Küçük Mustafa ("Mustafa the Small" or "Mustafa the Little" or "Mustafa the Young"; 1408 – 1423) was an Ottoman prince () who fought to gain control of the throne of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1422. It was used by the Ottoman chroniclers to distinguish him from his uncle

Mustafa Çelebi Mustafa Çelebi ( — May 1422), also called Mustafa the Impostor ( or ''Düzme Mustafa''), was an Ottoman prince who struggled to gain the throne of the Ottoman Empire in the early 15th century. He ruled parts of Rumelia twice between January ...

, who also fought for the throne.

Background

Mustafa was born in 1408. He was the second son of

Mehmed I Mehmed I (; – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi (, "the noble-born") or ''Kirişçi'' (, "lord's son"), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. Son of Sultan Bayezid I and his concubine Devlet Hatun, he fought with hi ...

. In the early years of the Ottoman Empire, all princes were required to work as provincial (

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

) governors as a part of their training. Young princes were accompanied by experienced statesmen. Mustafa's sanjak was Hamideli (roughly modern

Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

). But after the death of his father, fearing for his life at the hands of his elder brother, he escaped to the rival Turkish beylik

Karamanid The Karamanids ( or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman (), was a Turkish people, Turkish Anatolian beyliks, Anatolian beylik (principality) of Salur tribe origin, descended from Oghuz Turks, centered in South-Centra ...

territory. In Karaman, he was encouraged by an Ottoman

pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

named Şaraptar İlyas to rebel against his elder brother, new sultan

Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...

. Mustafa was supported by the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and married into the imperial family. In 1421 or 1422 he married Zampia Palaiologina Doria, daughter of

Zampia Palaiologina Zampia Palaiologina (Greek language, Greek: Ζαμπíα Παλαιολογίνα), also known as Zampea or Isabella, was a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine princess of the Palaiologos dynasty. She was an illegitimate daughter of Emperor John V Palaiol ...

who in turn was an illegitimate daughter of Emperor

John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. His long reign was marked by constant civil war, the spread of the Black Death and several military defea ...

().

The rebellion

Immediately after his coronation, Murat was occupied with the rebellion of his uncle

. After defeating Mustafa, Murat laid siege to the Byzantine capital Constantinople (modern

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 punish the Byzantine Empire for supporting Mustafa. Küçük Mustafa saw his chance to rebel. Supported with troops from Karaman, he began capturing the Anatolian territories of the Ottoman Empire. The Byzantine emperor, seeing this rebellion as a chance for relief from the siege, also supported the rebellion. Although unsuccessful in the siege 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 co-capital of the empire, Küçük Mustafa captured

İznik İznik () is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2, and its population 44,236 (2022). The town is at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile ...

(

Nicaea Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

of antiquity), another important city in the Anatolia.

End of the rebellion

After hearing the news of the rebellion, Murat lifted the siege on Constantinople and returned to Anatolia. He also corresponded with Şaraptar İlyas secretly. İlyas betrayed Küçük Mustafa and changed sides, and İznik was easily captured by Murat's forces. Although Mustafa tried to escape, he was soon arrested and executed.Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: ''Türkiye Tarihi ''Cilt II, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 pp 97-98

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustafa 15th-century Ottoman royalty 1400s births 1423 deaths Executed people from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman princes 15th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Pretenders to the Ottoman throne Sons of sultans