THE TRAGEDY OF SHEHZADE, IMPRISONED WITHIN FOUR WALLS
In the Ottoman state, the education of the Sultans and the ruling elite crystallized due to the heritage of Islamic culture and inherited Byzantine institutions (the devshirme system). In the first 300 years of its existence, the Ottoman state stood on the shoulders of worthy Padishahs and the elite, and in the next 300 years it owes its existence to worthy bureaucrats who took responsibility during its most critical periods. Candidates for the Padishah, condemned by the brothers to exist in a «Cage», ascended to the throne after many years, which they lived in complete ignorance and fear of being poisoned, and began to «rule» the Empire.
In the 244 years of Ottoman history, from the 13th Padishah Mehmed III (1595-1603) to the 30th Padishah Mahmud II (1808-1839), the rulers changed 18 times. Previously, there was a tradition of «going to the sanjak», when the Padishah’s son was appointed sanjakbey to Kastamona, Trabzon, Konya or Amasya, with teachers, artists, and sages with him. Shehzade was preparing to ascend to the throne, along with book culture, engaged in hunting, sports and war games, and immersed in real skirmishes and wars. The last of these shehzadehs was Mehmed III (1595-1603), who came from Manisa and ascended the throne. Unfortunately, he can also be considered the first in a series of unworthy rulers. It was he who changed the dynastic law and put an end to Shehzade’s departure to the sanjak.
Mehmed III, through the efforts of his father Murad III, received excellent education from the best teachers in Manisa, and after his father’s death, he came to Istanbul to take his throne. But he himself decided that Shehzada no longer needed to travel to the sanjaks and fight among themselves, so he put an end to this tradition that had existed since the early days of the Ottoman state. According to the new rules, the new Padishah did not kill his brothers, but imprisoned them in the palace, and when the throne was vacated, the «eldest and most mature» ascended to it.
This system was in effect until 1839, during which time the heirs to the throne were kept locked in the chambers of the palace. One building intended for this purpose was a stone structure in the harem palace called «Old Shimshirlik», and the second was a «Mansion with a vault» (Kubbeli Kasyr) and attached «Double Mansions» (Chiefte Kasyrlar). Shehzade was imprisoned in gloomy one- or two-room apartments. Since mothers called their shehzadehs «lions,» these parts of the palace became known as the «cage.»
In these enclosed chambers, Shehzade was taught literacy, morality and prayer, or slaves who could read and write, or harem agha, read books with them. But to the question: «Have they been trained in administration and military affairs?» There is no response. The main problem here is that any of the shehzadehs became a Padishah without going to the sanjak and receiving proper training.; they were dark and uneducated, had no idea about the country, the people and the foreigners who visited this country, never appeared in bazaars and shopping malls, did not understand anything about living conditions, in a certain sense of the word, for them the world froze in their childhood memories. Another problem that I had to deal with all the time.: fear of being killed or poisoned. For these reasons, the Ottoman dynasty left behind its achievements and headed for the rule of the unworthy.
Mustafa I
In particular, from 1603 until Sultan Abdulmejid’s ascension to the throne in 1839, incompetence seeped from the Grand Vizier, viziers, bureaucrats, theologians, and diplomats to local leaders. Another dead end is the willingness to face consequences if one questions the «outstanding» dictates of the ruler on the throne and wonders if he is worthy to rule. That is why, when Mustafa I knocked down the kavukas (headdresses) from the viziers in front of everyone at the Divan meeting, Kadyaser called it a «holy omen,» and the Padishah himself, one might say, was praised, diagnosing him with «the madness of the Lord.»
Boys raised to serve in the harem and female slaves transferred to the harem underwent physical and psychological control. But at the same time, the hereditary shahzadehs were imprisoned in the Shimshirlik palace dungeon and lost all connection with the real world, they stopped thinking and analyzing adequately, did not have knowledge about society, they just counted the days. The only thing they wanted was for the uncle/brother who occupied the throne to die or be deposed as a result of the uprising, and finally it was their turn.
The most interesting scenes were probably the ascension to the throne – julus – of the Sultan who came out of the cage. It was the first time the statesmen had seen the Padishah, whom none of them had known before. The new Padishah, in magnificent ceremonial clothes, looked at the pashas with fear from high heels and could not understand whether this was a dream or reality. Sitting on the golden throne, the new Padishah watched with surprise, suspicion, but also happiness as both young and old viziers, bureaucrats and agi took turns bowing before him and kissing his hand/hem of his dress/ shoes. He got rid of the cage, but now he was trying to figure out how he would manage a piece of land, even the size of which he did not know.
Young, quick-witted and educated headmen of the sultan’s private chambers on Julus praised the new Padishah in chorus with shouts: «Glory to the Padishah!», «Fear pride, Padishah, Allah is above you!» The court clerks, listing the titles of the new Padishah, especially emphasized the following: «The shadow of Allah on earth,» «The Caliph of the Islamic Prophet,» «The Sultan of the land, the Lord of the seas.»
These choral glorifications were called «alkysh» (applause), after which the new Padishah must have thought: «So that’s what a big shot I am!» Suddenly, to be dragged out of the darkness of the cage and sent not to the executioner, but to rule the Empire… Such extraordinary events, like it or not, are sucked into the whirlpool of selfishness, chosenness, superiority and holiness. Anyone who calls the Padishah «the shadow of Allah on earth» will not question his competence! Moreover, the very fact of origin «from the Padishah family» already meant the highest level of competence. Both the state and the people were his subordinates, his slaves. One had to believe that his orders contained predictions and God’s prescriptions.
This drastic and drastic leap from the «cage» to the «throne» took place in the Ottoman Dynasty not once, but 16 times in the 222 years between 1617 and 1839. And 6 more times for the last Padishahs, who no longer experience imprisonment in a «cage». But these latter lived in palaces and mansions with their families, so they realized that «the shadow of Allah on earth» was just empty words. And on these last juluses, those who lined up for the oath of allegiance did not even kiss the ground or the hem of their dresses, they did not even approach the throne to kiss the flag hanging by the throne! The dynasty and the Sultanate were preparing to lose the battle against freedom and human pride.
There is historical information and fables about the Shehzadehs, who went to Sanjak for «administrative practice» during the reign of their father, but there is only information about the daily life of the 17th-18th century shehzadehs, who lived in a cage, allegedly told by harem agha. None of the Padishahs described in his memoirs the years he spent in Shimshirlik or Kafes! Often, the reigns of the Padishahs, who jumped to the throne directly from the cage, were marked by defeats, failures and carelessness. Interestingly, in general, the Padishahs from Mustafa I to Mahmud II lived for 674 years. Of these, they spent 110 years at large in childhood and adolescence, and 342 years in Shimshirlik or Kafes, they ruled for a total of 222 years. That is, they spent 1.5 times more time in prison than on the throne. For example, Osman II spent only a few months in prison, but Osman III was imprisoned at the age of 5 and lived there until he was 51, and he ruled for only 3 years after that! At the same time, we do not yet take into account those shehzadehs who died in captivity without ascending to the throne, or those who returned to the cage after being deposed.
There are no chronicles that tell about the life of Shehzade in Shimshirlik/Kafes and would be based on memories or documents. The situation was extremely bad: the heirs to the throne of a state spread over three continents, after 324 years of imprisonment, ascended to the throne and, like Osman III (1754-1757), strolled incognito through the bazaars, popped nuts on the streets and experienced a lost childhood in their 30s, 40s or even 50s.
When Mehmed III, by his law, allowed the ascended throne to imprison his brothers and cousins, the shehzadehs locked up in the Shimshirlik or the mansions of the harem turned into living corpses.
What were they doing locked up? Their limited knowledge must have allowed them to interpret dreams, guess, read astrological treatises and expect good predictions from court astrologers transmitted through harem ags, they also prayed and counted the rosary. Naturally, they were forbidden to read books on history, literature and science. From the point of view of the officials in the palace and in Babyali (an analogue of the modern Cabinet of Ministers in the Ottoman Empire), who were engaged in state affairs, this was not so much a disadvantage as an excellent combination of circumstances! After all, the Padishah with extinguished energy, who ascended to the throne from the gloomy chambers of the cage, was not the «manager», but the «controlled»!
Bottom line: In the first 300 years of its existence, the Ottoman state stood on the shoulders of worthy Padishahs and the elite, and in the next 300 years it owes its existence to worthy bureaucrats who took responsibility during its most critical periods. The characteristic of the Ottoman dynasty by the last Padishah Vahidedin, which can be interpreted in different ways:
We had all kinds of people in our family: there was a drunkard, a madman, and a fool, but there was no atheist. Even the most stupid Abdulaziz clutched the Koran with his last breath.
SHEHZADE SULEIMAN
He thought he was going to be executed, but he was enthroned.
Sultan Suleiman II
When Dariussaade agha came to Shimshirlik to put Shehzade Suleiman on the throne, he was afraid of execution and burst into tears: «If it was ordered to execute us, I will at least perform two prayer prayers. I have been imprisoned for 40 years since I was a child! It is better to die once than to die every day!» humiliated and despised for a long time, he was wearing an old satin sari and slippers on his feet… Agha brought one of his sable fur coats and put it on Shehzadeh, grabbed him by the arms. In the Audience Hall (Throne Room), the ichoglans tied the buzzard of St. Yusuf on his head and attached a sorghum. Suleiman became the Padishah at the age of 45, but at the same time he looked sickly and 70 years old, it was hard for him to carry his extra pounds. Suleiman was castrated in Shimshirlik. And even in this state, he wanted to go camping, remembering the former glory of Suleiman Kanuni. In 1689, in front of the Edirne palace, he proclaimed a campaign against Hungary. The news of his defeat caught up with him in Sofia, so he returned to Edirne. He sometimes visited Istanbul, and died in Edirne on June 22, 1691. His body was taken to Istanbul on ice plates and buried in Sultan Suleiman’s turban. (From the «History of Silyakhdar»)
THE UNSTABLE OSMAN III
He was imprisoned for 50 years, but could not stay on the throne for 3 years.
Sultan Osman III
Like Osman II, who was imprisoned at the age of 5 and became Padishah after 40 years, Osman III spent 50 years in prison and ascended the throne at 55! His reign began on December 15, 1754 and ended on October 30, 1757, i.e. 2 years and 10.5 months. During his reign, he became famous for his childish touchiness, anger and moods. He hated the harem and women. Like Osman II, he was castrated, and his body structure was abnormal. When the worthy statesman Hekimoglu Ali Pasha opposed the execution of one of the sons of Sultan’s uncle Shehzade Mehmed, he scolded the Grand Vizier and said: «If I want, I will take you off and appoint sadrazam to your place as porter Ali.» Pasha immediately quipped: «Of course you will, but only then you will have a Grand Vizier, Ali the Porter, and not Hekimoglu (the son of a doctor) Ali!»
MUSTAFA I AND MEHMED V
If only they were afraid
Who can question the competence of a ruler in a dynastic/theocratic system? From courtiers to the military, everyone expected a speedy julus, which promised them additional payments, promotions, titles and new appointments. No one was looking for flaws and flaws in the padishah, because the state mechanism worked anyway. Even those who nursed and served him as a child did not speak negatively to the ascended throne. Even Mustafa I, known for his insanity, found himself on the throne twice (in 1617/1618 and in 1622/1623), his most senseless orders endowed with deep meaning. Even the most competent Padishahs were credited with incredible prophecies and prophetic dreams that they had never seen, and laudatory odes were composed about this.
Educated, intelligent, who had seen foreign countries, had been on campaigns and achieved military victories, the viziers were forced to remain silent in front of these unfortunate people, kissing the hems of their dresses. Mehmed V returned from fishing tired and angry in 1683, when during the evening meal he was informed that Merzifonlu Mustafa Pasha, the successor of Fazil Ahmed Pasha, could not take Vienna, he immediately sent the executioners from Edirne, who strangled Pasha in Belgrade. Let’s go back 2 centuries from these events. Bayezid II brought the Karamanids to their knees, besieged Otranto with his fleet, but at the same time he dragged the capable, worthy and brave Gedik Ahmed Pasha from the table at a feast for the viziers and strangled him.
One can say the following: the Padishahs among both viziers and slaves preferred not those who were worthy and competent, but those who were afraid of them and were blindly loyal.