Osmanli Imparatorlugu
How many worlds to conquer?
How many worlds to conquer?
"The Turks must be well contented now that they have won Egypt. I predict that their rapacious armies shall plague Europe no longer, but instead, they shall turn East in the way of Alexander. They shall prefer the riches of the Indies to the wastes of Illryia and Hungary." - N. Machiavelli, Letter on the Turks to Pope Julius II (c. 1520)
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The Story of the rise of the Osmanli and of the triumphs of Mehmed the Conqueror are well known, but this is to be the story of the trails of the Empire in its greatest days.
I. Prologue - A Cruel Reign
The Story of the rise of the Osmanli and of the triumphs of Mehmed the Conqueror are well known, but this is to be the story of the trails of the Empire in its greatest days.
I. Prologue - A Cruel Reign
Selim I succeeded in 1512 his father Beyazid II, whom he dethroned, and whose death, following immediately afterwards, gave rise to suspicions of Selim's character, which were certainly justified. He signalized his accession by putting his brothers and nephews to death; and gave early proof of resolution by boldly cutting down before their troops two officers who showed signs of insubordination.
As a Sunni Muslim, he resolved on putting down the Shi'ite heresy, which had gained many adherents in Turkey: the number of these was estimated as high as 40,000. Selim determined on war with Persia, where the heresy was the prevalent religion, and in order that the Shi'ites in Turkey should give no trouble during the war "measures were taken," as the Turkish historian states, which may be explained as the reader desires, and which proved fully efficacious. The campaign which followed was a triumph for Selim, whose firmness and courage overcame the pusillanimity and insubordination of the Janissaries.
Syria and Egypt next fell before him; he became master of the holy cities of Islam and, most important of all, he induced the last Caliph of the Abbasid dynasty formally to surrender the title of caliph as well as its outward emblems, viz the holy standard, the sword and the mantle of the prophet. The dignity with which the Ottoman sultans have thereby become invested lends them that prestige throughout the Muslim world which is of such importance to the present day, and which has thrown into oblivion the condition that the caliph ought to be an Arab of the tribe of Quraish.
After his return from his Egyptian campaign, he sent his favorite general, Bali, on an expedition against Moldavia, and he was preparing an expedition against Rhodes when he was overtaken by sickness and died in the ninth year of his reign (September 23, 1520), near the very spot where he had attacked his father's troops, not far from Adrianople. He was about fifty-five years of age.
He was bigoted, bloodthirsty and relentless, earning him the sobriquet "the Cruel". (Though one Turkish historian praises his humanity for forbidding condemned persons to be cut up while still alive or roasted slowly before a fire.) At one time he was, with difficulty, dissuaded from ordering the complete extirpation of all the Christians in Turkey. His ambition was insatiable; he is said to have exclaimed when looking at a map that the whole world did not form a sovereignty vast enough for one monarch. His four months' victorious campaign against Persia was undertaken and successfully carried through contrary to the advice of his ministers, several of whom he executed for their opposition to his plans. It is said that he contemplated the conquest of India and that he was the first to conceive the idea of the Suez Canal.
The Empire in January of 1520
The State of the Army
The Last Months of Selim I "The Cruel" - Major Events
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : France cancelled the Vassalization she had with Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : France declared war upon Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Scotland joined the war on the same side as France in their war against Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Savoy joined the war on the same side as France and Scotland in their war against Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Brittany joined the war on the same side as France, Scotland and Savoy in their war against Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Gelre joined the war on the same side as France, Scotland, Savoy and Brittany in their war against Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Austria joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Spain joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais and Austria in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : England joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais, Austria and Spain in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Oldenburg entered a Military Alliance with Austria, Spain, England and Bourbonnais.
1520-00-04 : January 5, 1520 : Oldenburg joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais, Austria, Spain and England in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Venice declared war upon Mantua.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Papal States joined the war on the same side as Venice in their war against Mantua.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Florence joined the war on the same side as Venice and Papal States in their war against Mantua.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Genoa dishonored a Military Alliance she had with Papal States, Florence, Venice, Knights of St. John and Siena.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Knights of St. John joined the war on the same side as Venice, Papal States and Florence in their war against Mantua.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Siena joined the war on the same side as Venice, Papal States, Florence and Knights of St. John in their war against Mantua.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Wurtemberg entered a Military Alliance with Austria, Spain, England, Bourbonnais and Oldenburg.
1520-00-06 : January 7, 1520 : Wurtemberg joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais, Austria, Spain, England and Oldenburg in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-00-18 : January 19, 1520 : Spain went with Crush the Rebellion in The Communeros.
1520-00-19 : January 20, 1520 : Persia went with Reform trade and infrastructure in The Reforms of Ismaïl.
1520-00-20 : January 21, 1520 : Algiers went with Accept the Protection of the Grand Sultan in The Ottoman Vassalization of Al-Djazaïr.
1520-00-20 : January 21, 1520 : Ottoman Empire entered a Royal Marriage with Algiers.
1520-00-20 : January 21, 1520 : The Ottoman Vassalization of Al-Djazaïr happened to us.
1520-00-20 : January 21, 1520 : Algiers are now our vassals.
In the 1520's, the brothers Barberus were Greek renegades who had gone on piracy ventures in the Barbary Coast of Algiers. After much fighting Arudj, the elder brother, assassinated the pasha of Algiers but was later himself killed in combat. His brother, Kayr al Din, succeeded him and had sometimes 100 galleys and 4,000 pirates that he used to terrorize the whole Mediterranean. Having received a regular commission of admiral from the Sultan, he placed Al Djazaïr (Algeria) under Ottoman sovereignty prompting later Spanish expeditions against Algiers.
Constantinople, heart of the Empire
1520-00-28 : January 29, 1520 : Austria went with Create these New Functions in Hofkanzlei, Hofkammer and Hofrat.
1520-01-26 : February 25, 1520 : Ottoman Empire declared war upon Moldavia.
Selim's declaration of war upon Moldavia was at the time an act not understood by most, including his generals, but they dared not question the order. Bali Pasha marched with an army of 52,000 from Constantinople, losing about 10,000 on the march to desertion and exhaustion, arriving by late May. The Hungarian attack upon Wallachia at this time seemed to vindicate Selim's war, which he saw as a small move to secure his flank against the infidel. That is why the goal of the campaign was only to make the Moldavians vassals instead of subjects of the Osmanli.
1520-02-00 : March 1, 1520 : Bavaria entered a Military Alliance with Austria, Spain, England, Bourbonnais, Oldenburg and Wurtemberg.
1520-02-00 : March 1, 1520 : Bavaria joined the war on the same side as Bourbonnais, Austria, Spain, England, Oldenburg and Wurtemberg in their war against France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-02-17 : March 18, 1520 : Bujak has been besieged by Moldavia
1520-03-06 : April 7, 1520 : Genoa entered a Military Alliance with France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre.
1520-03-06 : April 7, 1520 : Genoa joined the war on the same side as France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany and Gelre in their war against Bourbonnais, Austria, Spain, England, Oldenburg, Wurtemberg and Bavaria.
1520-04-07 : May 8, 1520 : We entered a Royal Marriage with Yemen.
One of Selim's last diplomatic actions was to arrange the marriage of his son, Süleymân, to the eldest daughter of the paramount Yemeni sheik. It was the first step in cementing the bonds between the states of Arabia and the Osmanli, beginning with marriages into the house of Osman and culminating in annexation, though that would be years away.
1520-04-10 : May 11, 1520 : Hungary declared war upon Wallachia.
1520-04-18 : May 19, 1520 : Hungary entered a Military Alliance with Poland, Lithuania and Bohemia.
1520-04-21 : May 22, 1520 : 2nd Army has arrived in Moldova.
1520-04-21 : May 22, 1520 : We have initiated a siege in Moldova.
1520-05-01 : June 2, 1520 : We are attacked by hostile armies of Moldavia in Moldova.
1520-05-07 : June 8, 1520 : Wurtemberg joined the war on the same side as Oldenburg, Austria, Spain, England, Bourbonnais and Bavaria in their war against Hannover, Mecklenburg, Bremen, Pomerania, Brandenburg and Denmark.
1520-05-13 : June 14, 1520 : We captured the province of Moldova from Moldavia
1520-06-16 : July 17, 1520 : 2nd Army has arrived in Bujak.
1520-06-16 : July 17, 1520 : We have engaged hostile armies in Bujak.
1520-06-18 : July 19, 1520 : We won a battle against Moldavia in Bujak.
1520-07-00 : August 1, 1520 : Switzerland entered a Military Alliance with France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany, Gelre and Genoa.
1520-07-00 : August 1, 1520 : Switzerland joined the war on the same side as France, Scotland, Savoy, Brittany, Gelre and Genoa in their war against Bourbonnais, Austria, Spain, England, Oldenburg, Wurtemberg and Bavaria.
The invasion of John Zapolya in Wallachia
1520-08-08 : September 9, 1520 : Dobrudja has been besieged by Moldavia
1520-08-08 : September 9, 1520 : Mantua accepted peace with Knights of St. John on the following terms : Full Annexation of Mantua by Knights of St. John
1520-08-20 : September 21, 1520 : Moldavia accepted our generous peace offer.
1520-08-20 : September 21, 1520 : Moldavia are now our vassals.
1520-08-22 : September 23, 1520 : Süleymân I Kanuni awaits your command in Egypt.
1520-08-22 : September 23, 1520 : Selîm I Yavuz has died.
Coming soon... II. The First Test - Süleymân and the Great Mamluke Rising
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