#Sultan Murad II.

[scaly-freaks]

Rewatching the Murad era of Muhtesem Yuzyil: Kosem sure hits different now that I've obsessed about Alicent and Aegon's mother-son relationship a 100 different ways. Unfortunately, my baby Alicent is not the iron-fisted force of nature Kosem is, and Murad shares Aegon's impulsive brashness but his decisions pan out better. The mother-son dynamic though, and the fact that both mothers outlived the sons...plus, judging by the S2 trailer, just like Murad, Aegon is going to make a habit of not heeding the woman who enthroned him.

Sons as their mother's sword arm except the blade is poisoned, URGH!!!!

[pinkie-satan]

yes i am very normal about my unhinged mother&son duos why you ask

[lya-dustin]

i am struck by the Aegon/Murad parallels

i need to know if Fire and Blood is inspired by Kosem and her kids

alcoholic/dies from poison allegedlyinvolving his mom(show wise, cirrosis irl, going the way Alicentwas writren she will be the one to put him down like her name is Kristi Noem)✔️

no living sons, only one daughter who dies tragically young ✔️

powerful mother who served as regent for a while and successfully put him on the throne✔️

usurped older half sibling who ordered the death of next sibling for the crime of being a contender for the throne(disputed but Rhaenyra is blamed for Helaena's suicide)✔️

orders the deaths of the male heirs despite having no sons (and fails to kill the last one)✔️

killed person he usurped and it was an older relative✔️

dynasty continues through the sibling he tried to kill(in aegon's case succeeded in killing)✔️

daughter had prophetic dreams(Kaya predicted her own death)/Helaena has prophetic dreams(Jaehaera unconfirmed)✔️

married a princess (show wise, Farya is an oc)✔️

killed his brothers(in Aegon's case indirectly because they died fighting for his cause)✔️

[ottomanladies]

reallifesultanas Thank you very much for your answer! Yes I meant Dumas not Alderson sorry for that! Is there a reason for the illogical amount of salaries? I mean the earlier salary lists of registers clearly help us to indentify the sultanas. The 1555-1556 registers are 100% logical; the 1603-1604 registers are still logical: Safiye, Handan, aunts of Ahmed, great-aunt of Ahmed, great-great aunt's daughter (Ayse Hümasah), cousin of Mehmed III, far relatives. But then there is this one.. highest salary for the full sisters of the sultan is logical, but then what does the daughters of Murad III doing there? Fahri/Kamer and Hümaşah/Rukiye* are surely Murads and so Ümmügülsüm could be also Murad's... For the lesser salaries Beyhan, Safiye, Hatice I could imagine they were Mehmed III's, maybe Beyhan's Mustafa was Mirahur Mustafa? But these stipends are just not logical... (*Murad III's daughte Rukiye was said to be married to Nakkas Hasan not Huma). And for Ümmügülsüm there is that one report from 1688 (Katherine Trumbull) when it is said she developed a relationship with Sultana Ümmühan, the aunt of the deposed Sultan Mehmed IV, through visits to the harem. This Ümmühan could be Halil Pasha's wife and so Murad III's/Mehmed III's daugher, or is it more likely not an aunt but sister/cousin? Or she truly can be Ahmed I's daughter? There is this 85 numaralı Mühimme defteri that provide some informations suggesting suggesting Ümmügülsüm was sister of Murad IV. Sadly I dont have the book so I cannot check how true is this claim...

I hope you don't mind if we continue here on ottomanladies.

I know the harem register doesn’t seem to make sense from the point of view of hierarchy but we must remember that the hierarchy could be broken on the basis of favouritism. Maybe those aunts were more favoured than the others.

In this table we can see Gevherhan Sultan, a great-aunt of Ahmed I’s, the reigning sultan. Dumas mistakenly identifies her as a daughter of Murad III’s and a concubine of non-haseki rank, but the reality is she’s first because she’s the most senior princess alive. If you look closely at the second category — “Frais de bouche” — she receives the same amount as Ayse and Fatma, Safiye’s daughters. Gevherhan was quite favoured by Ahmed I because she had trained Handan in her household. Also, her late husband Cerrah Mehmed Pasha had performed Ahmed I’s circumcision. Borekçi says that she was the only recipient — apart from Handan and Safiye — of sable fur:

“A register preserved in the Topkapı Palace Archives gives further details of the gifts Gevherhan Sultan received from her great grand-cousin. At the beginning of this register, there are records of the furs and robes of honor sent by the new sultan to his larger family right after his enthronement on December 27, 1603. Here, Gevherhan Sultan is listed as a recipient of a sable robe (semmûr kaplu nimtâne) and recorded as the third female member of the dynasty after the retiring queen mother, Safiye Sultan, and the new queen mother, Handan Sultan, and before all other living sisters and daughters of Murad III and Mehmed III -- a clear indication of her privileged position. Later, on February 6, 1604, she again appears in the register, this time as the only female family member apart from Handan Sultan to receive a fur-trimmed silk robe.”

(I believe the 6 şehzâdegân are unmarried princesses that Ahmed still had to matchmake but this is another story)

I know it’s Rukiye that Öztuna says has married Nakkaş Hasan Pasha but he could be wrong tbh, it wouldn’t be the first time. Also, neither Sakaoğlu or Uluçay confirm this; they give no information about Rukiye except for the identity of her mother. Unfortunately Öztuna never gives his sources so we don’t know where he found that Rukiye was married to Nakkaş Hasan Pasha. I would trust the harem register and contemporary sources (the ragusian diplomat, in this case) more tbh… both say that Nakkaş Hasan Pasha was married to a princess called Hümaşah…

About Beyhan… the problem is the wife of Mirahur Mustafa Pasha went on to marry Cigalazade Sinan Pasha’s son Mahmud Bey in 1612, and died before 1620, the date of Mahmud Bey’s second wedding, which means she shouldn’t have been alive in 1638-39. The Ragusian letter date 1648, though, lists a Beyhan Sultan widow of “Nideli Mustafa Pasha”— unfortunately, I can’t say who this man is or what “nideli” means.

I do agree with you, though. I think that Beyhan, Safiye, and Hatice are daughters of Mehmed III. We know that seven princesses were married in the summer of 1613, after all. A letter dated July 1613 by a Ragusian diplomat, furthermore, says that “at the present there are fifteen sultanas”.

About Katherine Trumbull, I guess you mean this:

“While in Istanbul, Katherine had developed a relationship with Sultana Ümmühan, Mehmed IV’s aunt and sister to Ibrahim II. On 14 July 1688, Katherine met with Ümmühan for the first time, and the two women continued to meet in the imperial harem throughout Trumbull’s residence in Istanbul. During these visits, Katherine must have been accompanied by someone with knowledge of spoken Turkish, or else it is unclear how she would have been able to communicate with the women she met in the harem. At any rate, when she returned to the embassy, she brought to Trumbull news of things taking place in the Ottoman court.” — Ghobrial, John-Paul A, 'Overcoming Distance in Everyday Communication', The Whispers of Cities: Information Flows in Istanbul, London, and Paris in the Age of William Trumbull (Oxford, 2013; online edn, Oxford Academic, 23 Jan. 2014)

Unfortunately, William Trumbull’s diaries were not published, they’re in the British Library. I always like to cross-check my sources and the fact that I can’t read the original kind of annoys me. Ümmühan is quite an unusual name for an Ottoman princess: Ümmi means mother and Han sovereign, it kind of sounds like “valide sultan”, which is why I thought it was a title for a moment but I couldn’t find anything to confirm this. It is kind of interesting, though, that Öztuna says that Ibrahim’s eldest daughter was called Ümmügülsüm, who could have been named after another Ümmügülsüm (the one that in 1622 was unmarried? Who knows)

The Mühimme defteri is not a book but a collection of copies of all the imperial decrees or decisions taken in the imperial council. They’re numbered and the number 85 refers to the years 1630-31. You can find the PDF for free on the website of the Turkish National Archives but, well, it’s in Ottoman Turkish.

(This is one of them)

So I can’t really read it even though I have it.

[baebeylik]

Murad II. The 6th and perhaps most underrated of the early Ottoman Sultans. He ruled twice, having abdicated his throne in 1444 only to return two years later in 1446. He defended his realm against Crusaders. Reclaimed Thessaloniki in 1430. Annexed Serbia in 1439. Defeated the Crusaders at Varna in 1444. He died in 1451 at the age of 46.

[elizabeth-halime]

[royal-confessions]

“I associate King Abdullah II of Jordan with Selim II (Sultan of the Ottoman Empire) and his wife Nurbanu Sultan with Queen Rania of Jordan, I think they are as similar as possible, especially the way they came to power, and I consider Crown Prince Hussein similar to Sultan Murad III (son of Selim II) and Rajwa similar to Safiye Sultan (Nurbanu daughter-in-law and Murad wife).” - Submitted by Anonymous

[coffeenewstom]

Athener Kaffee-Tagebuch: Leoforos Nikis und Weißer Turm

Jetzt gilt es entlang der Leoforos Nikis am Meer zu flanieren. Der Boulevard beginnt als Fortsetzung der Navarchou Koundouriotou Pavlou an der Platia Eleftherias mit dem Shoa-Denkmal und führt in südöstlicher Richtung entlang der Küste vorbei an der Platia Aristotelous bis zum Weißen Turm, wo er in die Leoforos Megalou Alexandrou übergeht. Sie ist auch als Palea Paralia – Alte Uferpromenade –…

[gemsofgreece]

The White Tower is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification, known to have been mentioned around the 12th century, that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's harbour sometime after Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. The tower became a notorious prison and scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule, earning the name “Red Tower” and “Tower of Blood” (Turkish: Kanlı Kule) . The tower was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912. The White Tower has been adopted as the symbol of the city.

Photo by pastelidis_greece on Instagram.

[haitianempress]

Dracula a Love Story characters and their historical counterparts

Vlad - Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler and Vlad Dracula (Vlad Țepeș), was a 15th-century ruler of Wallachia, notorious for his brutal punishment methods, particularly impaling his enemies. He defended his realm from the Ottoman Empire and became a national hero in Romania.

Mehmed - Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror (Mehmed bin Murad), was the Ottoman Sultan who famously captured Constantinople in 1453. Historically, Mehmed II clashed with Vlad Dracula during campaigns in Wallachia, adding political depth to their enmity.

Radu - Radu III, also known as Radu the Handsome, was the younger brother of Vlad the Impaler and historically served as a ruler of Wallachia under Ottoman control. His rivalry with Vlad is well-documented, as Radu supported the Ottomans while Vlad opposed them.

Sultan Murad - Murad II was a formidable ruler who expanded Ottoman control in the Balkans and fought against various European coalitions. His campaigns laid the groundwork for the later conquests of his son, Mehmed II.

Gjerg Skanderberg - Gjergj (Gjergj Kastrioti), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg's legacy as a defender of Christian Europe against the Ottomans is similar to how Vlad Dracula is viewed by some in Romania. Both are celebrated as national heroes who fought for independence and freedom in their respective lands.

Erzsebet (Erzsi) - Erzsébet Báthory (Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed), also known as The Blood Countess or Countess Dracula, was a Hungarian noblewoman from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, infamous for allegedly torturing and killing young girls. She is considered one of the most prolific female serial killers in history.

[haticesultanas]

Sorry to bother you in this account, I would have a question about Ümmügülsüm Sultan, the possible daughter of Ahmed I. The relazione of Angelo Alessandri from 1637, Page 649 says: "Ha il Gran Signore di congionti per sangue quatro sorelle ancora, ma fuori di seraglio, essendo tutte maritate in visiri." And since I am not really speaking italian, I am not sure if "per sangue quatro sorelle" means full-sister or just a way to say sister (and so can mean half sister too). One of my followers - who says he speaks italian - says it means full-sister and confirms that beside Ayse, Fatma and Hanzade there was another full-sister of Murad IV. I mean while I have my doubts, Alderson also lists one Ümmügülsüm (wife of Halil Pasha) based on harem registers, who had the same amount of salary in 1639 as Ayse, Fatma and Hanzade, the daughters of Kösem (and some other women - possible daughters of Murad III had the same amount, while Atike and one Hatice possibly daughters of Ahmed I had less salary). Also, there is the known other register that you also mentioned on ottomanladies page, based on Tezcan: “A privy purse register from 1622 gives the names of five unmarried princesses, who may be daughters of Ahmed, Osman II, and even Mehmed III: Umm-i Külsum, Hanzade, Halime, Fatma, and Akile.” The fact that there was one Ümmügülsüm in 1622 who was still unmarried, and then in 1639 she had the same amount of stipend as Ayse, Fatma, Hanzade and the relazione mentioning that 4 (full)sister thing, maybe suggests that Kösem and Ahmed MAY had another daughter together, Ümmügülsüm? What do you think?

Hello! I guess my askbox on ottomanladies is still closed.

So, your follower is right; what Angelo Alessandri says in his relazione is that Murad IV has four full-blooded sisters who all live outside the palace because they are married. When I read this part, I simply assumed that the fourth princess was Gevherhan but we don’t have any information about her after Recep Pasha’s death in 1632. Then, I assumed he was wrong because it wouldn’t be the first time a European ambassador mistook half-siblings for full-blooded siblings.

About Ümmügülsüm, I have always assumed he was a daughter of Mehmed III’s or Murad III’s. I have never paid attention to her, as I’m sure you know from my posts on ottomanladies.

But you made me curious so I spent some time looking into this.

First, I think you meant Dumas when you mentioned that list based on harem registers because I have found it in Les Perles de Nacre du Sultanate. Alderson doesn’t list an Ümmügülsüm Sultan among Ahmed I’s daughters (unless I somehow missed it).

Secondly, I think there is a problem with this source: on page 62, the register is from February 1649 to February 1650. In Annex A, though, (page 461), she says that the same register is dated February 1639. So what is the truth? February 1639, because the register keeps saying “Şevval 1048”, and that’s February-March 1639 (you can google it). The mistake on page 62 is… weird, though.

Moreover, the list above is somewhat different from the transliteration she put in Annexe A. For example, on page 463 she says that the register says “Hümaşah Sultan merhum Nakkaş Hasan Pasha”, but on the list she put on page 62, the same Hümaşah Sultan is married to one Hüseyin Pasha. I don’t understand why she changed the source without addressing it— or is it just a typing mistake? I hope it is because I think Hümaşah Sultan was truly married to Nakkaş Hasan Pasha: Nakkaş Hasan Pasha was identified as married to one of Ahmed I’s aunts by the Baron de Selignac, and a letter dated 6 October 1642 by a Ragusian diplomat lists among Ibrahim’s aunts one “Humascie sultana moglie di Hasan Pascia [Hümaşah sultan wife of Hasan Pasha]”. In another letter, this one dated 7 July 1648, Hümaşah is identified as “moglie di Nachasc Hasanpascia Humasce sultan vedova [Hümaşah sultan, widow of Nakkaş Hasan Pasha]”.

If Dumas voluntarily changed Hasan Pasha into Hüseyin Pasha then I don’t know why she did it because contemporary evidence suggests that this princess called Hümaşah was Ahmed I’s aunt and therefore Ibrahim’s great-aunt (I won’t fault the Ragusian diplomat for not stating the difference because it wasn’t done often at the time), and was married to Nakkaş Hasan Pasha, who is called “merhum” in the harem register because he was deceased at the time.

Similarly, on page 462, it is listed one “Kameri Sultan merhum Sofi Bayram Pasha”, but on the list on page 62, she is called Fahri. Again, what prompted Dumas to change the wife’s name? Is it because Öztuna says that Fahri/Fahriye Sultan (daughter of Murad III) was married to Sofu Bayram Pasha? Then again, why was she called Kameri in the register? Is it a mistake from the clerk or did she have multiple names? Or did Dumas transliterate her name wrong? Or did she change the princess’ name into Fahri because that’s what Öztuna says? Interestingly, in the family trees in Annex B, she’s called Fahri again. The same Ragusian diplomat above also lists the wife of Bayram Pasha: “Vanni sultana moglie di Soffi Bariam Pascia”; unfortunately I cannot say what Vanni should be because it doesn’t sound like Kameri at all. It could sound like Fahri but… it’s a stretch.

Beyhan Sultan, Safiye Sultan, and Mihrimah Sultan are widows too but it’s difficult to identify them because their husbands are one “Mustafa Pasha”, one “Mehmed Pasha”, and a “Mehmed Pasha from Kefe”. I tried to google this Mehmed Pasha from Kefe and everyone says he was married to Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Murad III. The problem is the sources of this claim (on those websites) do not say this. The Ragusian letter talks about a Beyhan Sultan married to a “Mustai Pascia” which could be Mustafa Pasha, but this is all I have to say.

I also would like to highlight that the princesses listed in the Ragusian letter are those who received gifts from the Ragusian diplomat so there could have been more, especially aunts.

As for “Atike Sultan Kenan Pasha” (who receives 9,900 aspers per month): she seems to be Ahmed I’s daughter Atike (also confirmed by the Ragusian letter, who lists her among Ibrahim's sister).

Now, about “Ümmügülsüm Sultan Halil Pasha” (who receives 12,900 aspers per month): I still personally maintain that she was an aunt and not a sister. I could not identify her, nor her husband Halil Pasha, but we have to keep in mind that we don’t have all the names of Mehmed III’s daughters. In the Ragusian letter dated 1648, there’s one “moglie di Hersechli Ahmet Pascia Iumi sultan [wife of Hersekli (? it could mean that he comes from Herzegovina) Ahmed Pasha, Iumi Sultan” (Iumi kind of sounds like Ümmi). It’s basically ten years later Dumas' list so she could have changed husband in the meantime but unfortunately, I couldn’t identify “Hersechli Ahmet Pascia”— if someone else has information about him, please do not hesitate to share (with sources, please).

I’m sorry this was so long and unhelpful, I was carried away :(((

EDIT: I have found the Ragusian letters in V. Miović - Per favore della Soltana: Powerful Ottoman Women and Ragusan Diplomats

[whencyclopedia]

Mehmed II

Mehmed II (1432-1481 CE), also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was the seventh and among the greatest sultans of the Ottoman Empire. His conquests consolidated Ottoman rule in Anatolia and the Balkans, and he most famously triumphed in conquering the prized city of Constantinople, transforming it into the administrative center, cultural hub, and capital of his growing empire. His victories would mark the end of the Byzantine Empire and usher a new era of Ottoman dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Early Life & Family Origins

Born on 30 March 1432 CE, Mehmed was the third son of Sultan Murad II (r. 1421-1451 CE), and Hüma Hatun, a concubine of Balkan origins from Murad's harem. His paternal grandfather was Mehmed I (r. 1413-1421 CE) and traced his ancestry back to Osman I (r. 1280-1323 CE), the founder of the Ottoman Dynasty. Mehmed's name was derived from the name of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (570-632 CE), and unlike the naming customs of other Islamic cultures, in Turkish tradition, the name Muhammad was generally reserved for the Prophet himself.

Mehmed spent his early childhood in Edirne, until he was moved to the Black Sea city of Amasya and replaced his brother Ahmed as the governor of the province in 1437 CE after his death, despite being five years old. Mehmed's status as a child of the sultan afforded him the opportunity to study under the best scholars of the region. He had many tutors throughout the years, teaching him theology, history, foreign languages, among many other topics. These personal tutors reserved specifically for Ottoman royalty were referred to as lalas and played an essential role in preparing Ottoman royals for the intricacies of administration. Mehmed's readings of various Islamic writings would have a significant impact on his ambitions as a sultan. His desire to conquer Constantinople was inspired by the writings of Arab writers Al-Kindi, Ibn Khaldun, and further cultivated by a hadith (or saying) attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, who prophesized a Muslim army would conquer the city.

Continue reading...

[reallifesultanas]

Lets talk about Ümmügülsüm Sultan

There is a chance, that Kösem and Ahmed had another daughter together: Ümmügülsüm.

I am so glad, that with Anonymous sender and Ottomanladies, the truth came to light. Ottomanladies answered very long and very detailed about Ümmügülsüm, she shared her thoughts about the topic, now, here, you can find a conclusion from me:

What we know:

A privy purse register from 1622 gives the names of five unmarried princesses, who may be daughters of Ahmed, Osman II, and even Mehmed III: Umm-i Külsum(=Ümmügülsüm), Hanzade, Halime, Fatma, and Akile. Hanzade and Fatma were Kösem's daughters; Akile is possibly mistaken for Atike or Abide; Halime might be Mehmed III's daughter, named after her mother, Halime. But Ümmügülsüm was less clear.

The relazione of Angelo Alessandri from 1637 says that Murad IV had four FULL-sisters. We know three of them: Ayse, Fatma, and Hanzade. But who could be the fourth? Gevherhan was already dead, Atike was well-knownly not a full-sister and also not Abide. Maybe Ümmügülsüm?

There are some decisions and letters of Murad IV, where he mentions Ümmügülsüm as a sister of his. He uses the same wording that he used for Ayse, who undoubtedly was his full-sister, suggesting Ümmügülsüm was also a full-sister of his.

The 1638/39 harem registers mention one Ümmügülsüm Sultan who received the highest payments besides the three already known daughters of Kösem (Ayse, Fatma, Hanzade) and two daughters of Murad III. This means she could be either the daughter of Murad III or Ahmed I. But since Ahmed I's other daughter, Atike - who was not Kösem's - got a lesser stipend, if Ümmügülsüm is Ahmed I's daughter, she had to be Kösem's daughter too and so she is the fourth full-sister of Sultan Murad IV.

In 1648 the Raguzan envoy also mentions her (possibly her as they use the name Iumi), as the wife of Ahmed Pasha, governor of Herzegovina. They probably married ~1642 until the pasha's death in 1648. This was her second marriage, her first husband was one Halil Pasha, with whom she married before 1638.

In book ''Whisper of the cities'' one Ümmühan Sultan is mentioned as she met with the English ambassador's wife. Based on her, Ümmühan was said to be the aunt of deposed Mehmed IV and sister of Ibrahim I. This happened in 1690, so she still was alive then.

There are still questions:

Why no historian ever discovered this information as none of the evidence is new?

Why Ümmi is not mentioned among Ahmed I's children?

Where is she buried? *

When was she born? *

Why Ibrahim did not force her to serve Telli Hümasah (his wife) when he did it to all of the other daughters of Kösem?

To be honest the burial place of Ahmed I is quite a mess. For example there are two sarcofagies for 'Zeynep' daughters of Ahmed I. One of the sarcofagies stands for an adult woman. There was no daughter of Ahmed, called Zeynep who reached adulthood. So maybe the name is mistaken and that Ümmügülsüm. Maybe she was buried somewhere else as she lived a quite long life, survivin everyone around her and her grave is not idetified yet.

Considering the known children of Kösem and their birth date, the most possible for Ümmügülsüm is that she was born during the late reign of Ahmed I. In 1605 Kösem gave birth to Mehmed; in 1606 or 1607 to Ayse; then in 1607 or 1608 to Fatma; in 1609 to Hanzade. While I see that there is a gap here for one more child (if Kösem got pregnant extremely rapidly), she cannot be older than Fatma, as she was also not married off in 1622 yet, and also since we know quite precisely the sequence of these daughters, I do not think another one was born here but no one knows about her. It would be strange. Then in 1612, she gave birth to Murad, but between him and Hanzade there was time for another child - let it be Selim who was born in 1611 or Ümmügülsüm. Then Kasim followed Murad quite quickly, he was born in 1614, and then Ibrahim came in 1615, so there was no time for anyone else between Murad and Ibrahim. After 1615 there is another chance for the birth of Ümmügülsüm. So she either was born after Hanzade (~1611), or after Ibrahim (~1616). Either way - considering she was not just still alive in 1690, but was surely not suffering, dying since she was involved in the diplomacy meeting - she possibly died in the 1690s, she very probably reached 80 maybe even more in the end.

[loadinghellsing]

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✨Renaldo✨

[afidaaulia]

Sang Pemuda Penakluk Konstantinopel 1453

Apa itu konstantinopel?

Konstantinopel pada abad pertengahan merupakan kota yang paling cantik di dunia karena arsitekturnya yang indah, benteng pertahananya yang begitu kuat, dan lokasinya yang strategis untuk jalur perdagangan sehingga banyak pihak yang memperebutkan kota ini. Konstantinopel atau yang sekarang ini disebut sebagai kota Istanbul, Turki. Kota ini terletak dekat dengan Selat Bosphorus yang memisahkan Turki bagian Asia dan Turki bagian Eropa.

Konstantinopel merupakan pusat kota yang termasuk dalam bagian Kekaisaran Romawi yaitu bagian Romawi Timur (Kekaisaran Bizantium) yang didirikan oleh Kaisar Konstantinus I yang diresmikan pada tahun 330 M. Sementara, bagian Romawi Barat dengan pusat kota di Roma. Pembagian dua pusat Kekaisaran Romawi tersebut terjadi pada tahun 395 M.

Di dalam kota konstantinopel terdapat banyak gereja salah satu paling megah adalah gereja kristen ortodoks atau yang sekarang ini dinamakan Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia)

Turki merupakan sebuah negara yang terkenal dengan berbagai sejarah yang megangumkan salah satunya yang terkenal yaitu dalam sejarah penaklukan kota Konstantinopel yang dipimpin oleh seorang sultan muda.

Sebuah hadits yang disampaikan oleh Rasulullah SAW. mengenai peristiwa ini

"Sesungguhnya akan dibuka kota konstantinopel, sebaik-baik pemimpin adalah yang memimpin saat itu, dan sebaik-baik pasukan adalah pasukan perang saat itu" (H.R. Ahmad)

Hadits tersebut menjadi pedoman penyemangat bagi kaum Muslimin untuk melakukan Futuhat Islamiyah (perluasan wilayah dengan tujuan untuk memperluas jangkauan dakwah Rasulullah SAW.)

Apakah kalian tahu siapa itu Muhammad Al-Fatih?

Sultan Murad II yang merupakan pemimpin Kesultanan Turki Utsmani ingin menaklulan kota Konstantinopel namun kota terebut tidak berhasil beliau taklukan. Cita-cita untuk menaklukan kota Konstantinopel tersebut ia turunkam kepada putranya yang bernama Muhammad Al-Fatih atau dikenal sebagai Sultan Muhammad II Bin Murad (Sultan Mehmet II). Sultan Murad II mendidik Muhammad Al-Fatih dengan mendatangkan guru terbaik bernama Syaikh Ahmad Al-Kurani dan Sayikh Aaq Syamsuddin.

Di usia 16 tahun, Muhammad Al-Fatih telah menguasai banyak bahasa. Usia 11 tahun ditunjuk menjadi gubernur Amasya. Usia 12 tahun menjadi Sultan Kesultanan Turki Utsmani mengantikan Sultan Murad II yang turun tahta. Saat Kesultanan Turki Utsmani diserang oleh Pasukan Mongol yang membuat Muhammad Al-Fatih tidak mampu mengatasinya sehingga beliau turun tahta dan Sultan Murad II naik tahta lagi mengantikan putranya. Sultan Murad II wafat pada tahun 1451. Kemudian, Muhammad Al-Fatih naik tahta lagi untuk kedua kalinya mengantikan ayahnya di usia 19 tahun.

Berperan penting dalam hal apa Muhammad Al-Fatih ini?

Pada masa kesultanan Muhammad Al-Fatih, Romawi Timur atau Kekaisaran Bizantium yang dipimpin Kaisar Konstantinus XI Palaiologos juga ingin mempertahankan kota Konstantinopel dari pihak-pihak yang ingin memperebutkannya. Kota Konstantinopel sulit untuk ditaklukan karena mempunyai pasukan militer yang kuat dan sistem pertahanan kota ini yang dikelilingi benteng raksasa tiga lapis sehingga sulit ditembus. Ketika kekaisaran ini mengalami kemunduran karena konflik internal hal itu menjadi peluang bagi Muhammad Al-Fatih dan Kaum Muslimin untuk memperluas dakwah wilayah Islam.

Hal yang dipersiapkan Muhammad Al-Fatih untuk menaklukan kota Konstantinopel dengan memperkuat ibadahnya dan membentuk pasukan sejumlah 7.000 pasukan. Pasukan ini diperkuat dengan pelatihan fisik dan pondasi keimanannya.

Muhammad Al-Fatih menggunakan strategi perang yang belum pernah dipakai sebelumnya oleh orang-orang yaitu dengan cara menutup Selat Bosphorus (sehingga bantuan pasukan dari Konstantinopel tidak dapat masuk). Muhammad Al-Fatih memperintahkan pembangunan benteng besar (Rumeli Hisari) untuk menutup jalan masuk dari Selat Bosphorus.

Seorang tamu pembuat senjata dari Hungaria bernama Orban menawarkan senjata pada Muhammad Al-Fatih. Tawaran tersebut diterima oleh Muhammad Al-Fatih dan meminta Orban untuk membuatkan senjata sesuai yang diinginkan. Pembuatan senjata kurang lebih satu tahun yang menghasilkan 63 meriam dengan diameter meriam paling kecil 3 meter dan paling besar 8,4 meter. Senjata untuk menembakkan meriam tersebut dinamakan Basilica. Muhammad Al-Fatih memperbanyak pasukannya menjadi 250.000 pasukan yang dibagi kedalam beberapa wilayah perang dan mempersiapkan 400 kapal perang.

Muhammad Al-Fatih mengirim surat pada Kekaisaran Romawi Timur yang berisi tiga pilihan (masuk islam dan menyerahkan Konstantinopel-bayar upah-melaksanakan perang). Kaisar Romawi Timur memilih perang. Langkah selanjutnya pasukan Muhammad Al-Fatih menuju kota Konstantinopel yang akan ditaklukannya dengan mengucap Takbir.

Pada Jumat, 6 April 1453

Setelah Muhammad Al-Fatih memimpin pasukannya melaksanakan shalat jumat mereka memulai perang dengan menembakan meriam ke benteng-benteng Konstantinopel. Kelemahan senjata Basilica adalah harus menuggu selama 3 jam untuk bisa dapat dipakai lagi sehingga menjadi peluang bagi lawan untuk memperbaiki benteng yang telah tertembak. Perang tersebut berakhir pada 20 April 1453 dan Konstantinopel belum dapat ditaklukan.

Pada 20 April 1453

Muhammad Al-Fatih dan pasukannya tidak menyerah dan berdiskusi membuat strategi perang baru. Karena bagian utara (Teluk Tanduk Emas) tidak banyak pasukan yang berjaga dan hanya dikelilingi rantai yang ada didalam laut maka hal yang dapat dilakukan adalah dengan membawa kapal-kapal perang melalui daratan (Teluk Tanduk Emas) untuk masuk ke dalam Konstantinopel.

Pada 21 April 1453 - 27 Mei 1453

Muhammad Al-Fatih dan pasukannya melanjutkan perang lagi selama sekitar satu bulan. Pada 27 Mei 1453, untuk pertama kalinya Muhammad Al-Fatih dan pasukannya berhasil membuat lubang yang sangat besar ditembok benteng Konstantinopel.

Pada 28 Mei 1453

Muhammad Al-Fatih meminta pasukannya untuk menghentikan aktivitas perang dan mengajak pasukannya untuk berpuasa sunnah.

Pada 29 Mei 1453

Saat dini hari, Muhammad Al-Fatih memimpin pasukannya shalat tahajud. Selesai shalat mereka melanjutkkan perang. Pasukan ketiga berhasil mengibarkan bendera pasukan muslimin tersebut diatas benteng Konstantinopel dan langsung mengucap Takbir. Kemudian, Muhammad Al-Fatih bersujud di Aya Sofya menghadap kiblat dan mengucapkan syukur kepada Allah SWT. Aya Sofya dijadikan masjid dibawah kepemimpinan Muhammad Al-Fatih.

Dan pada akhirnya Muhammad Al-Fatih berhasil menaklukan kota Konstantinopel. Hal itu membuktikan bahwa sabda Rasulullah itu benar dan tidak bohong sesuai dengan sifat rasul yaitu As-Siddiq.

Hal yang patut diteladani dari kisah Muhammad Al-Fatih adalah

• Bahwa agama menjadi pedoman utama dalam menghadapi apapun. Libatkan Allah disegala urusan.

• Menjadi seorang pemimpin yang mempunyai tujuan jelas, berkeadilan, dan menyejahterakan rakyatnya.

• Pantang menyerah dan yakin terhadap diri sendiri. Tidak mudah terpengaruh dengan orang lain.

How About Hagia Sophia?

Hagia Sophia dijadikan museum pada tahun 1934. Keputusan ini diambil oleh pemerintah Turki di bawah kepemimpinan Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Kemudian, pada 10 Juli 2020 Presiden Turki, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, mengumumkan perubahan status Hagia Sophia dari museum menjadi masjid. Dan pada 24 Juli 2020, shalat Jumat pertama dilaksanakan di Hagia Sophia setelah sekian lama.

[vladdocs]

Do you have any more fun facts about Vlad Dracul?

Not many at hand but I know from where to take them (If you know Romanian):

Something that is less talked about on the internet is the Danube campaign after the failed Crusade of Varna where Walerand de Wavrin and Vlad Dracul team up to take Giurgiu: We are in Varna, not far from the Black Sea coast, and it is November 10, 1444. A horrific battle has just ended. Over 30,000 crusaders were overwhelmed by the Ottomans, who were twice as numerous, so half of the Christians were killed. King Vladislav III of Poland and Hungary died on the battlefield(Before the Battle Vlad Dracul offered him a Wallachian horse which were the best horses at that time (That's why a castrated horse in german is called "Wallach") but the king refused it), beheaded. He paid with his life for the haste (Before they learned about the death of Vladislav III The pope asked Vlad Dracul to negotiate with the ottomans for his release, since Vlad Dracul was seen as mediator between the Ottomans and Christians), impulsiveness and pride that led him to disregard the tactical plan drawn up by the experienced and brave voivode of Transylvania, John Hunyadi. The Turks are victorious and their opponents are retreating. The news of the defeat at Varna sends shivers down the spine of all of Europe. The only one putting the work on the ottomans at Varna was Vlad's older brother the 15-year-old Mircea, That till (if we believe the chronicle of the clown Michael Beheim) Murad II sent a letter to him: "Many of them, a countless number, were killed. When the Emperor(Murad II) heard what great losses his men were suffering, he sent a message to Trakal(Dracul/Mircea): if he did not stop fighting before more messages came to him, he would kill his two brothers whom he had captured. He would do this if he did not show restraint in battle."

For what Mircea II did at Varna watch this video, really worthy it, really sad ending too:

The Christian Crusade launched in 1443 did not end there, however. There was one last stage, known as the Danube Campaign, to which we now turn our attention.

At the request of the Byzantine Emperor John VIII Palaeologus, Pope Eugenius IV ordered a new Christian campaign, Burgundo-papal, to take place in the second half of 1445. It was commanded by Walerand de Wavrin, counselor and chamberlain of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, and commander of the crusader fleet in recent years. He was joined by the Venetian cardinal Francesco Condulmer (nephew of Pope Eugenius). The Venetians were very interested in this Danube campaign: let us not forget that the Turks had given the Genoese a commercial monopoly in Dobruja, at the mouths of the Danube, and Genoa and Venice were on different sides of the war.

The declared objective of the campaign was to destabilize the Ottoman Empire and replace the child sultan Mehmed II (the future Mehmed the Conqueror, 1444-1446, 1451-1481) with Daud Celebi, a pretender favored by the Crusaders. John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania (future regent of Hungary), and Vlad Dracul, Voivode of Wallachia, were also persuaded to participate in the campaign.

The Burgundo-Papal fleet, consisting of a few dozen ships, sets sail from Constantinople and enters the Black Sea. Wavrin was in serious financial trouble: the money he had received from the Pope was gone, and he still had debts from equipping the ships. Before raising anchor, he sells his jewels for 1,000 ducats, but this is not enough. He engages in piracy in the Black Sea, plundering Turkish merchant ships. He is not alone, as two other Burgundian navigators, Geoffroy de Thoisy and Regnault de Confide, had done the same thing, in another area, closer to the Georgian Pontic coast. Thoisy returns to Constantinople, but Confide joins his ships with Wavrin's fleet.

The Burgundians arrive at Panguala, present-day Mangalia. Here, the commander (or "fleet captain" as he appears in some sources) sees the submerged ruins of the ancient city of Callatis as well as the rocky outcrops in the area that made navigation dangerous. From Panguala, the Crusaders go north and enter the Danube at Chilia. Officer Pietre Vasquez is sent to Wallachia and Transylvania to inform Vlad Dracul and John Hunyadi that the crusade expedition is ready. The fleet then arrives at Isaccea and finally at Brăila. Here Vasquez also returns and conveys to Wavrin John's order: to go up the Danube with 8 galleys and wait for the land forces in September. John was to bring some 10,000 soldiers and Vlad Dracul, about 5,000-6,000. In this late August 1445, an Ottoman prince (other than Daud), named Savci, who claimed to be the grandson of Murad II and who, with the help of Hungary, dreamed of the Ottoman imperial throne, also boarded one of the Burgundian ships. The Burgundian fleet reaches Silistra, which is heavily fortified. The Burgundians do not dare to besiege it and Savci does not succeed in convincing the soldiers to surrender the fortress to him. On August 29, the Burgundian fleet - from the water and Vlad Dracul's forces - from the land - destroyed Tutrakan (Turtucaia), then arrived at Giurgiu. John had not yet arrived, but the Christians nevertheless attacked Giurgiu. Here is what is mentioned in Wavrin's military journal: "The Lord of Wallachia sends news that a day's journey away by navigable water with a favorable wind, there is a fortress four times larger than Tutrakan, on a large island and which was called Giurgiu." Vlad says that it belonged to Wallachia, claims it and asks Wavrin to attack it. The Crusaders accept and a bombard (cannon) is brought from the captain's galley and dragged on sled runners to the front of the walls. Wavrin and his second-in-command Confide withdraw at one point and leave the Wallachians the cannon. The siege continues, especially since the shells seem to destroy part of the wall (it's just an appearance, according to sources). Uninspired, they fire frequently and the bombard breaks down, its rings burst and two gunners are killed in the accident. Wavrin and Vlad decide to pile wood next to the walls and set it on fire. The Ottoman garrison suffocates so the Turks decide to surrender and over 60 of them are taken hostage and the rest are allowed to leave (But In the same Wavrin chronicle, Mircea and Wavrin spoke:

“In the meantime, the son of the lord of Wallachia went to visit the lord of Wavrin, to whom, after greeting him, had an interpreter say that he was planning an enterprise against the Turks: and, if he promised him not to judging him badly, he would tell him his secret; which the lord of Wavrin absolutely swore to him. And then the interpreter, having received instructions from the son of The ruler of Wallachia, spoke in this way: "My father sent for me and told me that, if I do not avenge him of that subachi of that castle of Georgye (Giurgiu), he will disown me and he no longer considers me his son; because he is the one who betrayed him and who, with a safe conduct from the Turk, made him go to the aforementioned Turk, then took him prisoner to the castle of Gallipoli, where he held him for a long time with chains on his legs . Now the fact is that he and his Saracens have now surrendered to my father, their lives and possessions must be spared, and they must be taken to Vulgarye (Bulgaria); and I will go, along with 2000 Wallachians, two leagues from here, cross the river and set up an ambush on their path: so, when they try to go to Nicopolis, I will be in front of them, so I will put them all to death . ” A thing to which the aforementioned lord of Wavrin did not answer a single word, neither good nor bad. So the aforementioned son of Wallachia went away, to go and carry out his enterprise.“

So technically Vlad Dracul let them go but Mircea had other orders, he caught them, skinned them and put their empty husks on display next to the ottoman border (Deserved ngl) After Giurgiu, they go to Ruse, to Nicopolis and then further on, to Turnu Măgurele. John Hunyadi also arrives on the Danube on September 15. There are minor skirmishes with the Turks but everything ends on September 29, when, for fear of being caught in the ice on the Wallachian waters, the Crusaders decide to return to Constantinople. The crusade expedition fails but the memory of the huge crusade ships that sailed on the waves of the Pontus and the waters of the Danube, at Panguala, Chilia and Isaccea, then at Silistra and Tutrakan, remains…