Everything about Mehmed Iv totally explained
Mehmed IV (
Ottoman Turkish: محمد رابع
Meḥmed-i rābi‘; also known as
Avcı, "hunter") (
January 2,
1642–
1693) was the
Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire from
1648 to
1687. Taking the throne at age seven, his reign was significant as he changed the nature of the Sultan's position forever by giving up most of his executive power to his
Grand Vizier.
Early life
Born in 1642, he was the son of Sultan
Ibrahim (1640–48) by a
Russian concubine,
Turhan Hadice Sultan, and the grandson of
Kösem Sultan of
Greek origin. Soon after his birth, his father and mother quarreled, and Ibrahim was so enraged that he tore Mehmed from his mother's arms and flung the infant into a
cistern. Fortunately, Mehmed was rescued by the harem servants. His father's actions resulted in Mehmed cutting his head, which left him with a lifelong scar.
Reign
Mehmed ascended to the throne in
1648 at the age of only seven. His ascension marked the end of a very volatile time for the
Ottoman Dynasty; there had been a
Mustafa I deposed twice and two Sultans killed, including Mehmed’s father and predecessor,
Ibrahim I.
Confrontation with Cossacks
An incident during Mehmed IV's reign is remembered mainly in
Ukraine and
Russia. The
Zaporozhian Cossacks defeated Ottoman forces in the field and refused the Sultan's demand to submit, answering him with a letter full of insults and profanities. This response is commemorated in the famous late 19th century painting
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks by the Russian painter
Ilya Repin.
Later life and death
After his deposition by the combined forces of Yeğen Osman and the
janissaries in 1687, Mehmed was imprisoned in
Topkapı Palace. However, he was permitted to leave the Palace, from time to time, as he died in
Edirne in 1692. He was buried in his mother's,
Turhan Hadice Sultan's tomb, near her mosque in
Istanbul. Just before he died, in 1691, a plot was discovered, in which the senior clerics of the empire planned to reinstate Mehmed on the throne, in response to the ill health of his successor,
Suleiman II.
Accomplishments
Sultan Mehmed IV was known as
Avcı, "the hunter", as this outdoor exercise took up much of his time.
His reign is notable for a brief revival of Ottoman fortunes led by the infamous
Grand Vizier,
Mehmed Köprülü. Köprülü regained the
Aegean islands from
Venice and fought successful campaigns against
Transylvania (
1664) and
Poland (
1670–
1674). At one point, when Mehmed IV allied himself with
Petro Doroshenko, Ottoman rule was close to extending into
Podolia and
Ukraine. See
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks for his correspondence with the
Cossacks.
A later vizier,
Kara Mustafa was less able. Supporting the
1683 Hungarian uprising of
Imre Thököly against
Austrian rule, Kara Mustafa marched a vast army through
Hungary and besieged
Vienna at the
Battle of Vienna. On the Kahlenberg Heights, the Ottomans were utterly routed by the Imperial army (under
Charles V,
Duke of Lorraine) and the vengeful Poles led by their King,
John III Sobieski (1674–96).
Further Information
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