SULTAN MURAT THE 4TH
He is the Ottoman Sultan known for important role in the fate of the Empire by eliminating the anarchist and despots and known as "Baghdad Conqueror". He was born in 1612. His father is Ahmet the 1st. He succeeded to the throne when he was 11. He started to reign when he was 21 in a period when anarchy and despotism dominated. He ensured state order with violent precautions He occupied Tabriz with Revan expedition. He conquered Baghdad in his second great expedition. He died in 1640 when he was 28.
Sultan Murad, who is the seventeenth sultan of Ottoman throne, reigned for 16 years, 4 months and 8 days. Since most of this period was under the guardianship of his mother Mahpeyker Kosem Sultan, his real sultanate is only 7 years, 9 months and 21 days. This short period is full of the most colorful events of Ottoman history.
After the years of guardianship of his mother elapsed under the domination of despots, Janissary's killing Grand Vizier Hafiz Ahmet Pasha in front of his eyes and succeeding Damat Topal Recep Pasha, the primary instigator of the revolution to the position of grand vizier put an end to Murad the 4th's patience. Topal recep Pasha, the husband of his elder sister, started to govern the great empire like his farm after he provided support of despot Janissaries. He went so far that he threatened the sultan by saying to Murat the 4th "My Sultan, perform your ablution and go out afterwards". Murat the 4th had to rebuke him for the first time before his third month in grand vizier position.
He said to the proud grand vizier:
"Come back Topal head despot" and Recep Pasha understood that there was something extraordinary in his looks, and attempted to deny saying "God forbid my Sultan". When Murat the 4th shouted "Perform your ablution you infidel!", he understood that his times were over. As a matter of fact, when the sultan turned to the guards below and said "Immediately decapitate this traitor", he was killed there at that moment.
Murat the 4th, who acquired actual administration with his rebuke, started despot hunt. He decapitated 50 thousand to provide order in the country according to some historians, but at last succeeded to provide order. Murat the 4th, who had a unique powerful body, was also reputed for his being excess addiction and skills to sports. His piercing an iron door with an arrow in Topkapı Palace, his piercing a shield sent as a gift by Cihan, the shah of Timuroglu, saying "neither swords nor bullets work to pierce it" with a spear, his dropping the javelin he threw from the garden of the former palace (today's center building of Istanbul University) to the bottom of Beyazit Mosque's minaret, his thrusting the arrow he hurled from on the Halep castle to the city center show his bitter power as well as his skills of hurling spears and arrows.
Murat the 4th closed all coffeehouses in the city thinking that all discords emerged in public places such as coffeehouses, forbade meetings too. He forbade smoking after the fire which burned most of Istanbul too. Since he walked around in the streets having changed his clothes, he forbade going out without lanterns at night. He was so serious in application of these prohibitions that he used to decapitate people who smoked, walked around without a lantern or gathered together where he found. He even carried it so far that he climbed the roof of the houses he had a suspicion and smelt their chimneys to personally control whether they smoked or drank coffee.
Murat the 4th was a suspicious person. He pohibited Nef'i, whom he once loved much and took everywhere with him, from writing a satires regarding a thunderbolt near the palace bad luck while he was reading his satire named Siham-ı Kaza. Upon this, a person who was jealous of this great poet said the following couplet:
Gökten nazîre indi sihâm-ı kazasına
Nef'i diliyle uğradı Hak'kın belâsına
However, Nef'i did not keep his word for a long time and could not refrain from writing a heavy satire about Grand Vizier Bayram Pasha, he paid with his head. Murad the 4th, who had choked Nef'i in the woodshed of the palace, made the body thrown into the sea. Murat the 4th is known for his addiction to alcoholic drinks. Therefore, it is said that he commissioned Bekri Mustafa, whose drunkenness is still known, one night in the palace and had a chat with him during the drinking bout. Murat the 4th, who prohibited alcoholic drinks despite his addiction to alcoholic drinks, got sick turning back from Baghdad conquest. He died when he was only 28 years old in 1640 due to "Goutte-Nikris" and for some historians, due to cirrhosis.