Selim I known as Selim the Grim in Turkish - Yavuz Sultan Selim, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from April 22, 1512 to his death on September 22, 1520. He was the youngest son of Sultan Bayezid II. By 1512 his brother Şehzade Ahmet was the favorite candidate to succeed his father. Bayezid II, who was reluctant to continue his rule over the empire, announced Ahmet as heir apparent to the throne. Angered with this announcement, Selim rebelled, and while he lost the first battle against his father's forces, Selim ultimately dethroned his father. Selim ordered the purge of Bayezid to a far away "sanjak" Dimetoka. Selim put his brothers Şehzade Ahmet and Şehzade Korkut and nephews to death upon his accession in order to eliminate potential pretenders to the throne. This fratricidal policy was motivated by bouts of civil strife that had been sparked by the antagonism between Selim's father and his uncle, Cem Sultan, and between Selim himself and his brother Ahmet.
Reign of Selim I is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself.
Through the conquest and unification of the Muslim heartlands, and after having the Sharif of Mecca grant him the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1517, Selim strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate. His expansion into the Middle East represented a sudden change in the direction of Ottoman expansion, which, before his reign, had mostly been within the Balkans - Southeast Europe and Anatolia - Asia Minor. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
Selim I was described as tall, with very broad shoulders and a long mustache. He was skilled in politics and was said to be fond of fighting.
By most accounts, Selim had a fiery temper and had very high expectations of his subordinates. Several of his viziers were executed for various reasons. A famous anecdote relates how another vizier playfully asked the Sultan for some preliminary notice of his doom so that he might have time to put his affairs in order. The Sultan laughed and replied that indeed he had been thinking of having the vizier killed, but had no one fit to take his place, otherwise he would gladly oblige. A popular Ottoman curse was, "May you be a vizier of Selim's," as a reference to the number of viziers he had executed.
Selim was one of the Empire's most successful and respected rulers, being energetic and hardworking. During his short eight years of ruling, he accomplished momentous success. Despite the length of his reign, many historians agree that Selim prepared the Ottoman Empire to reach its zenith under the reign of his son and successor, Suleiman the Magnificent.
Selim was also a distinguished poet who wrote both Turkish and Persian verse under the nickname Mahlas Selimi; collections of his Persian poetry are extant today. In one of his poems, he wrote:
"A carpet is large enough to accommodate two sufis, but the world is not large enough for two kings."
Selim I was overwhelmed by sickness and subsequently died in the city of Çorlu in the ninth year of his reign. He was only 49 years of age. Officially it is said that Selim succumbed to sirpence, a skin infection that he had developed during his long campaigns on horseback. Sirpence was an anthrax infection sometimes seen among leatherworkers and others who worked with livestock.
Some historians, however, suggest that he died of cancer or that he was poisoned by his physician. Other historians have noted that Selim's death coincided with a period of plague in the empire, and have added that several sources imply that Selim himself suffered from the disease.
Place of Salim I death in Çorlu makes one think, that it was not just a coincendence, but his destiny. In August 1511 the nearby village of Uğraşdere was the battleground where Selim I was defeted by his father Sultan Bayezid II, a year later Beyazid II was defeated by Selim I and was the first Ottoman Sultan to be overthrown by his son. Bayezid II died in Çorlu on his way to exile in Dimetoka. And Selim I himself died in Çorlu nine years into his reign.
Reign of Selim I is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself.
Through the conquest and unification of the Muslim heartlands, and after having the Sharif of Mecca grant him the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1517, Selim strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate. His expansion into the Middle East represented a sudden change in the direction of Ottoman expansion, which, before his reign, had mostly been within the Balkans - Southeast Europe and Anatolia - Asia Minor. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
Selim I was described as tall, with very broad shoulders and a long mustache. He was skilled in politics and was said to be fond of fighting.
By most accounts, Selim had a fiery temper and had very high expectations of his subordinates. Several of his viziers were executed for various reasons. A famous anecdote relates how another vizier playfully asked the Sultan for some preliminary notice of his doom so that he might have time to put his affairs in order. The Sultan laughed and replied that indeed he had been thinking of having the vizier killed, but had no one fit to take his place, otherwise he would gladly oblige. A popular Ottoman curse was, "May you be a vizier of Selim's," as a reference to the number of viziers he had executed.
Selim was one of the Empire's most successful and respected rulers, being energetic and hardworking. During his short eight years of ruling, he accomplished momentous success. Despite the length of his reign, many historians agree that Selim prepared the Ottoman Empire to reach its zenith under the reign of his son and successor, Suleiman the Magnificent.
Selim was also a distinguished poet who wrote both Turkish and Persian verse under the nickname Mahlas Selimi; collections of his Persian poetry are extant today. In one of his poems, he wrote:
"A carpet is large enough to accommodate two sufis, but the world is not large enough for two kings."
Selim I was overwhelmed by sickness and subsequently died in the city of Çorlu in the ninth year of his reign. He was only 49 years of age. Officially it is said that Selim succumbed to sirpence, a skin infection that he had developed during his long campaigns on horseback. Sirpence was an anthrax infection sometimes seen among leatherworkers and others who worked with livestock.
Some historians, however, suggest that he died of cancer or that he was poisoned by his physician. Other historians have noted that Selim's death coincided with a period of plague in the empire, and have added that several sources imply that Selim himself suffered from the disease.
Place of Salim I death in Çorlu makes one think, that it was not just a coincendence, but his destiny. In August 1511 the nearby village of Uğraşdere was the battleground where Selim I was defeted by his father Sultan Bayezid II, a year later Beyazid II was defeated by Selim I and was the first Ottoman Sultan to be overthrown by his son. Bayezid II died in Çorlu on his way to exile in Dimetoka. And Selim I himself died in Çorlu nine years into his reign.
Selim I known as Selim the Grim in Turkish - Yavuz Sultan Selim, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from April 22, 1512 to his death on September 22, 1520. He was the youngest son of Sultan Bayezid II. By 1512 his brother Şehzade Ahmet was the favorite candidate to succeed his father. Bayezid II, who was reluctant to continue his rule over the empire, announced Ahmet as heir apparent to the throne. Angered with this announcement, Selim rebelled, and while he lost the first battle against his father's forces, Selim ultimately dethroned his father. Selim ordered the purge of Bayezid to a far away "sanjak" Dimetoka. Selim put his brothers Şehzade Ahmet and Şehzade Korkut and nephews to death upon his accession in order to eliminate potential pretenders to the throne. This fratricidal policy was motivated by bouts of civil strife that had been sparked by the antagonism between Selim's father and his uncle, Cem Sultan, and between Selim himself and his brother Ahmet.
Reign of Selim I is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself.
Through the conquest and unification of the Muslim heartlands, and after having the Sharif of Mecca grant him the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1517, Selim strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate. His expansion into the Middle East represented a sudden change in the direction of Ottoman expansion, which, before his reign, had mostly been within the Balkans - Southeast Europe and Anatolia - Asia Minor. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
Selim I was described as tall, with very broad shoulders and a long mustache. He was skilled in politics and was said to be fond of fighting.
By most accounts, Selim had a fiery temper and had very high expectations of his subordinates. Several of his viziers were executed for various reasons. A famous anecdote relates how another vizier playfully asked the Sultan for some preliminary notice of his doom so that he might have time to put his affairs in order. The Sultan laughed and replied that indeed he had been thinking of having the vizier killed, but had no one fit to take his place, otherwise he would gladly oblige. A popular Ottoman curse was, "May you be a vizier of Selim's," as a reference to the number of viziers he had executed.
Selim was one of the Empire's most successful and respected rulers, being energetic and hardworking. During his short eight years of ruling, he accomplished momentous success. Despite the length of his reign, many historians agree that Selim prepared the Ottoman Empire to reach its zenith under the reign of his son and successor, Suleiman the Magnificent.
Selim was also a distinguished poet who wrote both Turkish and Persian verse under the nickname Mahlas Selimi; collections of his Persian poetry are extant today. In one of his poems, he wrote:
"A carpet is large enough to accommodate two sufis, but the world is not large enough for two kings."
Selim I was overwhelmed by sickness and subsequently died in the city of Çorlu in the ninth year of his reign. He was only 49 years of age. Officially it is said that Selim succumbed to sirpence, a skin infection that he had developed during his long campaigns on horseback. Sirpence was an anthrax infection sometimes seen among leatherworkers and others who worked with livestock.
Some historians, however, suggest that he died of cancer or that he was poisoned by his physician. Other historians have noted that Selim's death coincided with a period of plague in the empire, and have added that several sources imply that Selim himself suffered from the disease.
Place of Salim I death in Çorlu makes one think, that it was not just a coincendence, but his destiny. In August 1511 the nearby village of Uğraşdere was the battleground where Selim I was defeted by his father Sultan Bayezid II, a year later Beyazid II was defeated by Selim I and was the first Ottoman Sultan to be overthrown by his son. Bayezid II died in Çorlu on his way to exile in Dimetoka. And Selim I himself died in Çorlu nine years into his reign.
Reign of Selim I is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself.
Through the conquest and unification of the Muslim heartlands, and after having the Sharif of Mecca grant him the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1517, Selim strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate. His expansion into the Middle East represented a sudden change in the direction of Ottoman expansion, which, before his reign, had mostly been within the Balkans - Southeast Europe and Anatolia - Asia Minor. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
Selim I was described as tall, with very broad shoulders and a long mustache. He was skilled in politics and was said to be fond of fighting.
By most accounts, Selim had a fiery temper and had very high expectations of his subordinates. Several of his viziers were executed for various reasons. A famous anecdote relates how another vizier playfully asked the Sultan for some preliminary notice of his doom so that he might have time to put his affairs in order. The Sultan laughed and replied that indeed he had been thinking of having the vizier killed, but had no one fit to take his place, otherwise he would gladly oblige. A popular Ottoman curse was, "May you be a vizier of Selim's," as a reference to the number of viziers he had executed.
Selim was one of the Empire's most successful and respected rulers, being energetic and hardworking. During his short eight years of ruling, he accomplished momentous success. Despite the length of his reign, many historians agree that Selim prepared the Ottoman Empire to reach its zenith under the reign of his son and successor, Suleiman the Magnificent.
Selim was also a distinguished poet who wrote both Turkish and Persian verse under the nickname Mahlas Selimi; collections of his Persian poetry are extant today. In one of his poems, he wrote:
"A carpet is large enough to accommodate two sufis, but the world is not large enough for two kings."
Selim I was overwhelmed by sickness and subsequently died in the city of Çorlu in the ninth year of his reign. He was only 49 years of age. Officially it is said that Selim succumbed to sirpence, a skin infection that he had developed during his long campaigns on horseback. Sirpence was an anthrax infection sometimes seen among leatherworkers and others who worked with livestock.
Some historians, however, suggest that he died of cancer or that he was poisoned by his physician. Other historians have noted that Selim's death coincided with a period of plague in the empire, and have added that several sources imply that Selim himself suffered from the disease.
Place of Salim I death in Çorlu makes one think, that it was not just a coincendence, but his destiny. In August 1511 the nearby village of Uğraşdere was the battleground where Selim I was defeted by his father Sultan Bayezid II, a year later Beyazid II was defeated by Selim I and was the first Ottoman Sultan to be overthrown by his son. Bayezid II died in Çorlu on his way to exile in Dimetoka. And Selim I himself died in Çorlu nine years into his reign.
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