Suleiman II (Ottoman Turkish:سليمان ثانىSüleymān-isānī;Turkish:II. Süleyman; 15 April 1642 – 22 June 1691) was thesultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691. After being brought to the throne by an armed mutiny, Suleiman and his grand vizierFazıl Mustafa Pasha were successfully able to turn the tide of theWar of the Holy League, reconqueringBelgrade in 1690, as well as carrying out significant fiscal and military reforms.
Suleiman II was born on 15 April 1642 atTopkapı Palace inConstantinople, the son of SultanIbrahim andSaliha Dilaşub Sultan, a Serb woman originally named Katarina.[2][3][4] Suleiman was only 3 months younger than his half-brotherMehmed IV, who was born on 2 January 1642. After the deposition and execution of his father in 1648, Suleiman's half-brother Mehmed came to the throne. On 21 October 1649, Suleiman along with his brothers Mehmed and Ahmed were circumcised.[5]
In 1651, Suleiman was confined in theKafes, a luxurious prison for royal princes withinTopkapı Palace. This was done to avoid a rebellion. He stayed there for 36 years until he took the throne in 1687.
Shortly before he assumed the throne, the Ottomans suffered a major defeat atthe second Battle of Mohács in 1687. In 1688, Suleiman II urgently requested theMughal EmperorAurangzeb for assistance against the rapidly advancingAustrians, during theOttoman–Habsburg War, but mostMughal forces were engaged in theDeccan Wars and Aurangzeb ignored Suleiman's request to commit to any formal assistance to their desperate Ottoman allies.[6]
The previous ban on alcohol (which was publicly flouted in Istanbul and Galata) was energized under Suleiman, where he managed to demolish several alcohol shops, but this just led to owners bringing in more alcohol.[7]
Suleiman II appointedKöprülü Fazıl Mustafa Pasha as hisGrand Vizier in 1689, leading to thereconquest of Belgrade in 1690. Later, the threat from theRussian Empire was renewed when they joined in an alliance with other European powers, while the Ottomans had lost the support of theirCrimean vassals, who were forced to defend themselves from severalRussian invasions. Under Köprülü's leadership, the Ottomans halted an Austrian advance intoSerbia and crushed an uprising inMacedonia andBulgaria until Köprülü was killed in theBattle of Slankamen by Austrian forces.
Suleiman II elevated six known concubines to the rank of consort, with the title ofKadin, used for the first time as a title rather than a rank.[8][9][10]
He gave them various jewels and precious objects that belonged toMuazzez Sultan, one of her father'sHaseki Sultans. These gifts were requisitioned whenAhmed II, son of Muazzez, succeeded Suleiman II on the throne.[8]
Behzad Kadın. She received a brooch and a diamond ring that belonged to Muazzez Sultan.
Süğlün Kadın. She received a pair of pearl earrings, a pair of diamonds earrings and a pendant set with 83 pearls that belonged to Muazzez Sultan.
Şehsuvar Kadın. She received a pearl-encrusted ablution bowl and a pair of earrings that belonged to Muazzez Sultan.
Zeyneb Kadın. She received jewelry as gift in 1691.
İvaz Kadın. She received jewelry as gift in 1691.
Despite his six consorts, Suleiman II remained childless. It is not known whether this was due to his sterility, lack of sexual interest, or his precarious health conditions, which forced him to be bedridden for the final half of his short reign.[8]
Suleiman II had fallen into a coma and was later brought to Edirne on 8 June 1691. He died on 22 June 1691 and his body was buried in Suleiman the Magnificent's tomb at Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. His brother Ahmed succeeded him as Sultan.[11]
^abcdM. Çağatay Uluçay, Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları, Ötüken Publications, p. 113.
^ Previously,Kadin was the rank reserved for women who had given at least a child to the sultan, but the associated title was simply "Hatun", meaning woman
^ Although some documents refer to some of the concubines ofMehmed IV, the previous sultan, such as Kadin, historians agree that this class of concubines was institutionalized by Suleiman II
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