Mehmed IV

Mehmed IV was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to become the second-longest-reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent. While the initial and final years of his reign were characterized by military defeat and political instability, during his middle years he oversaw the revival of the empire's fortunes associated with the Köprülü era. Mehmed IV was known by contemporaries as a particularly pious ruler, and was referred to as gazi, or "holy warrior" for his role in the many conquests carried out during his long reign. Under Mehmed IV's reign, the empire reached the height of its territorial expansion in Europe. From a young age he developed a keen interest in hunting, for which he is known as avcı (translated as "the Hunter"). In 1687, Mehmed was overthrown by soldiers disenchanted by the course of the ongoing War of the Holy League. He subsequently retired to Edirne, where he resided and died of natural causes in 1693. Mehmed IV was the son of Sultan Ibrahim by Turhan Sultan, a concubine of Ukrainian origin, and the grandson of Kösem Sultan of Greek origin. Soon after his birth, his father and mother quarrelled, and Ibrahim was so enraged that he tore Mehmed from his mother's arms and flung the infant into a cistern. Mehmed was rescued by the harem servants. However, this left Mehmed with a lifelong scar on his head. Mehmed ascended to the throne in 1648 at the age of six, during a very volatile time for the Ottoman dynasty. Kösem Sultan, Mehmed's grandmother and regent, was suspected of supporting the rebels and plotting to poison the sultan and replace him with his younger half-brother, Suleiman. As a result, Mehmed agreed to sign his grandmother's death warrant in September 1651. Mehmed's reign was marked by the rise of the Köprülü family, a powerful political faction that dominated the Ottoman administration for over half a century. The first of the Köprülü viziers, Mehmed Köprülü, was appointed in 1656 and restored order and stability to the empire. He also initiated a series of successful campaigns against the Venetians, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Habsburgs. Mehmed IV accompanied his armies on several occasions and earned the title of gazi for his victories. He also patronized arts and sciences and commissioned many mosques, bridges, fountains, and schools. Mehmed IV was an avid hunter and spent much of his time in the forests and plains of Thrace and Anatolia. He also enjoyed poetry, music, and calligraphy. He had a large harem and fathered many children, some of whom became influential figures in the Ottoman history. His eldest son, Mustafa II, succeeded him as sultan after his deposition in 1687. His younger son, Ahmed III, became sultan in 1703 and ushered in the Tulip Period of Ottoman culture. Mehmed IV died in Edirne in 1693 and was buried in the tomb of his mother, Turhan Sultan, in the New Mosque in Istanbul.