İsa Çelebi
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Îsâ Çelebi (; – September 1403) was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire during the Ottoman Interregnum.


Background

İsa was one of the sons of
Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...
, the Ottoman sultan. His mother was Devletşah Hatun, the daughter of Süleyman Şah of Germiyanids and Mutahhara Abide Hatun. Isa was appointed as the sanjak governor of
Hamid Hamid refers to two different but related Arabic given names, both of which come from the Arabic triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D (): # (Arabic: ''ḥāmed'') also spelled Haamed, Hamid or Hamed, and in Turkish Hamit; it means "lauder" or "one ...
after its conquest. Some sources mention his participation in the Battle of Nicopolis, however this cannot be verified. In 1402, he participated in the Battle of Ankara alongside his father. After the defeat, he escaped and hid around Balıkesir As of November 1402, he established dominance on the Asian side of the
Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
and the south of the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
. Immediately after Timur took
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
in 16 December 1402, he expressed his loyalty to Timur through his ambassador Kutbüddin İznikî. He sent Timur valuable horses and gifts together with the ambassador. Timur also sent him a belt, a cap and a robe and gave him the administration of the Karesi (Balıkesir) region.


Ottoman Interregnum

In 1403, after learning about his father's death in captivity, he began to struggle for the vacant throne against his brothers Mehmed Çelebi, Musa Çelebi, and Süleyman Çelebi. He fought against Musa to gain control of
Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...
, the Anatolian capital of the empire. He defeated Musa and won control of a part of Anatolian territory of the empire. But the European territory, Rumeli, was under the control of Süleyman and the east part of Anatolian territory was under the control of Mehmed. Feeling his lands to be fragile situated between his brothers' on both sides, he signed a treaty of friendship with the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
emperor Manuel II Palaiologos and refused Mehmed's suggestion to partition the Anatolian part of the empire with him, on the grounds that he was the elder brother and was entitled the entirety of the territory. But following this refusal, he was defeated by Mehmed in the Battle of Ulubad in March or May 1403. In this battle, he also lost his
vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
Timurtaş, who was an experienced statesman. He escaped to Rumeli over Byzantine territories. He met with Süleyman, who supported his cause in Anatolia. With fresh troops provided by Süleyman, he returned to Anatolia and tried to recapture Bursa. Although he failed, allying himself with the Anatolian beyliks, which his father Beyazıt I had captured but which had regained independence after Beyazıt's defeat at the Battle of Ankara, he continued to fight against Mehmed. However, after a series of defeats and the betrayal of his allies, İsa gave up the war for the throne.Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: ''Türkiye Tarihi Cilt II'', AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p 72 After losing the struggle, İsa went into hiding, and was spotted in a public bath () in
Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...
, and was strangled by Mehmed's partisans in 1403. Ruy González de Clavijo wrote that İsa Çelebi wasn't alive in September 1403. His body was buried next to his father in Bursa. In historical sources, he is described as a characterful prince, but also as an unfortunate and weak person.


Aftermath

After his death, the interregnum continued till 1413. In 1413, Mehmet became the sole ruler of the empire as Mehmed I after defeating Musa. Another one of the brothers, Mustafa Çelebi, who had been in hiding during the interregnum, later led two failed rebellions against the throne, one against Mehmet in 1416, and another in 1421 against his nephew Murad II. Murat called Mustafa Çelebi ("the impostor") and executed him.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isa Year of birth unknown 1403 deaths 15th-century Ottoman royalty Ottoman princes Executed people from the Ottoman Empire 15th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire People of the Ottoman Interregnum Pretenders to the Ottoman throne Date of birth unknown Sons of sultans Children of Bayezid I