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I. (1603-1617).—Ahmed I. ascended the throne at the age of fourteen. The war with Persia continued fitfully during his reign. The Turks recaptured Gran in Hungary. Transylvania passed to the suzerainty of Turkey of its own accord : Stephen Bocsk, a member of its own aristocracy was appointed king. But the continual mutinies of the janissaries and the reverses in Persia forced Turkey to sign for the first time at Sisvatorok a treaty of peace on terms of equality with Austria. Austria was freed from future tribute to Turkey by paying 200,000 ducats down, and for the first time the emperor was referred to as padishah in the official Turkish documents. A treaty of peace was also concluded between Turkey and Persia in 1611, Persia giving to Turkey as indemnity a million pounds of silk. Kuyuji (pitman) Murad Pasha, so called because he threw the bodies of rebels into pits, suppressed the Jelalli risings in Anatolia. Friendly relations with Poland were restored.
Ahmed I. was of a religious disposition, and left the affairs of the state to his grand vizier. His wife, Mihri-Mah Kussem Sul tana, daughter of a Bosnian priest who entered the palace at the age of 14, is one of the most dramatic figures of Turkish history. To prevent the usual murders of members of the dynasty it was decided that the eldest male of the family should succeed to the throne. Ahmed died in 1617.
Sultan Mustafa being an imbecile was declared incompetent to rule and Osman II. ascended the throne. Sokolli's idea that friendship with Persia would be politically to the advantage of the empire was adopted by the sultan and peace was concluded with Persia. Moldavia re volted and joined the Poles and Osman marched on Khotin. The expedition was a failure and diminished the prestige of the sultan. From his contact with them he knew how utterly degenerate and useless a body the janissaries had become and decided to disci pline and reform them. He pretended to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca with the intention of marching back to the capital with a loyal and well disciplined army which he hoped to raise in Syria and Arabia. When a rumour of this reached the janissaries they revolted. After marching the sultan through the streets of Istam boul and exposing him to ignominious insults they killed him.
I. (1622-1623), Murad IV. (1623-1640), Ibrahim I. (1640-1648).—Mustafa I. was once more dragged to the throne by the janissaries but he soon abdicated in favour of his nephew Murad IV., still a minor. Till the sultan was of age the empire was in the hands of his mother, Kussem Sultana, who had to cope as well as she could with the mutinous army and the corrupt state. The army chose the grand viziers and massacred them when they wanted a change. Kussem Sultana had to open the Treasury to appease these revolts, which depleted the finances still more. When Murad IV. was of age he restored order by one of the bloodiest reigns of terror. Marching on Baghdad and Erivan he recaptured them from the Persians, repeating the atrocities which the Persians themselves had committed. He concluded a peace with Persia which fixed the Turco-Persian frontiers still in exist ence. On his return he murdered all his brothers with the exception of Ibrahim and continued to terrorize his officials by frequent executions. He died in 1640.
Already weak in mind Ibrahim I., his successor, was incompetent to rule. He devoted himself to pleasure and was ruled by the
women in the palace while his mother Kussem Sultana once more took the reins of power. Sheker-Pare, the sultan's story teller, enthralled the sultan with her stories and made her fortune, selling the highest positions of state. The reign of Ibrahim, which is called the "sable and ambergris period," owes its name to a story of hers. Even the high dignitaries of the empire were em ployed in collecting sables. It is not surprising that complete an archy reigned throughout the empire, the capital included. A campaign against Crete, which belonged to the Venetians who had burnt some Turkish ships, began during this reign, but continued for 25 years. For the first time the Dardanelles were closed by Venetian ships, which caused a famine and led to a revolt. Ibra him wanted to massacre the Christians, but the uleina were able to restrain him. The change of the residence of the ambassadors from Stamboul to Pera dates from this event. Ibrahim was de throned during a mutiny and killed.
Mohammed IV., the seven year-old sultan, succeeded his father and for another eight years the affairs of state were in the hands of Kussem Sultana, his grandmother. The janissaries had supreme power, monopolizing everything, even the sale of bread. Mohammed's mother, Turhan Sultana, tried to get the power into her hands and the period of anarchy and mismanagement was prolonged by the struggle be tween the two women, each depending on a different military party. Turban Sultana accused her mother-in-law of trying to poison the boy sultan and one evening she contrived that her party should invade the palace and surprise Kussem Sultana in her room. Kussem Sultana's great oratorical powers, which had enabled her to control janissary risings, failed to save her life and she was strangled with the cords of her bed curtain. Turban Sul tana now put Kuprullu Mohammed Pasha into power as grand vizier. He restored order in the army by very drastic measures, rebuilt an efficient navy, defeated the Venetians and recaptured the island of Lemnos and other islands. The improved condition of the army led to the pacification of Transylvania which was in revolt. Kuprullu Mohammed Pasha died after being in office five years and his son Kuprullu Fazil Ahmed Pasha became grand vizier. In 1663 disturbances in Transylvania caused the Turks to attack the Austrians. At first Turkish arms were victorious but the French, who had been alienated by the haughty demeanour of the Kuprullus, sent help to the Austrians under Montecuculli, the Austrian general and the Turks were defeated at the battle of St. Gotthard abbey and were forced to consent to the Treaty of Vasvar (Aug. 1o, 1664), by which a truce of 20 years was agreed upon. Transylvania was evacuated but remained tributary to Turkey. The Turks retaliated on the French by depriving those Catholics who were under French protection of some of their privileges in the holy places and granting them instead to the Orthodox Church. The Cretan campaign was still in progress and the French were helping the Venetians, but the Turks took Candia and a treaty was signed in 1669 between the Venetians and the Turks which left Crete in the possession of Turkey while the fortresses of Suda, Spinalonga and Grabusa remained Venetian.