Ibrahim I (November 5, 1615 – August 12/18, 1648) was the
SultanSultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
from 1640 until 1648. He was born in
IstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
the son of
Ahmed IAhmed I or Ahmed Bakhti was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617.-Biography:...
by
Valide SultanValide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic
GreekThe Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
originally named Anastasia. He was unofficially called
Ibrahim the Arrage (Turkish:
Deli İbrahim) due to his mental condition.
One of the most famous Ottoman Sultans, he was released from the
KafesKafes, literally "the cage", was the part of the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Palace where possible successors to the throne were kept under a form of house-arrest and constant surveillance by the palace guards....
and succeeded his brother
Murad IVMurad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
(1623–40) in 1640, though against the wishes of Murad IV, who had ordered him killed upon his own death. Murad IV had himself succeeded their older brother
Osman IISultan Osman II or Othman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death on 20 May 1622...
in 1622, and had ordered his three other brothers executed. Ibrahim I was allowed to live because he was too mad to be a threat. Ibrahim brought the empire almost to collapse in a very short space of time — paralleled only perhaps, by the rule of
PhocasPhocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:...
(602–610) in the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Probably mentally unstable, he is claimed to have suffered from
neurastheniaNeurasthenia is a psycho-pathological term first used by George Miller Beard in 1869 to denote a condition with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, headache, neuralgia and depressed mood...
, and was also
depressedMajor depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
after the death of his brother. His reign was essentially that of his mother,
Mâh-Peyker Kösem Valide SultanKösem Sultan — also known as Mehpeyker Sultan — was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history . Consort and favourite concubine of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I...
, who was no longer hindered in controlling the empire as she willed.
He is known to have had an obsession with
obeseObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
women, urging his agents to find the fattest woman possible. A candidate was tracked down in
GeorgiaGeorgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
or
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
who weighed over 330 pounds and was given the pet name
Şeker Pâre (literally, "sugarbit" or "piece of sugar"). Ibrahim was so pleased with her that he gave her a government pension and the title of Governor General of Damascus. It is said that when he heard a rumor his concubines were compromised by another man, he had 280 members of his harem drowned in the
Bosphorus ( Boğaziçi )The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
. He was seen feeding coins to fish living in the palace's pool. These feats earned him the nickname "arrage".
Ibrahim at first stayed away from politics, but eventually he took to raising and executing a number of
vizierA vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
s. A war with
VeniceThe Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
was fought, and in spite of the decline of
La Serenissima,
VenetianVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
ships won victories throughout the
AegeanThe Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, capturing
TenedosTenedos or Bozcaada or Bozdja-Ada is a small island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Bozcaada district of Çanakkale province in Turkey. , Tenedos has a population of about 2,354. The main industries are tourism, wine production and fishing...
(1646), the gateway to the
DardanellesThe Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. Ibrahim's rule grew ever more unpredictable. Eventually, he was deposed in a coup led by the
Sheikh ul-IslamShaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
. There is an apocryphal story to the effect that the
Sheikh ul-IslamShaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
acted in response to Ibrahim's decision to drown all 280 members of his
haremHarem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
, but there is other evidence to suggest that at least two of Ibrahim's concubines survived him (particularly
Turhan HaticeTurhan Hatice Valide Sultan, Devletlu İsmetlu Turhan Hadice Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-şân Hazretleri , was one of the hasekis of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV .Turhan Hatice is prominent for the regency of her young son and her building patronage.-From...
, who was responsible for the death three years later of
KösemKösem Sultan — also known as Mehpeyker Sultan — was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history . Consort and favourite concubine of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I...
, then serving as regent for Ibrahim's son by Hatice,
Mehmed IVMehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
). Chances are this story was circulated after the coup to silence those who for whatever reason preferred a mad sultan. He was strangled in
IstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
at the behest of the
Grand VizierGrand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Mevlevî Mehmed Paşa
(Sofu Mehmed Pasha).
He was married to
Turhan Hatice (Khadija) Valide SultanTurhan Hatice Valide Sultan, Devletlu İsmetlu Turhan Hadice Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-şân Hazretleri , was one of the hasekis of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV .Turhan Hatice is prominent for the regency of her young son and her building patronage.-From...
, a
UkrainianUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
(the mother of
Mehmed IVMehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
), to Saliha Dilâşub Valide Sultan (the mother of
Suleiman IISuleiman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691...
), and to
Hatice (Khadija) Muazzez SultanHatice Muazzez Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan (Hatice (Khadija) Mu’azzez The Second Haseki Sultan or Devletlu İsmetlu Hatice (Khadija) Mu’azzez İkinci Haseki Sultânā Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri , (née Eva) (ca. 1629 – 1687).- Biography :...
(the mother of
Ahmed IIAhmed II Khan Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695...
).
External links