the Battle of Chaldiran and the conquest of Egypt were monumental achievements that reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East. This exploration of the extra history of Yavuz Sultan Selim reveals the complexities of his rule, his strategic military decisions, and his enduring legacy in Ottoman history.
Selim I, who brought the title of caliphate to the Ottoman Empire, was born in 1470 in Amasya, where his father Bayezid II was the governor of the province. Although his name was Selim, he was known by the nickname “Yavuz” due to his harsh temperament, courage and boldness. When he was ten years old, he was called to Istanbul by his grandfather Fatih Sultan Mehmet, along with his brothers Ahmet, Korkut, Mahmut, Alemşah and his uncle Cem’s son Oğuz Han, and was circumcised. After the circumcision ceremony, Selim returned to his father and stayed in Amasya for a while longer. When his father Bayezid II went to Istanbul to ascend to the throne, he stayed in Amasya for a while longer and was sent to the Trabzon province in 1487 as a prince. Selim I, who served as governor of the province in Trabzon for 24 years, gained significant experience in state administration here. While in Trabzon, he followed the activities of the Georgian principalities and the Safavid State closely. His father, Bayezid II, warned his son not to act impulsively in the face of Shah Ismail’s movements on the border in order to avoid problems on the eastern borders, considering the threats coming from the West. Selim I achieved great success in an expedition to Georgia in 1508. Bayezid II also appreciated his son’s victory.
His Eyes Were Always on the Safavids
The main reason that led Selim I to embark on an eastern campaign was his long term as a prince in Trabzon. During the 24 years he was in Trabzon, he focused all his attention on Shah Ismail. As early as 1501, he emphasized the necessity of repairing the castles on the border and providing ships to secure the coasts, while sending reports to the state center about Shah Ismail’s movements and the situation in Shirvan. In line with the approval he received from his father, he organized an expedition to İspir and Bayburt, annexed them to Ottoman territory, and tried to ensure the security of the areas up to Erzurum. When Shah Ismail, the ruler of the Safavid State, marched against the Dulkadiroğulları in 1507 and sent one of his commanders to the borders of Trabzon, he gathered the soldiers of his banner, advanced as far as Erzincan, and intimidated Shah Ismail.
Responding to Selim I’s challenge, Shah Ismail sent a force of 10 thousand men to Erzincan, and the two armies met near Erzincan. The Safavid army suffered a great defeat in the war. Selim I attached great importance to the concentration of the Turkish population in Trabzon. For this purpose, he settled the Turks who escaped from the Shiite pressures imposed by Shah Ismail in Tabriz and its surroundings in the Trabzon region. His mother Ayşe Hatun stayed with him until her death in 1506. His son Süleyman was also born during his princedom in Trabzon. His son Salih and daughter Kamerşah, who were also born here, died at a young age.
He did not accept the fait accompli
Observing that his father’s calm personality increased the threats to the state, Selim I began to openly struggle to seize the throne due to his discomfort with his older brother Ahmet, who was in the Amasya Sanjak, coming to the forefront as the heir. Selim I, whose fame spread among the people due to the victories he won in the Trabzon Sanjak, also stood out as the hope of the army that wanted to fight for the holy war. Selim I, who did not want to continue his struggle for power from Trabzon, stated that he wanted to come to a sanjak close to Istanbul, putting forward acceptable reasons. When his father did not accept, he requested the sanjak beylik for his son Süleyman. When he received the news that Eskişehir or the Giresun-Kürtün-Şiran region could be given as the sanjak beylik, he understood that his father did not consider him as the heir to the throne. During a period when his relations with his older brother Ahmet were increasingly strained, Bayezid II accepted to give the Kefe Sanjak to his grandson Süleyman, in accordance with his son Selim’s request, on July 6, 1509.
There seemed to be no other way out for Selim than to stage a coup. When he received news that his father’s illness was getting worse, he went to Kefe in 1510 to his son Süleyman in order to seize the initiative against his brother Ahmet. In the meantime, his brother Korkut came to Manisa and his brother Ahmet came to Ankara. His unauthorized visit to Kefe caused a great repercussion in Istanbul. Selim did not listen to Sarıgörez Nurettin Efendi, one of the ulemas sent by his father to advise him to return to his sanjak, and told him that his aim was to see his father in person and for this reason he wanted to go to Istanbul. In the meantime, he also requested that he be given a sanjak on the Rumelian side. Realizing that he would not leave, Bayezid II met with the viziers and gave him the Menteşe sanjak, but Selim did not accept this and asked for the Silistre sanjak. Then, he reported that he had moved to kiss his father’s hand and came from Kefe to Akkirman, but he was not allowed into the city; he did not stop there and reached the vicinity of Kili in June 1511. When the number of forces moving with him reached 3000, he set out towards Edirne. He came face to face with his father at a place called Çukurçayır. He received a promise from his father that he would not appoint any of the princes to the throne as long as he was alive. Upon receiving this promise, Selim left Edirne and set off for Smendire.
The Shahkulu Rebellion Discredited Prince Ahmet
The rebellion that started in Antalya in 1511 under the leadership of Şahkulu by the Alevi Turkmens who saw Shah Ismail as their savior had spread as far as Kütahya. Prince Ahmet was unsuccessful against the rebels and Selim I set off for Smendire. When he arrived in Stara Zagora, he received news that his brother Ahmet had been summoned to Istanbul and gave up going to Smendire and returned to Edirne. He later caught his father, who was heading towards Istanbul, in Çorlu. When he could not get a result from the fight he entered into with his father’s forces here, he was forced to return to Kefe on August 3, 1511. When Selim I retreated to Kefe, the army in Istanbul revolted. The Janissaries openly declared that they did not want Prince Ahmet and wanted to see Selim I on the throne.
Prince Ahmet, who was afraid of the demonstrations made by the army, had to wait in Üsküdar. Thereupon, II. Bayezid announced that he had appointed him as the “Commander of the Asakir-i Mansure” with an order dated March 1512 and summoned him to Istanbul. This title paved the way for Selim I to rule. Thereupon, Selim I came to Istanbul and went down to the tent prepared for him in Yenibahçe. Bayezid II could not stay on the throne for long due to the pressure of the members of the council and the army and was forced to abdicate in favor of his son. Thus, Selim I ascended to the throne on April 24, 1512.
Bayezid II Died on the Road to Dimetoka
Bayezid II, who was forced to leave the seal of sovereignty to his son, lost his life on the way to Dimetoka, leaving Istanbul. This situation allowed Selim I to act more comfortably in the reign, while his brothers Ahmet and Korkut began to act as rulers in Manisa and Konya. In order to be the sole authority against his brothers, Selim I summoned his son Süleyman from Kefe and entrusted Istanbul to him, then went to Anatolia on July 18, 1512. His older brother Ahmet first retreated to Ankara, and from there he went to Amasya and Darende. Selim I, who spent the winter in Bursa, eliminated the sons of Prince Mahmut, Musa, Orhan, Emir, Osman, the son of Alemşah, and Mehmet, the son of Şehinşah, on the grounds of the survival of the sultanate. Then he had his brother Korkut, who was in Manisa, captured and killed. Thus, only his older brother Ahmet and his sons remained before him. Prince Ahmet marched on Bursa with the soldiers he had gathered in February 1513. Prince Ahmet, who lost the battle in the Yenişehir Plain on April 15, 1513, was captured and killed. Thus, Yavuz Sultan Selim became the sole ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
The Only Threat Remained: Safavids
Having strengthened his authority in the Ottoman Empire, Yavuz Sultan Selim decided to march on Shah Ismail in order to end Shah Ismail’s propaganda, which frequently caused rebellions in Anatolia. Because the Sunni-Shia tension had an increasing effect on the relations between the two countries. First of all, Selim I had those who were carrying out Shah Ismail’s propaganda identified and had them exiled to the Peloponnese Peninsula and Rumelia. In the meantime, Shah Ismail’s supporters left Anatolia and went to Iran. Another important reason that prompted Yavuz Sultan Selim to take action regarding the Shiite threat was the reports he received. These reports, which created a perception of threat on the eastern borders of the state, prompted Yavuz Sultan Selim to take action against the Safavids.
First of all, he obtained a fatwa from the clergy stating that Shah Ismail had deviated from the path of Islam. Then, he initiated a commercial embargo against the Safavids, preventing Iran from selling silk to the West. In addition, he closed the borders and banned mutual trade. He then set out on an expedition on March 20, 1514. He set out from Izmit and followed the route of Konya, Kayseri and Sivas, reaching the Safavid borders on July 13. During this time, he corresponded with Shah Ismail. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who had difficulties in meeting his logistic needs when he set out on the expedition, felt this difficulty even more when he entered Iranian territory. Despite the long journey, not encountering the Safavid army caused a morale drop in the army, while hunger and fatigue gradually increased the tension. During this process, which turned into a war of nerves, Yavuz Sultan Selim rejected the viziers’ offers to return. He even executed the Karaman Beylerbeyi Hemdem Pasha, who was in favor of returning. In this way, he intimidated the opponents. The janissaries also rebelled on August 14.
Yavuz Sultan Selim calmed them down with effective words. This was due to a spy who arrived at that time and brought news that Shah Ismail was advancing towards Hoy. Finally, the two sides met on the Chaldiran Plain. In the battle that took place on Wednesday, August 23, 1514, Shah Ismail’s army was defeated, while the Ottoman forces entered Tabriz on September 6, 1514. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who had a Friday sermon read in his name during his nine-day stay in Tabriz, took with him 1,000 artists to Istanbul in order to enrich the cultural and artistic life of Istanbul. On his return, the Bayburt and Kiğı castles were surrendered to the Ottoman Empire. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who spent the winter in Amasya, intended to set out on a new campaign against the Safavids the following year.
Yavuz Sultan Selim marched on Kemah, which was in the hands of the Safavids, on April 19, 1515, conquered it after a one-month siege, and moved on to Sivas. He chose Dulkadiroğlu Alaüddevle Bey, who had collaborated with Shah Ismail, as his second target. Alaüddevle, the maternal grandfather of Yavuz Sultan Selim, was defeated by the forces of Rumelia Governor Hadım Sinan Pasha and lost his life in the war.
He annexed Diyarbakir and its surroundings to the Ottoman lands
Meanwhile, in order to annex Diyarbakır and its surroundings to Ottoman lands, the sultan sent historian İdris-i Bitlisî to the region to organize the Sunni/Shafi’i tribes in the region against the Safavids and drew the local Kurdish lords to his side. Bıyıklı Mehmet Bey also stood out with his activities in the region, capturing Amid/Kara Hamit (today’s Diyarbakır Castle). However, the Safavid emir in the region, Karahan, gathered his forces and began a grueling struggle against the Ottomans. While Yavuz Sultan Selim carefully followed the news coming from the east in Istanbul and later in Edirne, he also made serious preparations for a new eastern campaign. He also expanded the shipyard in Istanbul to make it suitable for naval operations and reorganized the navy.
Yavuz Sultan Selim stayed in Edirne until April 10, 1516. He then went to Istanbul and reorganized the army to go on an expedition to Egypt. The only topic of the divans he frequently convened was how the Mamluk Sultanate would act in an expedition against the Safavids. He often got angry with the pashas because they did not take the necessary precautions in the divan, left the divan during the discussions that arose due to the Safavid ambassador, and sometimes did not attend the meetings at all. Finally, in the divan held on March 19, 1516, it was decided to officially announce the eastern expedition and make the necessary preparations. Yavuz Sultan Selim gave the impression that he would march on the Safavids until the last moment. This situation was understood only when the Ottoman army set foot on Mamluk lands. Since Yavuz Sultan Selim gave the impression that he would launch an expedition against the Safavids, Yavuz Sultan Selim officially announced his target as the Mamluk sultan and Aleppo on July 30. He left the Malatya Plain on August 6 and headed towards Aleppo.
Two days later, he organized the army for war, sent a harsh letter to Gansu Gavri, and invited him to war. He stayed outside Antep in August and watched the movements of the Mamluk sultan during the three days he stayed there. Finally, in the battle on the Marj Dabiq Plain on August 24, the Mamluk army was dispersed due to the role of firearms. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who arrived in Aleppo on August 28 after the battle, stayed in the city for 17 days. During this time, he met with the Abbasid Caliph Mutawakkil Alellah, whom he had captured. After making the administrative planning of the lands he had captured, he determined his future goals and decided to march on Damascus in order not to give the Mamluk State a chance to regroup. In return for reaching Damascus on September 27, he waited outside the city for 12 days and entered the city with a great ceremony after the preparations were made.
He Decided to March on Cairo
When he received news from his evaluations in Damascus that the Mamluks had regrouped and elected Tuman Bay as their ruler, he decided to march on Cairo. However, he had difficulty in getting this decision accepted by the members of the divan. He dismissed the Anatolian governor Zeynel Pasha and the Anatolian treasurer Zehrimar Kasım Efendi, who had a harsh discussion in his presence at the divan meeting. He sent a letter to Tuman Bay and advised him to surrender. Mamluk historian Ibn Iyaz recorded that in the letter sent by Yavuz Sultan Selim, he promised to leave the administration of the places from Egypt to Damascus to Tuman Bay on the condition that he would have a sermon read in the name of the sultan, mint coins and pay tribute.
Yavuz Sultan Selim began preparations to march on Cairo after receiving news that Tuman Bay would not surrender, despite having 12 thousand gatekeeper soldiers with him. Having received news that the peace treaty with the Hungarians had been renewed and that Shah Ismail was in Tabriz, Yavuz Sultan Selim set off from Damascus on December 15, as the weather was also favorable. He entered Jerusalem on December 30, and performed the evening prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the night prayer in the Dome of the Rock. The rains that fell during this time made it easier for him to cross the desert. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who entered Gaza on January 2, 1517, made his final preparations for war in this city, where he stayed for a week. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who left Gaza on January 9, reached the Arish location on January 11, where he experienced a lack of water, but when he arrived in Salihiye on January 16, he no longer had any fear of thirst. When he approached Cairo, he learned that Tuman Bay had dug a trench from the Muqattam Mountain in front of the Cairo walls to the Nile and established defensive positions. Tuman Bay planned to stop Yavuz before he approached Cairo by placing cannons in these positions. However, Yavuz’s circling behind these positions rendered Tuman Bay’s cannons useless.
After the Battle of Ridaniya on January 22, the gates of Africa were completely opened to the Ottoman Empire. While the Ottoman forces entered Cairo on January 24, Yavuz Sultan Selim did not leave his camp outside until the city was secure. In the meantime, the Ottoman forces encountered great resistance. Tuman Bay, who entered Cairo with the forces he had gathered on January 27-28, 1517, put the Ottoman troops in a difficult situation with the support of the people of Cairo. Thereupon, Yavuz Sultan Selim was forced to take over the army units in the city. The resistance in the city could only be broken on the third day. Despite this, Tuman Bay could not be captured. Yavuz Sultan Selim was able to enter Cairo only 22 days after the victory in Ridaniya. In the meantime, Tuman Bay’s not being caught became a great threat. Thereupon, he went after him on March 15 and was able to catch him on March 30. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who treated Tuman Bay well for about two weeks, thought that the way to establish definitive rule in Egypt was through Tuman Bay’s execution, and had him executed in front of the public on April 13. Thus, he established complete sovereignty in Cairo.Although he first delegated the governorship of Egypt to Yunus Pasha, he appointed Hayır Bey to this post on 29 August.
He Brought the Caliphate to Istanbul
Yavuz Sultan Selim, who stayed in Cairo until September 10, resided mostly on the island of Ravza in the middle of the Nile during this period, had a mansion built there, and personally wrote the Arabic poems on its windows. While he was here, an assassination attempt was made against him. Again, one day, while getting out of a boat to the shore, he fell into the Nile River and was saved with difficulty. In the meantime, he went to Alexandria on May 28, 1517 to see the fleet, which had been delayed and could only reach Alexandria with difficulty. After exploring the city and hunting, he returned to the island of Ravza on June 12. While he was here, he received Abu Numeyy, the son of the sheriff of Mecca, and officially assumed the protection of the Two Holy Sanctuaries on July 6, 1517. While returning to Istanbul, Yavuz Sultan Selim took with him some prominent people, including the Abbasid Caliph Mutawakkil Alallah and his relatives, and the son of Qansu Gavri, Muhammad, Egyptian religious scholars, artists, some merchants, sacred relics and captured materials.
He Returned to Istanbul After Two Years and One Month
Yavuz Sultan Selim, who returned from Cairo to Istanbul by following the same route he had taken, found the grave of Muhyiddin Arabi in Damascus and had a tomb built next to it, a mosque and a lodge built. He dealt with the Ibn Hanesh rebellion in Beirut and Saida and gave the governorship of the Damascus region to Canbirdi Gazali. When he arrived in Aleppo on February 22, 1518, according to some accounts, he started making preparations to resolve the Shah Ismail issue and stayed there for about two months, but was forced to return to Istanbul due to the pressure of the Janissaries.
Yavuz Sultan Selim, who entered Topkapı Palace on July 25, 1517 after a campaign that lasted two years and one month, did not stay in Istanbul for long and went to Edirne after staying for a week. During his stay in Edirne, he received ambassadors from various countries. He organized hunting parties for a long time. After meeting with his son Süleyman, whom he had brought with him, he sent him to Manisa. During his stay here, while he was traveling around the region, he also closely followed the preparations for a new crusade under the leadership of the Pope in Europe. During the Egyptian campaign, various news were received from the lords on the borders about the Hungarians’ intentions towards the Ottoman borders. However, it was not possible to put the decision for the crusade into practice due to various problems. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who stayed in Edirne until April 1519, started preparations for a new campaign against the European states’ search for a crusade alliance. When he returned to Istanbul, he closely followed the preparations of the navy.
Historians have recorded that the reason for this preparation was the conquest of the Island of Rhodes. Some historians have also stated that the aim was to launch an expedition to Iran. However, the advisory council did not find it appropriate to launch an expedition to Rhodes. The advisory council issued a fatwa stating that due to the unrest in Anatolia, marching against Shah Ismail was a priority. Yavuz Sultan Selim was angered by this situation and gave up the expedition and left Istanbul on July 18, 1520 to go to Edirne. Yavuz Sultan Selim could not go further than Çorlu due to a large tumor on his back; despite the intervention of doctors, his illness gradually worsened and after receiving hopeless treatment here for about two months, he died in the morning of September 21-22, 1520. His death was kept secret until his son Süleyman’s arrival from Manisa to Istanbul. His body, which was brought to Istanbul on October 1, was greeted by his son and statesmen at the entrance to the city and taken down to the Fatih Mosque.
After the prayers performed here, he was buried in the place called Mirza Palace (Sultanselim), where his tomb is today. A tent was temporarily set up over him and later a tomb and a mosque were built here by his son Süleyman. He Reigned for 8 Years The reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim, who reigned for 8 years, was a turning point in the history of the Ottoman Empire. His expeditions, especially to the east, the measures he took, and the arrangements he made affected not only his period but also today’s history.While his emphasis on the Sunni understanding against the Shiite threat deepened social polarization, he also constituted a step towards the ideal of uniting the Islamic world under a single flag by ending the Mamluk Sultanate. Thus, the Ottoman State became the heir to the caliphate. Historians find the rumor that he took over the caliphate from the caliph in a ceremony held in Hagia Sophia while he was in Istanbul suspicious.
The fact that Yavuz Sultan Selim had the title of a unifying leader over the Islamic world led to him being referred to as the “sultan of the throne of the caliphate” by some sources of the period. In official documents, he was referred to as the protector of Mecca and Medina (hadimü’l-haremeyn). Although he was mostly depicted as merciless and bloodthirsty in Western sources, Yavuz Sultan Selim’s justice was emphasized in some embassy reports. It is understood that Yavuz Sultan Selim, who adopted the principle of conversing with scholars and seeking their and other statesmen’s opinions on political issues, read a lot and had a great interest in history, knew Persian very well, and was also familiar with Arabic and the Tatar dialect. His divan containing Persian poems has been printed. His Turkish poems can also be found in some anthologies. It is known that among the scholars he admired in his conversation circles, Zenbilli Ali Efendi, Kemalpaşazade, İdris-i Bitlisî, his teacher Halimî Çelebi were at the forefront, and that he valued poets such as Tacizade Cafer Çelebi, Ahi Benli Hasan and Revani.
As a sultan known among the public as “Yavuz” due to his boldness and harshness, his name has been the subject of various anecdotes and stories. Some of the anecdotes about him have been perceived as historical facts by some writers and narrated. Most of these must have stemmed from his incomparably different attitudes from other sultans. His only known wife is Hafsa Sultan. Another woman named Ayşe Hatun is also mentioned. His daughters are Beyhan Sultan, Fatma Sultan, Hafsa Sultan, Hatice Sultan, Şah Sultan, Hanım Hatun. In some sources, it is recorded that in addition to the construction activities in Trabzon, Edirne, Damascus and Cairo, he laid the foundations of the mosque bearing his name in Istanbul, but could not complete it, expanded the shipyard, and had a mansion built on the coast between Sirkeci and Sarayburnu.Although he is depicted as a bloodthirsty person, some embassy reports emphasize Yavuz Sultan Selim’s justice.
It is understood that Yavuz Sultan Selim, who adopted the principle of conversing with scholars and getting their and other statesmen’s opinions on political issues, read a lot and had a great interest in history, knew Persian very well, and was familiar with Arabic and the Tatar dialect. His divan containing Persian poems was published. His Turkish poems can also be found in some anthologies. It is known that among the scholars he admired in his conversation circles, Zenbilli Ali Efendi, Kemalpaşazade, İdris-i Bitlisî, his teacher Halimî Çelebi came first, and he valued poets such as Tacizade Cafer Çelebi, Ahi Benli Hasan and Revanî. As a sultan known among the public as “Yavuz” due to his courage and harshness, his name has become the subject of various anecdotes and stories. Some of the anecdotes about him have been perceived and narrated as historical facts by some writers. Most of these must have stemmed from his incomparably different attitudes from other sultans. His only known wife is Hafsa Sultan. Another woman named Ayşe Hatun is also mentioned. His daughters are Beyhan Sultan, Fatma Sultan, Hafsa Sultan, Hatice Sultan, Şah Sultan, and Hanım Hatun. In some sources, it is recorded that in addition to his construction activities in Trabzon, Edirne, Damascus and Cairo, he laid the foundations of the mosque bearing his name in Istanbul, but could not complete it, expanded the shipyard, and had a mansion built on the coast between Sirkeci and Sarayburnu.
Although he is depicted as a bloodthirsty person, some embassy reports emphasize Yavuz Sultan Selim’s justice. It is understood that Yavuz Sultan Selim, who adopted the principle of conversing with scholars and getting their and other statesmen’s opinions on political issues, read a lot and had a great interest in history, knew Persian very well, and was familiar with Arabic and the Tatar dialect. His divan containing Persian poems was published. His Turkish poems can also be found in some anthologies. It is known that among the scholars he admired in his conversation circles, Zenbilli Ali Efendi, Kemalpaşazade, İdris-i Bitlisî, his teacher Halimî Çelebi came first, and he valued poets such as Tacizade Cafer Çelebi, Ahi Benli Hasan and Revanî. As a sultan known among the public as “Yavuz” due to his courage and harshness, his name has become the subject of various anecdotes and stories. Some of the anecdotes about him have been perceived and narrated as historical facts by some writers.
Most of these must have stemmed from his incomparably different attitudes from other sultans. His only known wife is Hafsa Sultan. Another woman named Ayşe Hatun is also mentioned. His daughters are Beyhan Sultan, Fatma Sultan, Hafsa Sultan, Hatice Sultan, Şah Sultan, and Hanım Hatun. In some sources, it is recorded that in addition to his construction activities in Trabzon, Edirne, Damascus and Cairo, he laid the foundations of the mosque bearing his name in Istanbul, but could not complete it, expanded the shipyard, and had a mansion built on the coast between Sirkeci and Sarayburnu.It is recorded that he had a mansion built on the coast between Sirkeci and Sarayburnu.It is recorded that he had a mansion built on the coast between Sirkeci and Sarayburnu.
Final Words
In conclusion, the extra history of Yavuz Sultan Selim highlights a period of remarkable transformation and expansion for the Ottoman Empire. His strategic military campaigns and decisive leadership not only extended the empire’s territories but also reinforced its position as a dominant power in the Islamic world. Selim’s legacy is a testament to his ability to navigate the challenges of his time and leave an indelible mark on history.
Reflecting on the extra history of Yavuz Sultan Selim, it is evident that his reign was characterized by both brilliance and ruthlessness. His contributions to the Ottoman Empire’s expansion and consolidation continue to be remembered and studied. The lessons from his leadership offer valuable insights into the governance and resilience of one of history’s most powerful empires.
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.