The Ottoman Civil War was a war of succession in 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 ...

from 1509 to 1512, during the reign of

Bayezid II Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...

, between his two sons Ahmed 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 * ...

. In 1509, Ahmed, the older claimant, won a battle against the Karaman Turks and their Safavid allies in Asia Minor and marched on

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

Finkel, Caroline, ''Osman's Dream'', (Basic Books, 2005), 57 ;"Istanbul was only adopted as the city's official name in 1930...'". to exploit his triumph. Fearing for his safety, Selim staged a revolt in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

but was defeated by Bayezid and forced to flee to

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

in 1511. Bayezid II developed fears that Ahmed might then kill him to gain the throne and refused to allow his son to enter Constantinople. Though some sources suggest that the

Janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

acted on their own in preventing Ahmed from entering the city due to their loyalty to Selim. Selim returned from Crimea and, with support from the Janissaries, defeated and eventually killed Ahmed a year later in 1513 after a series of civil disobediences. Bayezid II abdicated the throne on April 25, 1512 and departed for retirement in his native Demotika, but he died along the way and is buried next to Bayezid Mosque, in Constantinople.

References

Sources

* Finkel, Caroline, ''Osman's Dream'', Basic Books, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ottoman Civil War (1509-13) Wars involving the Ottoman Empire Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Asia Conflicts in 1509 Conflicts in 1510 Conflicts in 1511 Conflicts in 1512 1509 in the Ottoman Empire 1510s in the Ottoman Empire Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe

See also

References

Sources