List of Ottoman Sultans and Their Causes of Death

The list of Ottoman Sultans, along with their life stories, is provided in order in this text. The lives of Ottoman Sultans were marked by challenges and struggles to maintain the empire against both external and internal enemies, ensuring the preservation of the order in the realm. Through their actions, the Ottoman Sultans ruled over a vast empire on three continents for 600 years, leaving an indelible mark on world history.

Causes of Death of Ottoman Sultans

The founder of the Ottoman Empire and the first Ottoman Sultan, Osman Gazi (1258-1326), passed away in 1326 due to heart failure.

The second Ottoman Sultan, Orhan Gazi (1281-1362), passed away in March 1362 due to a stroke.

The third Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed I (1326-1389), was assassinated on June 29, 1389, by Milosh Obrenovic, the son-in-law of Serbian king Lazar, who had been defeated in the First Battle of Kosovo, where the Ottomans triumphed. Obrenovic had hidden the dagger and executed his treacherous plan. He was immediately executed by the Sultan's guards.

The death of Bayezid I (1360-1403) occurred on March 8, 1403. After being captured by Timur in the Battle of Ankara, Bayezid, though some historians claim he committed suicide or was poisoned, actually succumbed to his illness and sorrow from captivity.

The death of Mehmed I (1382-1421) happened on May 26, 1421, when he fell from his horse while hunting in Edirne, resulting in paralysis. Due to the power struggles of his time, Sultan Mehmed, on his deathbed, bequeathed the throne to his son Murad, who was brought from Amasya. For 42 days, his death was concealed, and it was said that his body was dressed in a kaftan and a military parade was organized to prevent his passing from being noticed. Mehmed I was the first Sultan whose death was concealed.

2. Murad

The death of Murad II (1404-1451) occurred on February 3, 1451, due to a cerebral hemorrhage (or tumor), three days after he fell ill and took to his bed.

The death of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (1432-1481) took place on May 3, 1481, in Gebze's Hunkar Çayırı due to illness. Fatih Sultan Mehmet, suffering from chronic gout, was about to embark on a major campaign (although he did not specify the destination, it is presumed to be Italy) when he fell ill. Despite the efforts of Chief Physician Lari and later Yakup Pasha, Sultan II. Mehmet could not be saved. According to historian Babinger, Fatih Sultan Mehmet was allegedly poisoned. It is also claimed that he was poisoned by the Pope or by his son, Bayezid II. According to Babinger, Yakup Pasha, originally named Jakapo and of Jewish descent, was tasked by the Pope to assassinate Fatih. He stated that Sultan Mehmet drank the sherbet offered to him while resting and then fell ill, leading to his demise.

The death of Bayezid II (1447-1512) occurred on May 21, 1512, while he was on his way to Dimetoka to retire after abdicating the throne in favor of his brother's son, Yavuz Sultan Selim, upon learning from his father's will that his brother would succeed him instead. It is presumed that he died of grief, but it is also claimed that he was poisoned by his son Yavuz Sultan Selim.

The death of Yavuz Sultan Selim (1470-1520) happened on the night of September 21-22, 1520, due to cancer. It is rumored that Sultan Selim succumbed to a boil that appeared on his body as a result of a curse uttered by his father.

The death of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (1495-1566) occurred on September 6-7 during the Siege of Szigetvár, resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite doctors' advice for him to rest, he did not comply, and his death was kept secret until the fortress of Szigetvár was taken.

The death of Sultan II. Selim (1524-1574) took place on December 15, 1574, as a result of a blow to his head. It is known that Sultan 2. Selim struck his head on marble in the bath, but claims that he was drunk or died while chasing a concubine are entirely unfounded. Peçevi, one of the witnesses to the event, recounted in his works that the Sultan's head hit the marble in the bath, causing him to fall and strike his head, after which he could not be saved.

The death of Sultan III. Murad (1546-1595) is believed to have occurred due to prostate cancer, and he passed away in Istanbul.

Sultan III. Mehmet (1566-1603) passed away on December 21, 1603, due to a heart attack.

Sultan I. Ahmet's (1590-1615) death occurred on November 21, 1617, at a young age (27) due to typhus. He was buried in the tomb next to Sultan Ahmet Mosque.

Sultan I. Mustafa (1592-1639), who ascended to the throne twice and was deposed twice, succumbed to a seizure on January 20, 1639, as he spent most of his life in seclusion, leading to a disturbed mental state.

The death of Sultan II. Osman (1604-1618) took place on May 20, 1622, after he ascended the throne at a young age and caused a military rebellion due to his efforts to reform the Janissary Corps, ultimately resulting in his brutal death (strangulation) at Yedikule. Sultan II. Osman was the first Sultan to be killed as a result of a rebellion.

Sultan IV. Murad (1612-1640) passed away on February 8, 1640, due to dropsy. Western sources claim that Sultan Murad died of cirrhosis.

Sultan Ibrahim (1616-1640), who was ordered to be executed by his mother, became the second Ottoman Sultan to be killed. After being deposed on August 7, 1648, Sultan Ibrahim's cries and screams were heard throughout the palace for 10 days. Upon the decision of his mother Kösem Sultan and those around her, Sultan Ibrahim was strangled to death by the renowned Ottoman executioner Kara Ali.

Sultan IV. Mehmet's (1642-1693) death occurred in 1693 due to pulmonary disease resulting from his disinterest in state affairs and rebellions, which led to his deposition in 1687 and four years of imprisonment.

Sultan II. Süleyman's (1642-1691)

 death resulted from kidney failure, and Sultan I. Ahmet's introduction of the 'cage system' meant that Sultan 2. Süleyman lived in palace confinement for a full 40 years and ruled for only four years.

Sultan II. Ahmet's (1643-1695) death occurred on February 6, 1695, as he fell ill while waiting for news of the conquest of Chios island in Edirne. His body was interred in the tomb of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent.

Sultan II. Mustafa's (1664-1703) death took place on December 29, 1703, due to prostate cancer resulting from sorrow, and he passed away at a relatively young age.

Sultan III. Ahmet's (1673-1736) death occurred on June 24, 1736, due to diabetes. Sultan 3. Ahmet was deposed in 1730 following the Patrona Halil Rebellion and spent the rest of his life in confinement at Topkapi Palace.

Sultan I. Mahmud's (1696-1754) death occurred on December 14, 1754, when he suffered a brain hemorrhage after falling from a horse following Friday prayers.

Sultan III. Osman's (1699-1757) death took place on January 2, 1699, due to smallpox.

Sultan III. Mustafa's (1717-1774) death occurred on January 28, 1717, during the Ottoman-Russian wars, when he suffered a heart attack.

Sultan I. Abdulhamid's (1725-1789) death occurred on April 7, 1789, as a result of a brain hemorrhage following the news of the fall of Anapa fortress to the Russians during the Ottoman-Russian war.

Sultan III. Selim (1761-1808) was deposed in 1807 during the Kabakçı Mustafa Rebellion and was imprisoned in the palace. Later, supporters of Sultan 4. Mustafa, organized in Ruschuk (Bulgaria) under the command of Alemdar Mustafa Pasha, came to Istanbul to reinstate Sultan 3. Selim. However, in the ensuing chaos, Sultan 3. Selim was assassinated on July 28, 1808, by a group of Sultan 4. Mustafa's supporters.

The death of Sultan IV. Mustafa (1779-1808) followed a fate similar to that of the deposed Sultan 3. Selim. When Alemdar Mustafa Pasha found Sultan 3. Selim's body in the palace, he proclaimed Prince Mahmut (2. Mahmut) as Sultan. (July 28, 1808). Sultan 4. Mustafa settled in Topkapi Palace. However, about four months after Sultan 2. Mahmut ascended the throne, Sultan 4. Mustafa was strangled on November 17, 1808, to prevent any attempts to reclaim the throne.

Sultan II. Mahmut's (1785-1839) death occurred on July 1, 1839, due to tuberculosis.

Sultan Abdulmecid's (1823-1861) death occurred on June 25, 1861, due to tuberculosis, similar to his father Sultan Mahmud.

Sultan Abdulaziz's (1830-1876) death is one of the most debated among Ottoman rulers. Deposed by the Committee of Union and Progress, Sultan Abdulaziz was found with his wrists slit just a few days after his dethronement on June 4, 1876, in Feriye Palace. While it is claimed that he committed suicide, most historians believe he was murdered, and the scene was staged as a suicide. (The fact that both of his wrists were deeply cut is the strongest evidence suggesting that a suicide was staged. Dr. Marko Pasha, who examined the cuts, stated that no person could cut their other wrist while one wrist was already cut to a depth of 3 cm.)

Sultan V. Murad's (1840-1904) death occurred on August 29, 1904, due to diabetes and the resulting damage to his body.

Sultan II. Abdülhamid (1842-1918) succumbed to pneumonia in Beylerbeyi Palace at the age of 76 on February 10, 1918.

Sultan 5. Mehmet's (1844-1918) death occurred on July 3, 1918, due to complications from diabetes. He suffered from chronic diabetes, and his demise was a result of the damage caused by the disease.

Sultan Mehmet Vahdettin (1861-1926) passed away in San Remo, Italy, where he was in exile, on May 16, 1926, due to a heart attack.