İsa Çelebi
Encyclopedia
İsa Çelebi was an Ottoman
prince and a co-ruler of the empire during the Ottoman Interregnum
. (Çelebi is an honorific title meaning gentleman)
, the daughter of the bey of Germiyanids. (Germiyan was the name of an independent Turkish principality in center-west portion of Anatolia
. ) İsa worked as a sanjak
governor in Antalya
and fought in the battle of Ankara
(1402) together with his father. Ottoman army was defeated and İsa escaped to west Anatolia.
to gain the control of Bursa, the Anatolian capital of the empire. He defeated Musa and began controlling a part of Anatolian territory of the empire. But the European territory, so called Rumeli
was under the control of Süleyman Çelebi
and the east part of Anatolian territory was under the control of Mehmet Çelebi (future Mehmet I). Feeling unsecure between the two competitors, he signed a treaty of friendship with the Byzantine emperor and he refused Mehmet's suggestion to partition the Anatolian part of the empire on the ground that he was the older brother. But following this refusal he fought against Mehmet and was defeated in the battle of Ulubat in 1405. In this battle he also lost his vizier Timurtaş who was an experienced statesman. He escaped to Rumeli over Byzantine territories.
and killed by Mehmet's partisans. in 1406.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
prince and a co-ruler of the empire during the Ottoman Interregnum
Ottoman Interregnum
The Ottoman Interregnum began in 20 July 1402, when chaos reigned in the Ottoman Empire following the defeat of Sultan Bayezid I by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur...
. (Çelebi is an honorific title meaning gentleman)
Background
İsa was one of the sons of Beyazıt I, the Ottoman sultan. His mother was Devlet HatunDevlet Hatun
Devlet Hatun was the wife of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, the daughter of Yakub Shah of Germiyanids, the descendant of Rumi through his son Sultan Walad’s daughter Mutahhara Hatun who was an ancestor of Yakub Shah. She was the mother of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I, and İsa Çelebi, Governor of Anatolia...
, the daughter of the bey of Germiyanids. (Germiyan was the name of an independent Turkish principality in center-west portion of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. ) İsa worked as a sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
governor in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
and fought in the battle of Ankara
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
(1402) together with his father. Ottoman army was defeated and İsa escaped to west Anatolia.
İsa in the interregnum
In 1403, after learning about his father's death in captivity, he began struggling for the vacant throne. He fought against his brother Musa ÇelebiMusa Çelebi
Musa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for three years during Ottoman Interregnum. - Background :...
to gain the control of Bursa, the Anatolian capital of the empire. He defeated Musa and began controlling a part of Anatolian territory of the empire. But the European territory, so called Rumeli
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
was under the control of Süleyman Çelebi
Süleyman Çelebi
Süleyman Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for several years during the Ottoman Interregnum. - Back ground :...
and the east part of Anatolian territory was under the control of Mehmet Çelebi (future Mehmet I). Feeling unsecure between the two competitors, he signed a treaty of friendship with the Byzantine emperor and he refused Mehmet's suggestion to partition the Anatolian part of the empire on the ground that he was the older brother. But following this refusal he fought against Mehmet and was defeated in the battle of Ulubat in 1405. In this battle he also lost his vizier Timurtaş who was an experienced statesman. He escaped to Rumeli over Byzantine territories.
Süleyman's support
He met with Süleyman who supported his cause in Anatolia. With fresh troops provided by Suleyman he returned to Anatolia and tried to recapture Bursa. Although he failed, allying himself with the Anatolian beyliks (small Turkish principalities which had been annexed by his father but were set free after the battle of Ankara), he continued to fight against Mehmet. But after a series of defeats his allies betrayed him and he gave up.Death
According to Hammer after losing the struggle he hid himself. But according to other sources, he was spotted in a public bath in EskişehirEskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
and killed by Mehmet's partisans. in 1406.