Both he and his half-brother,Mahmud II, were the last remaining male members of the House of Osman after their cousin, the reformist SultanSelim III (1789–1807). They alone were therefore eligible to inherit the throne from Selim, by whom they were treated favorably. Since Mustafa was the elder, he took precedence over his brother to the throne.[3] During his short reign, Mustafa would save his cousin's life and order him murdered. Mustafa was Sultan Selim III's favourite crown prince, but he deceived his cousin and cooperated with the rebels to take his throne.
Mustafa ascended to the throne after the deposition of his cousin, Selim, on 29 May 1807.[4] He came to the throne in the wake of the turbulent events that led to thefatwa against Selim for "introduc[ing] among the Muslims the manners of infidels and showing an intention to suppress the Janissaries".[5] Selim fled to the palace, where he swore fealty to his cousin as the new sultan, and attempted to commitsuicide. Mustafa spared his life by smashing the cup of poison that his cousin tried to drink.[5]
Mustafa's brief reign was turbulent. Immediately upon ascending to the throne, theJanissaries rioted throughout Constantinople, looting and murdering anyone who appeared to support Selim.[6] More threatening, however, was a truce signed with theRussians, which freedMustafa Pasha, a pro-reformist commander stationed on theDanube, to march his army back toConstantinople to restore Selim. With the aid of the Grand Vizier ofAdrianople, the armymarched on the capital and seized the palace.[5]
Mustafa IV
Sarıbeyzade Aleko, the interpreter of Fenerli Divan-ı Hümayun, was executed on 11 September 1807 because he was involved in spying on government affairs unrelated to his job. It was written on the label hanging around his neck that he gave state secrets to the enemy. This execution strained relations withFrance. French envoy Sebastiani protested the execution of Aleko, who was under the government's patronage, by going to Babıali. After the cease-fire agreement signed in the Russian lada and the turmoil in the Silistra army, the Ottoman troops returned to Edirne, who had no army character[clarification needed] left.[7]
Meanwhile, inIstanbul andEdirne, after a long winter with severe frosts, shortages and wood shortages were experienced. Troops starved, and the cadre of Edirne was devastated. Soldiers were asked to dispatch soldiers from the provincial governors until only a few had come from places near Istanbul, such asIzmit and Şile. The pro-New Order protestors inAnatolia andÇapanoğlu Süleyman Bey, in the first place, had cut all kinds of aid towards Istanbul.[8]
Attempting to secure his position by positing himself as Osman's only surviving heir, Mustafa ordered Selim and his brother Mahmud murdered atTopkapı Palace in Constantinople. He then ordered his guards to show the rebels Selim's body,[6] and they promptly tossed it into the palace's inner courtyard. Mustafa then ascended his throne, assuming that Mahmud was also dead, but the prince had been hiding in a bath furnace.[9] Just as the rebels demanded that Mustafa "yield his place to a worthier", Mahmud revealed himself, andMustafa was deposed. The failure of his short reign prevented the efforts to undo the reforms, which continued under Mahmud.
Peykidil Kadın. She was executed in August 1808 byMahmud II, accused of plotting against him with Mustafa IV andAlemdar Mustafa Pasha. According to sources, she was tied to a weight and thrown into the sea from theMaiden's Tower. Along with her, several concubines accused of being her accomplices were also executed.
Dilpezir Kadın. She died in 1809 and was buried in Abdülhamid I's mausoleum.
Seyare Kadın. She died in 1817 and was buried in Abdülhamid I's mausoleum.
In the decades following Mustafa's death, a certain Ahmed Nedir, a Georgian man, claimed to be Mustafa IV's secret son, born after his mother, a Russian woman, was forced to flee Constantinople while she was pregnant following Mustafa IV's death. According to another version, Ahmed Nedir was the Şehzade Ahmed himself, whose death was faked in order to hide the child abroad, for fear that Mahmud II execute him. His claims were never proven or taken into consideration.[15]
Emine Sultan (6 May 1809 – October 1809). Born posthumously, she is buried with her father in the Hamidiye mausoleum. Her wet nurse was Muhtaviye Hatun, wife of Said Bey (died 16 November 1812, buried inKaracaahmet Cemetery).
^Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi, Nesil Yayınları(Ottoman History with Illustrations, Nesil Publications), 15th Ed., 2009, page 395,ISBN978-975-269-299-2
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