The rebel Bayezid, son of Suleiman

Turkish Sultan Bayazid, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Roksolana, went down in history as a troublemaker and rebel who went against a living father and brother, but was defeated. Despite his outstanding talent, he did not become a wise ruler or a great military leader. Instead, he suffered the unenviable fate of the exile. Instead of brilliant accomplishments, he became known to the West and the East as the failed heir Bayazid, the son of Suleiman. The biography of this man is full of dark spots and strange coincidences. This is described in the article.

Bayazid, son of Suleiman. Childhood and youth

The first contender for the father's throne was the eldest son of Suleiman - Mehmed. Bayazid and Selim in their youth did not claim the throne. Even then, according to the records of the palace chroniclers, they had significant differences in character. Selim inherited the mother's beautiful appearance and her fiery reddish hair color. Bayazid received all the willpower and fighting character. Selim grew up cowardly, distrustful and withdrawn. In 1543, the heir, Mehmed, died. And this meant that the Sultan had to choose among his sons the next ruler. Selim and Bayazid at that time were nineteen and sixteen years old, respectively. For some reason, the father chooses the first, despite Selim's apparent weakness. Perhaps the reason for this was just his calm nature, in connection with which the old sultan expected that he would not claim power until his last days.

The rebel Bayezid, son of Suleiman

However, the youngest son proved to be a brave and successful general and did not intend to put up with this state of affairs. And after the death of Roxolana's mother, the brothers finally quarreled. Father, in order to prevent internecine conflict, sent his sons as governors to different ends of their possessions. However, in 1559 Bayazid, the son of Suleiman, opposed this decision and spoke out against his brother. The battle took place in May of the same year under Konya, where the troops of Suleiman and Selim in numerical superiority defeated Bayazid's armies. The latter tried to escape from the recent enemy of his father - the Persian Shah Tahmaspa. However, having received a generous bribe of 400 thousand gold, the shah agreed to execute Bayazid. The disgraced prince and all his children were killed by strangulation.

The Board of Selim II

After Bayazid was executed, Suleiman's son Selim II did not become a worthy heir to the Ottoman dynasty. It was said about him that he had no friends and never did any serious deeds. During the entire period of his reign, Selim II spent his time in wine and entertainment. He often drank alone, for which he received the nickname Drunkard. His attempts to continue the aggressive offensive policies of his predecessors were also unsuccessful. No, the war continued, but they did not have much success. And Selim himself almost always remained in his palace, practically not heading the marches. His reign lasted only eight years, from 1566 to 1574, after which the hapless Sultan died, and power passed into the hands of his son Murad III.