Suleiman II ( ''Süleymān-i sānī''; ; 15 April 1642 – 22 June 1691) was the

sultan of the Ottoman Empire The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

from 1687 to 1691. After being brought to the throne by an armed mutiny, Suleiman and his grand vizier Fazıl Mustafa Pasha were successfully able to turn the tide of the War of the Holy League, reconquering

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 ...

in 1690, as well as carrying out significant fiscal and military reforms.

Early life

Suleiman II was born on 15 April 1642 at

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...

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 ...

, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and

Saliha Dilaşub Sultan Saliha Dilaşub Sultan (, "''the devout one''" and "''queen bee's heart''"; - 4 December 1689), also known as Aşub Sultan or Aşube Sultan, was a consort of Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim and Valide Sultan to their son Suleiman II. Origin Saliha Dila ...

, a Serb woman originally named Katarina. Suleiman was only 3 months younger than his half-brother

Mehmed IV Mehmed IV (; ; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693), nicknamed as Mehmed the Hunter (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to b ...

, who was born on 2 January 1642. After the deposition and execution of his father in 1648, Suleiman's half-brother Mehmed came to the throne. On 21 October 1649, Suleiman along with his brothers Mehmed and Ahmed were circumcised. In 1651, Suleiman was confined in the ''

Kafes The Kafes (, from ), literally "cage", was the part of the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Palace where possible successors to the throne were kept under a form of house-arrest and constant surveillance by the palace guards. The early history of ...

'', a luxurious prison for royal princes within

. This was done to avoid a rebellion. He stayed there for 36 years until he took the throne in 1687.

Reign

Shortly before he assumed the throne, the Ottomans suffered a major defeat at the second Battle of Mohács in 1687. In 1688, Suleiman II urgently requested the

Mughal Emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

for assistance against the rapidly advancing

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

, during the Ottoman–Habsburg War, but most

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

forces were engaged in the

Deccan Wars The Deccan wars were a series of military conflicts between the Mughal Empire and the descendants of the Maratha Empire, Maratha ruler Shivaji from the time of Shivaji's death in 1680 until the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. Shivaji was ...

and Aurangzeb ignored Suleiman's request to commit to any formal assistance to their desperate Ottoman allies. The previous ban on alcohol (which was publicly flouted in Istanbul and Galata) was energized under Suleiman, where he managed to demolish several alcohol shops, but this just led to owners bringing in more alcohol. Suleiman II appointed

Köprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha Köprülü may refer to: People * Köprülü family (Kypriljotet), an Ottoman noble family of Albanian origin ** Köprülü era (1656–1703), the period in which the Ottoman Empire's politics were set by the Grand Viziers, mainly the Köprülü fa ...

as his

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

in 1689, leading to the reconquest of Belgrade in 1690. Later, the threat from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

was renewed when they joined in an alliance with other European powers, while the Ottomans had lost the support of their

Crimean 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 Ukrai ...

vassals, who were forced to defend themselves from several Russian invasions. Under Köprülü's leadership, the Ottomans halted an Austrian advance into

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and crushed an uprising in

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and

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until Köprülü was killed in the

Battle of Slankamen The Battle of Slankamen was fought on 19 August 1691, near Stari Slankamen, Slankamen in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Sanjak of Syrmia (modern-day Vojvodina, Serbia), between the Ottoman Empire, and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austrian forces ...

by Austrian forces.

Family

Suleiman II elevated six known concubines to the rank of consort, with the title of Kadin, used for the first time as a title rather than a rank.M. Çağatay Uluçay, Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları, Ötüken Publications, p. 113. Although some documents refer to some of the concubines of

, the previous sultan, such as '' Kadin '', historians agree that this class of concubines was institutionalized by Suleiman II He gave them various jewels and precious objects that belonged to

Muazzez Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan (, "''respectful lady''" and "''precious''"; – 12 September 1687) was the third Haseki Sultan of Sultan Ibrahim and the mother of Sultan Ahmed II. Life Muazzez entered in Ibrahim's harem around 1640, became his concub ...

, one of her father's Haseki Sultans. These gifts were requisitioned when

Ahmed II Ahmed II (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695. Early life Ahmed II was born on 25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and Muazzez Sultan. On 21 October 1649, Ahmed, along with his brothers Mehmed ...

, son of Muazzez, succeeded Suleiman II on the throne. The known consorts of Suleiman II were: *Hatice Kadın. BaşKadin (first consort). *Behzad Kadın. She received a brooch and a diamond ring that belonged to Muazzez Sultan. *Süğlün Kadın. She received a pair of pearl earrings, a pair of diamonds earrings and a pendant set with 83 pearls that belonged to Muazzez Sultan. *Şehsuvar Kadın. She received a pearl-encrusted ablution bowl and a pair of earrings that belonged to Muazzez Sultan. *Zeyneb Kadın. She received jewelry as gift in 1691. *İvaz Kadın. She received jewelry as gift in 1691. Despite his six consorts, Suleiman II remained childless. It is not known whether this was due to his sterility, lack of sexual interest, or his precarious health conditions, which forced him to be bedridden for the final half of his short reign.

Death

Suleiman II had fallen into a coma and was later brought to Edirne on 8 June 1691. He died on 22 June 1691 and his body was buried in Suleiman the Magnificent's tomb at Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. His brother Ahmed succeeded him as Sultan.

Gallery

File:II Suleyman Tugra.jpg, Tughra of Suleiman II File:Rijeka033.jpg, Suleiman II in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

File:Turchia, solimano II, kurush, 1687-1691.JPG, Coin of Suleiman II File:Suleiman II.tif, Suleiman II File:Suleiman II by John Young.jpg, Suleiman II File:Battle of Mohács 1687.jpg, The

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

after suffering a major defeat during the Second Battle of Mohács

Sources

Bibliography

External links

ged 49 {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman Ii 1642 births 1691 deaths Royalty from Istanbul Ottoman people of the Great Turkish War 17th-century sultans of the Ottoman Empire Turks from the Ottoman Empire Sons of sultans