Selim II was not remembered as a good and effective sultan. Over eight years, he repeatedly proved that he was not the best person to fulfill this role. In fact, he did not even exercise actual power. In political contests, he always stood somewhere in the shadows. Conflicts and wars did not interest him. He devoted his life to entertainment, alcohol, and women.
Worst Candidate to Assume Power
Selim’s parents were Suleiman and Hürrem. He also had numerous siblings, but Selim definitely stood out against their background. His appearance was different. He had fair hair and eyes, which he inherited from his mother. The problem, however, was his limited intellect and lack of greater talents.
For a number of years, it was not Selim but his half-brother Mustafa who was groomed as the heir to the throne. He was an excellent candidate and a decided favorite of both his father and the people. How then did it happen that precisely Selim became sultan?
Selim’s mother, Hürrem, was involved in the intrigues. She wanted one of her sons to take the throne, and her stepson greatly threatened these plans. Knowing that he had the right to kill younger brothers, she decided to eliminate him.
It turned out, however, that even this did not bring peace. Hürrem’s sons were still threatened because they wanted to reach power and fought for the throne. She did not foresee that ultimately the least capable son would become sultan. Fratricidal struggles were something completely normal in those times. Even Hürrem’s father-in-law, Selim I the Grim, ordered many men in the family killed to avoid conflicts over the throne.
Selim II the Drunkard and His Path to Power
Selim managed to defeat all his brothers through a confluence of circumstances favorable to him and a stroke of luck. He did not use cunning or intelligence for this. When all other brothers were no longer alive and only Bayezid remained, a fight occurred, which Selim won (1561).
Hürrem had died three years earlier, so there was no question of mitigating the conflict between the brothers. Bayezid was very ambitious, and it was he who initiated the dispute with Selim. He invaded his province, and after losing the battle, he fled to Persia, an enemy of the Ottoman Empire. Suleiman had no favorite in this conflict, but he considered Bayezid’s behavior treason and sided with Selim.
Bayezid did not manage to hide effectively in Persia because he was handed over by the shah for 4,000 pieces of gold that Suleiman offered. All of Bayezid’s men were murdered, and he himself was killed in Persia (1561). None of his four sons were spared either. The youngest of them was three years old and was strangled in Bursa. Such practices were frequently applied and surprised no one.
Suleiman eliminated his sons and grandsons, thereby preventing further conflicts and struggles for the throne. It is also possible that he feared more ambitious and resourceful sons and spared the one who threatened him least. The risk that Selim would try to overthrow him was close to zero.
In Suleiman’s time, there was no rule of primogeniture, which meant that any son could become the heir to the throne. He only had to prove that he was the best candidate. Fratricidal struggles were nothing unusual. In this way, one proved one’s superiority, while others lost their lives in the process.
Selim’s story is interesting in that it was not he who killed Mustafa and Bayezid. It was Suleiman who sentenced them to death. One can therefore say that he won the struggle for the throne not through ambition and valor, but because he did not oppose his father and patiently waited for his death.
Ineffective Rule of Selim II
Selim II was not interested in state affairs. Actual rule was exercised by ministers, Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed, and Sultana Nurbanu. Instead of exercising power, the sultan preferred to amuse himself with large quantities of alcohol. He often drank himself into unconsciousness, and this is precisely where the epithet „the Drunkard” came from.
Selim brought the empire to the brink of collapse. Political and economic crisis greatly weakened the state. Society rapidly impoverished because famines prevailed and harvests grew smaller.
Increasing corruption and usury only worsened the situation. Selim had a habit of buying supporters with bribes. The state treasury was also heavily burdened by his promises and obligations.
First, he entered into an arrangement with the Shah of Persia, transferring lands in the east to him for killing his brother. The next step was transferring significant sums to soldiers who supported him in the same conflict. In addition to financial losses, he also led to the independence of the army, thereby weakening his position.
Tragic Death
Selim died in October 1574. Historians have not established the exact date of his death. He supposedly died in rather unusual circumstances. According to one version, he fell unfortunately onto the floor when, while drunk, he was chasing a concubine.
After Selim II’s death, power in the country was assumed by his son, Murad III. An important challenge stood before him to rebuild the Ottoman state, weakened by his predecessor’s recklessness.
