Ottoman Interregnum
Encyclopedia
The Ottoman Interregnum (20 July 1402
– 5 July 1413
) (also known as The Ottoman Triumvirate
; Fetret Devri in Turkish
) began in 20 July 1402
, when chaos reigned in the Ottoman Empire
following the defeat of Sultan
Bayezid I
by the Turco-Mongol
warlord Timur
(Tamerlane). Although Mehmed Çelebi was confirmed as sultan by Tamerlane, his brothers refused to recognize his authority. Civil war was the result. The Interregnum lasted until 5 July 1413
, when Mehmed Çelebi emerged as victor in the strife, crowned himself sultan as Mehmed I
, and restored the empire.
, with his capital at Adrianople, ruled northern Greece
, Bulgaria
and Thrace
. The second son, İsa Çelebi
, established himself as an independent ruler at Bursa
after the Timurids retired from Asia Minor. Mehmed, the youngest of the brothers, formed a kingdom at Amasya
. War soon broke out between Mehmed and İsa, in which Mehmed took Bursa which had been in İsa's hands.
Süleyman crossed the straits. At first Suleyman was successful. He invaded Anatolia and captured Bursa and Ankara in 1404. Meanwhile the other surviving son of Bayezid, Prince Mûsa
, who had been captured at the battle of Ankara
in 1402 and later released in 1403, had been captured by the Seljuk Prince of Germiyan, through whose territories he was passing with the remains of his father, whom he was to bury at Bursa. Mehmed freed Mûsa, and Prince Mûsa fought on Mehmed's side against Suleyman in Anatolia.
Mûsa persuaded Mehmed to let him cross the Black Sea
to Thrace
with a small force to attack Suleyman's territories. This maneuver soon recalled Suleyman to Thrace, where a short but sanguinary contest between him and Mûsa ensued. At first Suleyman had the advantage, winning the battle of Kosmidion
in 1410, but in 1411 his army defected to Mûsa at Edirne and Suleyman was executed on the orders of Musa. Mûsa was now master of the Ottoman dominions in Thrace.
, had been the ally of Suleyman; Mûsa therefore attacked him, and besieged his capital. Manuel called on Mehmed to protect him, and the Anatolian Ottomans now garrisoned Constantinople against the Ottomans of Thrace. Mehmed made several unsuccessful sallies against his brother's troops, and was obliged to re-cross the Bosporus
to quell a revolt that had broken out in his own territories. Mûsa now pressed the siege of Constantinople. Mehmed returned to Thrace, and obtained the assistance of Stephan, the Serbian King.
The armies of the rival Ottoman brothers met on the plain of Chamurli
(today Samokov
, Bulgaria), near the southern Serbian frontier. Hassan, the Aga of the Janissaries on the side of Mehmed, stepped out before the ranks and tried to get the troops to change sides. Mûsa rushed against Hassan and killed him, but was himself wounded by an officer who had accompanied Hassan. Mûsa's Rumelian forces fought well, but the battle was won by Mehmed and his allies. Mûsa's army fled and he himself fled with them until he was shot from his horse then killed by one of Mehmed's commanders. With Mûsa dead Mehmed was the sole surviving son of the late Sultan Bayezid I and became Sultan Mehmed I. The Interregnum was a striking example of the fratricide that would become common in Ottoman successions.
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
– 5 July 1413
Musa Çelebi
Musa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for three years during Ottoman Interregnum. - Background :...
) (also known as The Ottoman Triumvirate
Triumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
; Fetret Devri in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
) began in 20 July 1402
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
, when chaos reigned in 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...
following the defeat of Sultan
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...
Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
by the Turco-Mongol
Turco-Mongol
Turko-Mongol is a modern designation for various nomads who were subjects of the Mongol Empire. Being progressively Turkicized in terms of language and identity following the Mongol conquests, they derived their ethnic and cultural origins from steppes of Central Asia...
warlord Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
(Tamerlane). Although Mehmed Çelebi was confirmed as sultan by Tamerlane, his brothers refused to recognize his authority. Civil war was the result. The Interregnum lasted until 5 July 1413
Musa Çelebi
Musa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for three years during Ottoman Interregnum. - Background :...
, when Mehmed Çelebi emerged as victor in the strife, crowned himself sultan as Mehmed I
Mehmed I
Mehmed I Çelebi was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. He was one of the sons of Bayezid I and Valide Sultan Devlet Hatun Mehmed I Çelebi (Ottoman: چلبی محمد, Mehmed I or Mehmed Çelebi) (1382, Bursa – May 26, 1421, Edirne, Ottoman Empire) was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
, and restored the empire.
Civil war
Civil war broke out among the sons of Sultan Bayezid I upon his death in 1403. His oldest son, SuleymanSüleyman Çelebi
Süleyman Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for several years during the Ottoman Interregnum. - Back ground :...
, with his capital at Adrianople, ruled northern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. The second son, İsa Çelebi
İsa Çelebi
İsa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire during the Ottoman Interregnum. -Background:...
, established himself as an independent ruler at Bursa
Bursa, Turkey
Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. The metropolitan area in the entire Bursa province had a population of 2.6 million as of 2010, making the city fourth most populous in Turkey. The city is equally one of the most industrialized metropolitan centers in the...
after the Timurids retired from Asia Minor. Mehmed, the youngest of the brothers, formed a kingdom at Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
. War soon broke out between Mehmed and İsa, in which Mehmed took Bursa which had been in İsa's hands.
Süleyman crossed the straits. At first Suleyman was successful. He invaded Anatolia and captured Bursa and Ankara in 1404. Meanwhile the other surviving son of Bayezid, Prince Mûsa
Musa Çelebi
Musa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for three years during Ottoman Interregnum. - Background :...
, who had been captured at the battle of Ankara
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
in 1402 and later released in 1403, had been captured by the Seljuk Prince of Germiyan, through whose territories he was passing with the remains of his father, whom he was to bury at Bursa. Mehmed freed Mûsa, and Prince Mûsa fought on Mehmed's side against Suleyman in Anatolia.
Mûsa persuaded Mehmed to let him cross the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
to Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
with a small force to attack Suleyman's territories. This maneuver soon recalled Suleyman to Thrace, where a short but sanguinary contest between him and Mûsa ensued. At first Suleyman had the advantage, winning the battle of Kosmidion
Battle of Kosmidion
The Battle of Kosmidion, fought June 15, 1410, occurred during the Ottoman Interregnum and was fought between the forces of Musa Çelebi and the supporters of Suleyman Çelebi just outside the land walls of Constantinople. During the battle, some of Musa's vassals, including Vuk Lazarevic , deserted...
in 1410, but in 1411 his army defected to Mûsa at Edirne and Suleyman was executed on the orders of Musa. Mûsa was now master of the Ottoman dominions in Thrace.
War against the Byzantines
The Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II PalaiologosManuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
, had been the ally of Suleyman; Mûsa therefore attacked him, and besieged his capital. Manuel called on Mehmed to protect him, and the Anatolian Ottomans now garrisoned Constantinople against the Ottomans of Thrace. Mehmed made several unsuccessful sallies against his brother's troops, and was obliged to re-cross the Bosporus
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...
to quell a revolt that had broken out in his own territories. Mûsa now pressed the siege of Constantinople. Mehmed returned to Thrace, and obtained the assistance of Stephan, the Serbian King.
The armies of the rival Ottoman brothers met on the plain of Chamurli
Battle of Camurlu
The battle of Camurlu was fought on July 5, 1413, between Musa and Mehmet I. This battle decided which son of Bayezid I would finally unite the Ottomans.-Mehmet's invasion and final battle:...
(today Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...
, Bulgaria), near the southern Serbian frontier. Hassan, the Aga of the Janissaries on the side of Mehmed, stepped out before the ranks and tried to get the troops to change sides. Mûsa rushed against Hassan and killed him, but was himself wounded by an officer who had accompanied Hassan. Mûsa's Rumelian forces fought well, but the battle was won by Mehmed and his allies. Mûsa's army fled and he himself fled with them until he was shot from his horse then killed by one of Mehmed's commanders. With Mûsa dead Mehmed was the sole surviving son of the late Sultan Bayezid I and became Sultan Mehmed I. The Interregnum was a striking example of the fratricide that would become common in Ottoman successions.
See also
- Incorporates text from “History of Ottoman Turks” (1878)
| Preceded by: Bayezid I Bayezid I Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education... |
Ottoman Interregnum 1402–1413 |
Succeeded by: Mehmed I Mehmed I Mehmed I Çelebi was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. He was one of the sons of Bayezid I and Valide Sultan Devlet Hatun Mehmed I Çelebi (Ottoman: چلبی محمد, Mehmed I or Mehmed Çelebi) (1382, Bursa – May 26, 1421, Edirne, Ottoman Empire) was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire... |