| Şehzade Mahmud | |
|---|---|
 Sarcophagus of Şehzade Mahmud (left) and his mother (right) | |
| Born | c. 1587[a] Manisa Palace,Manisa,Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 7 June 1603(1603-06-07) (aged 15–16) Topkapı Palace,Istanbul,Ottoman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Dynasty | Ottoman |
| Father | Mehmed III |
| Mother | Halime Sultan[1] |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Şehzade Mahmud (Ottoman Turkish:شہزادہ محمود;c. 1587 – 7 June 1603) was an Ottoman prince, the son of sultanMehmed III andHalime Sultan. He was the grandson of sultanMurad III andSafiye Sultan, the half-brother of the future sultanAhmed I and the brother of sultanMustafa I.
Şehzade Mahmud was born in Manisa Palace, when his father was still a prince, and the governor of the Saruhan Sanjak. His mother wasHalime Sultan. Mahmud along with his brothers was educated by Mustafa Efendi, who was appointed by Mehmed in 1592.[2] When Murad died in 1595, Şehzade Mehmed ascended the throne as Mehmed III, Mahmud came to Istanbul with his father. Upon ascending the throne, his father ordered the execution of his nineteen half-brothers.
In Istanbul, Mahmud was very popular with the Janissaries. His father, Mehmed, was disturbed by Mahmud’s eagerness to leave the palace and take up the role of warrior prince, especially since he himself had grown so fat that he could not campaign. Hoping to dispel his father’s worries over provincial rebellions and Safavid advances, Mahmud would ask his father to send him to suppress the rebellions and counter the Safavid advances, and to give him the command of the army.[3][4][5][6][7] Whenever he spoke like that, Mahmud's brother, Şehzade Ahmed, would try unsuccessfully to stop him because this alarmed the paranoid Mehmed, who feared that the youth intended to mount a rebellion against him from within the palace.[8]
On his part, Mahmud was distressed to see how his father was being manipulated by his grandmother,Safiye Sultan, with the result that the state was falling into ruin. It did not help his case that his mother was also not favoured by Safiye.[9] According to Turkish tradition all princes were expected to work as provincial governors (Sanjak-bey) as a part of their training. However, Mahmud, being too young, was not yet circumcised, nor was he sent to govern any province because of the ongoingJelali revolts and thelong Turkish War (an indecisive land war between theHabsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire, primarily over the Principalities ofWallachia,Transylvania andMoldavia).[10]
Rumors of a conspiracy to poison Mehmed in order to elevate Mahmud to the throne of the empire were spreading in the capital.[11] Discussions took place among the viziers of the imperial council as to which of the sultan’s sons should be designated heir to the throne. The viziers were divided into two factions: one supporting Mahmud, the other favoring his brother Şehzade Ahmed.[12] According to another rumor, if the conspiracy to assassinate the sultan failed, Mahmud would be secretly taken to a province, where he could easily gather an army and fight for the throne.[13]
It further did not help Mahmud's case when his superstitious mother sent a message to a religious seer enquiring if her son would become the next Sultan, and how long her husband would reign. The man answered, but the message was intercepted by Abdürrezzak Agha, the chief black eunuch of the imperial harem, who gave it to Mehmed and Safiye, instead of her.[11] The message said that Mehmed would die within six months, whether by natural causes or deposition, and her son will become the next Sultan. Safiye then instigated Mehmed into having Mahmud (who had known nothing of his mother's actions) investigated.[14]
Mahmud was imprisoned and beaten to make him confess. After two days, he was beaten again, every time being struck two hundred blows but he did not confess. Then his mother was called for interrogation. She confessed that she did send a message to the religious seer to know about her son's fortune, but without any intention to hurt or thought of how it would distress her husband. But this statement did not satisfy Mehmed and his mother, Safiye.[15]
The Sultan decided to consult with his grand vizierYemişçi Hasan Pasha and the mufti on the issue. He demanded a legal opinion from Mufti Ebulmeyamin Mustafa Efendi, whether he could execute his son or not. The mufti gave the opinion that he cannot execute his son without any witnesses, and could only be executed on the grounds that his death would satisfy his father.[16]
Mahmud was executed on 7 June 1603[17] by four deaf mutes in a harem room while Mehmed waited outside. After his order was carried out, Mehmed entered the room to make sure that Mahmud was dead.[11] After Mahmud's death, Mehmed's remaining two sons were the future SultansAhmed I andMustafa I.[18][19] Mahmud's followers who were allegedly involved in the matter were thrown into the sea. While it was rumored that his mother was also executed.,[15][20] she was actually sent to theOld Palace by the end of June.[21] After his death, Mahmud was remembered as courageous and jealous, and joined the category of those who were much loved by the janissaries, an Ottoman way of posthumously describing ambitious princes who did not make it.[7]
Mehmed III died on 22 December just six and a half months later, allegedly because of distress due to Mahmud's death.[22] Mahmud's half-brother Ahmed then ascended the throne as Sultan Ahmed I. Mahmud, who had been initially buried in obscurity, was then honored with reburial in a tomb built on the orders of his half-brother Ahmed,[15] in theŞehzade Mosque, Istanbul. Ahmed also banished his grandmother, Safiye Sultan, to the Eski (old) Palace on January 1604 and replaced the chief black eunuch of the imperial harem, Abdürrezzak Agha, with a new one, Cevher Agha, for their roles in Mahmud's execution.[3][23]
In the 2015 TV seriesMuhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, Şehzade Mahmud is portrayed by as a child by Turkish actor Arda Taşarcan, and as adult by Turkish actorBarış Cankurtaran.
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