Şehzade Mehmed
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Şehzade Mehmed (; 1521 – 7 November 1543) was an Ottoman prince, son of Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
and his wife Hürrem Sultan. He served as governor of
Manisa Manisa () is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province, lying approximately 40 km northeast of the major city of İzmir. The city forms the urban part of the districts Şehzadeler and Yunusemre, with ...
.


Early life

Şehzade Mehmed was born in 1521 in the Old Palace, during Suleiman's campaign to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. His birth was celebrated in the camp with sacrifices and distribution of alms. His mother was Hürrem Sultan, an Orthodox priest's daughter. In 1533 or 1534, his mother, Hurrem, was freed and became Suleiman's legal wife. He had four younger brothers, Şehzade Selim (future Selim II), Şehzade Abdullah, who died at the age of three years, Şehzade Bayezid, and Şehzade Cihangir, and a younger sister, Mihrimah Sultan. In June–July 1530, a three week celebration was organised in Constantinople that centered around the circumcision of Mehmed, and his brothers Mustafa, and
Selim Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin **Salim (poet) (1800–1866), Kurdish poet **Saleem (playwright), Palestinian-American gay Muslim playwright, actor, DJ, and dancer * ...
. The princes were circumcised on 27 June 1530. The festivities ranged from displays of captured enemy items to simulated battles, featuring performances by jugglers and strongmen, as well as reenactments of recent conflicts. Suleiman played a central role, observing everything from a loggia in the Hippodrome, while
Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha ( 149515 March 1536), was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire appointed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Ibrahim, born as Orthodox Christian, was enslaved during his youth. He and Suleiman became close frie ...
actively oversaw the proceedings and presented extravagant gifts to the sultan and the princes.


Career

In May 1533, Mustafa was appointed the governor of Manisa. Mehmed on the other hand remained in the capital. In May 1537, he and his brother Selim joined their father on his campaign to
Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
. This marked the inaugural military campaign of both of his sons. Their presence in a military campaign conveyed a message of dynastic continuity. In 1540, the sultan took him and Selim with him to spend the winter in
Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
. In June 1541, he and Selim once again accompanied their father on his campaign to
Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
. Suleiman loved and favoured Mehmed, and appointed him as heir contrary to the tradition. Soon after their return from Buda in October 1542, Suleiman, with Hürrem's influence, appointed him governor of Manisa. He also appointed Selim governor of Karaman. Prior to the appointment, Şehzade Mustafa was sent to Amasya on 16 June 1541. Mehmed began his duties formally as governor soon after his arrival to Manisa on 12 November 1542. His mother, however, didn't accompany him to his provincial post. A Manisa register indicates that she did, however, visit Mehmed in 1543. The same year, she also visited her younger son, Prince Selim, in Karaman. His only child, Hümaşah Sultan was born in 1543 in Manisa.
Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
describes Mehmed as a "prince of more exquisite qualities than even Mustafa. He had a piercing intellect and a subtle judgment. Suleiman had intended that he would be his successor, but man proposes and God disposes".


Death

Mehmed fell ill during the public festivities held in honor of his father's most recent military campaign in Manisa. He died shortly after, on 7 November 1543, probably of
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
. The deceased prince's remains were transported from Manisa to Üsküdar by Lala Pasha, and Defterdar İbrahim Çelebi in the north, just across the sea from Constantinople, where a funeral procession was assembled. With solemnity, the prince's coffin was conveyed to the quay and crossed the Bosphorus to reach Constantinople. A sizable assembly, comprising scholars, religious elders, palace inhabitants, city residents, and the sultan himself, awaited the arrival. Subsequently, the augmented procession ascended the hill to the Bayezid II Mosque for the funeral prayer. After his death his younger brother Selim replaced him as the governor of Manisa. After Mehmed's death, Suleiman had the famed imperial architect
Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
build the
Şehzade Mosque The Şehzade Mosque () is a 16th-century Ottoman imperial mosque located in the district of Fatih, on the third hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent as a memorial to his son Şehzade Mehmed who died in 1543 ...
in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
to commemorate Mehmed. Also, Suleiman composed an elegy for Mehmed and ended the poem with the line "Most distinguished of the princes, my Sultan Mehmed". Suleiman commissioned the construction of a complex, comprising a mausoleum, a soup kitchen, a mosque, and a madrasa, dedicated to Mehmed.


Issue

Şehzade Mehmed had an only daughter: * Hümaşah Sultan (1543 - 1582). Also called Hüma Sultan. She was born in Manisa shortly before her father's death and was raised in Constantinople by her grandmother Hürrem. She married three times and had five sons and five daughters. Her mother was a concubine, possibly named Aya Hatun.


In popular culture

* In the 2003 TV miniseries ''Hürrem Sultan'', Şehzade Mehmed was played by Turkish actor Sezgi Mengi. * In the 2011–2014 TV series '' Muhteşem Yüzyıl,'' (Magnificent Century) Şehzade Mehmed is portrayed by Turkish actor Gürbey İleri (main) in the third season, and Arda Anarat (supporting) in the second and third season.


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmed, Sehzade 1521 births 1543 deaths 16th-century Ottoman royalty Children of Suleiman the Magnificent Royalty from Istanbul Ottoman people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars Deaths from smallpox Sons of sultans People of the Habsburg–Ottoman wars in Hungary (1526–1568) Sons of caliphs