13. Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed III
- Reign
- 1595 – 1603
- Born
- 1566
- Died
- 1603
He led the army in person at the Battle of Haçova. He was among the last sultans to campaign himself.
Sultan Mehmed III was born at Manisa on 26 May 1566. His father was Murad III, his mother Safiye Sultan. His great-grandfather Süleyman the Magnificent gave him his name so that he might resemble Mehmed the Conqueror. He was of middle height, with light brown hair and a handsome face. He received a good education in the sciences and took lessons from Hoca Sadeddin Efendi, author of the Tâcü't-Tevârih. In 1583 he was appointed governor of Manisa. He served there until January 1595, when, on news of his father's death, he set out and, reaching Istanbul on 27 January 1595, ascended the Ottoman throne.
Mehmed III loved, respected and heeded his mother. Making use of this, his mother Safiye Sultan established her dominance in the Ottoman palace. On certain matters she pressed the sultan and had her way, which caused confusion in affairs of state. He was devout and extremely interested in mysticism; whenever the name of the Prophet was mentioned he rose at once out of respect. The reign of Mehmed III falls in the period of stagnation. He was easily overcome by grief and would give up eating and drinking. The Celâlî revolts and the great length of the Persian wars left him in deep distress. He banned alcohol strictly and had all the hidden taverns closed.
- Sons: Ahmed I, Mustafa I, Selim, Mahmud
Source: Osmanlı Tarihi Interaktif CD-ROM (Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları XXXI. Dizi-Sa.2)