Mehmed IV
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| Mehmed IV Ottoman Period | |
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| Preceded by: Ibrahim I | Ottoman Sultan 1648–87 | Succeeded by: Suleiman II |
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.
[edit] Early life
He was the son of Sultan Ibrahim (1640–48) by a Russian concubine, Turhan Hadice, and the grandson of Kösem Sultan of Greek origin [1]. 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. 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. <ref>Freely, John - Inside the Seraglio published 1999, Chapter 9: Three Mad Sultans</ref>
[edit] 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).
Kara Mustafa was strangled in Belgrade on Mehmed IV's orders and his head was placed on a column just outside the former palace in Edirne, but it was not enough to save the throne for the Sultan who was deposed (1687) and imprisoned at Edirne near his favourite hunting grounds.
Mehmed IV's reign is notable in that it formally ended the era of Ottoman sultans as true rulers of the empire; in 1656 he signed away his executive powers to Mehmed Köprülü, thus ushering in the era of Grand Viziers as the real power behind the throne in Istanbul.
[edit] Notes
<references/>
| Rise (1299–1453) | Osman I - Orhan I - Murad I - Bayezid I - Mehmed I - Murad II - Mehmed II |
|---|---|
| Growth (1453–1683) | Bayezid II - Selim I - Suleiman I - Selim II - Murad III - Mehmed III - Ahmed I - Mustafa I - Osman II - Murad IV |
| Stagnation (1683–1827) | Ibrahim I - Mehmed IV - Suleiman II - Ahmed II - Mustafa II - Ahmed III - Mahmud I - Osman III - Mustafa III - Abdul Hamid I - Selim III - Mustafa IV - Mahmud II |
| Decline (1828–1908) | ‘Abdu’l-Mijid I - ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz - Murad V - ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II - Mehmed V |
| Dissolution (1908–1923) | Mehmed VI |
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