Ibrahim I
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim I (November 5, 1615 – August 12/18, 1648) was the Sultan
of the Ottoman Empire
from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Istanbul
the son of Ahmed I
by Valide Sultan
Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek
originally named Anastasia. He was unofficially called Ibrahim the Arrage (Turkish: Deli İbrahim) due to his mental condition.
One of the most famous Ottoman Sultans, he was released from the Kafes
and succeeded his brother Murad IV
(1623–40) in 1640, though against the wishes of Murad IV, who had ordered him killed upon his own death. Murad IV had himself succeeded their older brother Osman II
in 1622, and had ordered his three other brothers executed. Ibrahim I was allowed to live because he was too mad to be a threat. Ibrahim brought the empire almost to collapse in a very short space of time — paralleled only perhaps, by the rule of Phocas
(602–610) in the Byzantine Empire
. Probably mentally unstable, he is claimed to have suffered from neurasthenia
, and was also depressed
after the death of his brother. His reign was essentially that of his mother, Mâh-Peyker Kösem Valide Sultan
, who was no longer hindered in controlling the empire as she willed.
He is known to have had an obsession with obese
women, urging his agents to find the fattest woman possible. A candidate was tracked down in Georgia
or Armenia
who weighed over 330 pounds and was given the pet name Şeker Pâre (literally, "sugarbit" or "piece of sugar"). Ibrahim was so pleased with her that he gave her a government pension and the title of Governor General of Damascus. It is said that when he heard a rumor his concubines were compromised by another man, he had 280 members of his harem drowned in the Bosphorus ( Boğaziçi )
. He was seen feeding coins to fish living in the palace's pool. These feats earned him the nickname "arrage".
Ibrahim at first stayed away from politics, but eventually he took to raising and executing a number of vizier
s. A war with Venice
was fought, and in spite of the decline of La Serenissima, Venetian
ships won victories throughout the Aegean
, capturing Tenedos
(1646), the gateway to the Dardanelles
. Ibrahim's rule grew ever more unpredictable. Eventually, he was deposed in a coup led by the Sheikh ul-Islam
. There is an apocryphal story to the effect that the Sheikh ul-Islam
acted in response to Ibrahim's decision to drown all 280 members of his harem
, but there is other evidence to suggest that at least two of Ibrahim's concubines survived him (particularly Turhan Hatice
, who was responsible for the death three years later of Kösem
, then serving as regent for Ibrahim's son by Hatice, Mehmed IV
). Chances are this story was circulated after the coup to silence those who for whatever reason preferred a mad sultan. He was strangled in Istanbul
at the behest of the Grand Vizier
Mevlevî Mehmed Paşa (Sofu Mehmed Pasha).
He was married to Turhan Hatice (Khadija) Valide Sultan
, a Ukrainian
(the mother of Mehmed IV
), to Saliha Dilâşub Valide Sultan (the mother of Suleiman II
), and to Hatice (Khadija) Muazzez Sultan
(the mother of Ahmed II
).
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
from 1640 until 1648. He was born in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
the son of Ahmed I
Ahmed I
Ahmed I or Ahmed Bakhti was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617.-Biography:...
by Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan
Valide Sultan was the title held by the mother of a ruling Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish pronunciation of the word Valide is . The title is sometimes translated as Queen Mother, although the position of Valide Sultan was quite different.The position was perhaps the most important...
Kadinefendi Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
originally named Anastasia. He was unofficially called Ibrahim the Arrage (Turkish: Deli İbrahim) due to his mental condition.
One of the most famous Ottoman Sultans, he was released from the Kafes
Kafes
Kafes, literally "the 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....
and succeeded his brother Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
(1623–40) in 1640, though against the wishes of Murad IV, who had ordered him killed upon his own death. Murad IV had himself succeeded their older brother Osman II
Osman II
Sultan Osman II or Othman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death on 20 May 1622...
in 1622, and had ordered his three other brothers executed. Ibrahim I was allowed to live because he was too mad to be a threat. Ibrahim brought the empire almost to collapse in a very short space of time — paralleled only perhaps, by the rule of Phocas
Phocas
Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:...
(602–610) in the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Probably mentally unstable, he is claimed to have suffered from neurasthenia
Neurasthenia
Neurasthenia is a psycho-pathological term first used by George Miller Beard in 1869 to denote a condition with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, headache, neuralgia and depressed mood...
, and was also depressed
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
after the death of his brother. His reign was essentially that of his mother, Mâh-Peyker Kösem Valide Sultan
Kösem
Kösem Sultan — also known as Mehpeyker Sultan — was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history . Consort and favourite concubine of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I...
, who was no longer hindered in controlling the empire as she willed.
He is known to have had an obsession with obese
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
women, urging his agents to find the fattest woman possible. A candidate was tracked down in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
or Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
who weighed over 330 pounds and was given the pet name Şeker Pâre (literally, "sugarbit" or "piece of sugar"). Ibrahim was so pleased with her that he gave her a government pension and the title of Governor General of Damascus. It is said that when he heard a rumor his concubines were compromised by another man, he had 280 members of his harem drowned in the Bosphorus ( Boğaziçi )
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
. He was seen feeding coins to fish living in the palace's pool. These feats earned him the nickname "arrage".
Ibrahim at first stayed away from politics, but eventually he took to raising and executing a number of vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
s. A war with Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
was fought, and in spite of the decline of La Serenissima, Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
ships won victories throughout the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, capturing Tenedos
Tenedos
Tenedos or Bozcaada or Bozdja-Ada is a small island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Bozcaada district of Çanakkale province in Turkey. , Tenedos has a population of about 2,354. The main industries are tourism, wine production and fishing...
(1646), the gateway to the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. Ibrahim's rule grew ever more unpredictable. Eventually, he was deposed in a coup led by the Sheikh ul-Islam
Sheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
. There is an apocryphal story to the effect that the Sheikh ul-Islam
Sheikh ul-Islam
Shaykh al-Islām is a title of superior authority in the issues of Islam....
acted in response to Ibrahim's decision to drown all 280 members of his harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
, but there is other evidence to suggest that at least two of Ibrahim's concubines survived him (particularly Turhan Hatice
Turhan Hatice
Turhan Hatice Valide Sultan, Devletlu İsmetlu Turhan Hadice Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-şân Hazretleri , was one of the hasekis of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV .Turhan Hatice is prominent for the regency of her young son and her building patronage.-From...
, who was responsible for the death three years later of Kösem
Kösem
Kösem Sultan — also known as Mehpeyker Sultan — was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history . Consort and favourite concubine of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I...
, then serving as regent for Ibrahim's son by Hatice, Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
). Chances are this story was circulated after the coup to silence those who for whatever reason preferred a mad sultan. He was strangled in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
at the behest of the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Mevlevî Mehmed Paşa (Sofu Mehmed Pasha).
He was married to Turhan Hatice (Khadija) Valide Sultan
Turhan Hatice
Turhan Hatice Valide Sultan, Devletlu İsmetlu Turhan Hadice Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-şân Hazretleri , was one of the hasekis of the Ottoman sultan Ibrahim I and the mother of his successor, Mehmed IV .Turhan Hatice is prominent for the regency of her young son and her building patronage.-From...
, a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
(the mother of Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
), to Saliha Dilâşub Valide Sultan (the mother of Suleiman II
Suleiman II
Suleiman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691...
), and to Hatice (Khadija) Muazzez Sultan
Hatice Muazzez Sultan
Hatice Muazzez Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan Hatice Muazzez Sultan (Hatice (Khadija) Mu’azzez The Second Haseki Sultan or Devletlu İsmetlu Hatice (Khadija) Mu’azzez İkinci Haseki Sultânā Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri , (née Eva) (ca. 1629 – 1687).- Biography :...
(the mother of Ahmed II
Ahmed II
Ahmed II Khan Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695...
).