Sultan III. Murad (1546-1595) was the son of Sultan Selim II and Nurbanu Sultan. He was the 12th Ottoman Sultan and the 91st Caliph of Islam. Born in 1546 in Manisa, he passed away in Istanbul in 1595.
He ascended the throne at the age of 28 on December 22, 1574, after becoming the provincial governor of Manisa. The early years of his reign were under the influence of Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, which helped maintain the stability achieved during the reign of his predecessor, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
During his reign, Fas (Morocco) was brought under Ottoman protection, and Poland became a vassal state, securing the northern border. Additionally, the region of Erdel in Hungary came under Ottoman influence, and a war with Portugal in Morocco prevented Portuguese hegemony in the area (1578).
However, after the assassination of Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, stability began to wane. A war with Iran started during his rule and lasted approximately 12 years. Thanks to Ottoman successes in the Caucasus front, a peace treaty was signed in Istanbul.
Under his rule, Lala Mustafa Pasha defeated Iran in Çıldır, and Georgia and Shirvan were annexed. In 1593, a campaign was launched against Austria, lasting for 15 years. Due to a formidable alliance against the Ottoman army, the campaign was not successful, depleting the treasury and causing economic hardships.
During the ongoing war, Sultan III. Murad suffered a stroke on January 16, 1595, and passed away. He was laid to rest in his mausoleum near the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
His famous mosque in Manisa, known as the "Mosque of Sultan Murad," was built by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan. During his reign, the move of the Harem to the Topkapi Palace took place, and the tradition of illuminating minarets during sacred nights in Islam began. He also wrote a famous poem that starts with the line, "Awake, my eyes, from slumber's veil."
In Sultan III. Murad's era, a closer relationship with England began. In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I of England sent an envoy and a letter to Sultan III. Murad, seeking similar trade privileges to those enjoyed by France through the capitulations. The Ottoman Empire, aiming to weaken the political power of the Pope and align with Protestant England, sought to benefit from this approach. Furthermore, a rivalry between France and England emerged in the Mediterranean, and the Ottomans gained political advantages through this closer relationship.
The period of Sultan III. Murad was marked by the rivalry between his mother, Nurbanu Sultan, and his wife, Safiye Sultan. Especially after the assassination of Sokullu Mehmed Pasha in 1579, Safiye Sultan exerted significant influence over state affairs. This dominance continued into the reign of their son, Sultan III. Mehmed.
Additionally, Sultan III. Murad prohibited overloading animals with excessive goods and working them on Fridays.
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