Yavuz Sultan Selim (1470-1520) was one of the most powerful Ottoman sultans. Through his campaigns in Iran and Egypt, he greatly expanded Ottoman territory and ensured the transfer of the caliphate to the Ottomans, essentially elevating the Ottoman Empire.
Yavuz Sultan Selim, a grandson of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, was the son of Sultan Bayezid II. He was the 9th Ottoman Sultan and the 88th Islamic Caliph. His mother was Gül Bahar Hatun, the daughter of the Dulkadir Bey. Yavuz Sultan Selim was born in Amasya during his father's reign as a prince, and in his youth, he was sent to Trabzon by his father to receive prince's education.
In Trabzon, Yavuz Sultan Selim demonstrated excellent governance. He served as a governor there for a remarkable 29 years. He recognized the importance of Turkmen people in the eastern borders and worked to regain their support after observing their gradual shift towards the Safavid state. For this reason, he allocated a share of the spoils from the territories he conquered during his governorship to the Turkmen people. He also halted the Georgian raids on Trabzon and organized a campaign to bring these lands under Ottoman protection. While his other princely brothers were stationed in distant border regions, Yavuz Sultan Selim engaged in constant clashes and raids in the east, earning the reputation of a hero among his soldiers. He was particularly aware of the looming threat from the Safavids in the east and warned his father about it.
His father, Sultan Bayezid II, had a rather calm personality, and during his reign, the Ottoman Empire experienced a relatively tranquil period. However, for the Janissaries, the victories at Varna and Kosovo were cherished memories. During this period, Yavuz Sultan Selim's exploits and heroism reached the ears of the Janissaries, who hailed him as a hero. Yavuz Sultan Selim, in turn, increased his popularity in Istanbul by sending a kind of agents, and news from Istanbul was relayed to him. Later, upon learning that his princely brother was about to ascend the throne, Yavuz Sultan Selim rebelled against his father and marched towards him (setting out from Trabzon, he traveled in reverse through Crimea and the Balkans, crossing the Black Sea). Subsequently, his father abdicated in favor of Yavuz Sultan Selim (1512). The assistance of his father-in-law, the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray, was significant in Mengli Giray's accession to the throne.
Upon ascending the throne at the age of 42, Yavuz Sultan Selim, aware of the impending danger, initiated political and strategic plans towards the east. However, his brother Prince Ahmet, unable to accept his ascension, rebelled in Konya. After a turbulent period, Sultan Selim eliminated the other princes and solidified his rule.
When Yavuz Sultan Selim came to power, the country was in a state of turmoil, partly due to Shah Ismail. The Shi'a Safavid state posed a significant threat to him. Yavuz Sultan Selim, who suppressed the rebellions in the country, embarked on the Çaldıran campaign in 1514. In the Battle of Çaldıran against Shah Ismail, the Ottoman artillery subjected the Safavids to intense fire, leading to victory for Yavuz Sultan Selim. Shah Ismail narrowly escaped, and Yavuz Sultan Selim pursued him all the way to Tabriz. Yavuz Sultan Selim's aim was to open the way to Turkistan in the east, uniting all Turkic lands and the Islamic world under the Ottoman banner. However, due to unfavorable conditions, he had to return to Amasya instead of spending the winter there. After the Çaldıran campaign, Erzincan and Kemah Castle, Diyarbakır were captured, and Turkish unity was fully established in Anatolia.
Upon learning that Iran and Egypt had formed an alliance after the victory at Çaldıran, Yavuz Sultan Selim began preparations for a southern campaign. Since the time of Fatih, the Ottomans had longstanding conflicts with the Mamluks, and Yavuz Sultan Selim aimed to definitively resolve this issue. This was partly because the Cilicia region had witnessed significant wars between the Dulkadirids and the Ottoman state in the past, creating problems for both countries. Now, Egypt and Iran had united against the Ottoman Empire.
In 1517, Yavuz Sultan Selim set out on another campaign. He conquered Antep and Besni, which were on his route, one day apart. However, the main battle took place at Mercidabık. The Ottoman cannons, bombarding the Mamluks intensively, secured victory for Yavuz Sultan Selim. After the battle, the ruler of Egypt, Kansu Gavri, was killed, and the road to Syria was opened for the Ottomans.
Yavuz Sultan Selim proceeded south, first taking Aleppo, followed by Damascus, Hama, and all of Syria, adding them to Ottoman territory. His new target was Egypt. Before December 1516, Yavuz Sultan Selim incorporated the principalities of Lebanon and Gaza into Ottoman territory. However, news reached Yavuz that Tumanbay, who had taken charge in Egypt, had formed an alliance with the Venetians and established a defensive line in Ridaniye, bringing cannons from Europe.
In January 1517, Yavuz Sultan Selim crossed the Sinai Desert, which no army had ever traversed, in just 13 days (during this crossing, rare desert rains fell, which happen once every 40 years). He reached Ridaniye and, with his army, crossed to the southern flank of the Egyptian army, rendering the fixed cannons ineffective. With this maneuver, he quickly defeated the Mamluk army and won the Battle of Ridaniye. The road to Cairo was now open. The Mamluks had placed great confidence in the geographical conditions, believing that no army could reach Cairo.
Entering Cairo with great splendor, Yavuz Sultan Selim erased the Abbasids and the Mamluk state from history, incorporating the sacred lands into the Ottoman Empire and ensuring the transfer of the caliphate to the Ottomans. Yavuz Sultan Selim became the first caliph in the Ottoman Empire. With this campaign, the sacred relics were brought to Istanbul. Additionally, the Ottoman treasury was overflowing. Some historians claim that Yavuz Sultan Selim did not actually assume the caliphate, but this assertion, propagated by European and Iranian historians who constantly slandered him, is refuted by most historians. The Abbasid caliph, in a ceremony held at the Hagia Sophia mosque, publicly announced that he was passing the caliphate to Yavuz Sultan Selim and cloaked him with his own robe. With this campaign, the Ottoman sultan became the religious leader of the entire Islamic world, assuming the roles of both caliph and sultan.
During Yavuz Sultan Selim's reign, Ottoman territory expanded from 2,275,000 square kilometers to 6,557,000 square kilometers.
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