Bayezid II
Ottoman Sultan
Reign	1481–1512
Period	Growth of the Ottoman Empire
Full Name	Sultan Bayezid II
Predecessor	Mehmed II
Successor	Selim I
Royal House	House of Osman
Dynasty	Ottoman Dynasty

Bayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî (December 3, 1447 – May 26, 1512) (Ottoman Turkish: بايزيد ثانى Bāyezīd-i sānī, Turkish:II. Bayezid or II. Beyazıt) was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid II consolidated the Ottoman Empire and thwarted a Safavid rebellion soon before abdicating his throne to his son, Selim I.

Early life[link]

Bayezid II was born in Dimetoka Palace (now Didymoteicho) in Thrace as the son of Mehmed II (1432–81) and Valide Sultan Mükrime Hatun, the daughter of Süleyman Bey, the sixth ruler of Dulkadirids, who died in 1492.^[1][2] According to Turkish folk tales, she was a French princess. Bayezid II married Ayşe Hatun, a convert of Greek ethnicity, who was the mother of Selim I.

Fight for the throne[link]

Bayezid II's overriding concern was the quarrel with his brother Cem, who claimed the throne and sought military backing from the Mamluks in Egypt. Having been defeated by his brother's armies, Cem sought protection from the Knights of St. John in Rhodes. Eventually, the Knights handed Cem over to Pope Innocent VIII (1484–1492). The Pope thought of using Cem as a tool to drive the Turks out of Europe, but, as the Papal Crusade failed to come to fruition, Cem was left to languish and die in a Neapolitan prison.

Reign[link]

Bayezid II ascended the Ottoman throne in 1481. Like his father, Bayezid II was a patron of western and eastern culture and unlike many other Sultans, worked hard to ensure a smooth running of domestic politics, which earned him the epithet of "the Just". Throughout his reign, Bayezid II engaged in numerous campaigns to conquer the Venetian possessions in Morea, accurately defining this region as the key to future Ottoman naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The last of these wars ended in 1501 with Bayezid II in control of the whole Peloponnese. Rebellions in the east, such as that of the Qizilbash, plagued much of Bayezid II's reign and were often backed by the Shah of Persia, Ismail, who was eager to promote Shi'ism to undermine the authority of the Ottoman state. Ottoman authority in Anatolia was indeed seriously threatened during this period, and at one point Bayezid II's grand vizier, Ali Pasha, was killed in battle against rebels.

Bayezid II

Jewish and Muslim emigration[link]

In July 1492, Spain expelled its Jewish and Arab populations as part of the Spanish Inquisition. Bayezid II sent out the Ottoman Navy under the command of Admiral Kemal Reis to Spain in 1492 in order to evacuate them safely to Ottoman lands. He sent out proclamations throughout the empire that the refugees were to be welcomed.^[3] He granted the refugees the permission to settle in the Ottoman Empire and become Ottoman citizens. He ridiculed the conduct of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in expelling a class of people so useful to their subjects. "You venture to call Ferdinand a wise ruler," he said to his courtiers — "he who has impoverished his own country and enriched mine!"^[4] Bajazet addressed a firman to all the governors of his European provinces, ordering them not only to refrain from repelling the Spanish refugees, but to give them a friendly and welcome reception.^[4] He threatened with death all those who treated the Jews harshly or refused them admission into the empire. Moses Capsali, who probably helped to arouse the sultan's friendship for the Jews, was most energetic in his assistance to the exiles. He made a tour of the communities, and was instrumental in imposing a tax upon the rich, to ransom the Jewish victims of the persecutions then prevalent.

The Arabs and Jews of Spain contributed much to the rising power of the Ottoman Empire by introducing new ideas, methods and craftsmanship. The first printing press in Constantinople was established by the Sephardic Jews in 1493. It is reported that under Bajazet's reign, Jews enjoyed a period of cultural flourishing, with the presence of such scholars as the Talmudist and scientist Mordecai Comtino; astronomer and poet Solomon ben Elijah Sharbiṭ ha-Zahab; Shabbethai ben Malkiel Cohen, and the liturgical poet Menahem Tamar.

Succession[link]

On September 14, 1509, Constantinople^[5][6] was devastated by an earthquake. Bayezid II's final years saw a succession battle between his sons Selim I and Ahmet. Ahmet unexpectedly captured Karaman, an Ottoman city, and began marching to Constantinople to exploit his triumph. Fearing for his safety, Selim staged a revolt in Thrace but was defeated by Bayezid and forced to flee back to Crimea. Bayezid II developed fears that Ahmed might in turn kill him to gain the throne and refused to allow his son to enter Constantinople.

Selim returned from Crimea and, with support from the Janissaries, forced his father to abdicate the throne on April 25, 1512. Beyazid departed for retirement in his native Demotika, but he died on May 26, 1512 at Büyükçekmece before reaching his destination, and only a month after his abdication. He was buried next to the Bayezid Mosque in Istanbul.

In popular culture[link]

• Sultan Bayezid II's statesmanship, tolerance, and intellectual abilities are depicted in the historical novel The Sultan's Helmsman, which takes place in the middle years of his reign.
• Sultan Bayezid II and his struggle with his son Selim is a prominent motive in the video game Assassin's Creed: Revelations. In the game, due to Bayezid's absence from Constantinople, the Byzantines had the opportunity to sneak back into the city, hoping to revive their fallen empire. Near the end of the game, Bayezid surrendered the throne to his son Selim.

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

• Sidney Nettleton Fisher. "The foreign relations of Turkey (1481-1512)" (PDF). Utrecht University. http://www2.let.uu.nl/Solis/anpt/ejos/pdf/Fisher1.pdf. 
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Bajazet II". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=B&artid=143. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bayezid II

• Short musical composition written by Bayezid II

Beyazıt Öztürk
Born	(1969-05-12) 12 May 1969 (age 43) Bolu, Turkey
Nationality	Turkish
Other names	Beyaz
Occupation	Television presenter
Known for	known from Beyaz show

Beyazıt Öztürk (born 1969, Bolu, Turkey), also known as Beyaz, is a Turkish television personality, standup comedian and actor. He is the host of Beyaz Show, a popular Turkish talk show and now started a TV series called Yalan Dünya in Kanal D.

Biography[link]

He was born in Bolu, Turkey in 1969 and spent most of his childhood in Bursa. He graduated from the sculpturing department of fine arts faculty at the Anadolu University in Eskişehir. He was also a professional basketball player. He now stars in a soap called Yalan Dünya since January 2012 and hosts Beyaz Show since 2007 in the Turkish Channel Kanal D.

Career[link]

Öztürk first made his name at Number One TV. He began hosting a Friday Night talk show in 1996 called 'Beyaz Show' where he chats to celebrities. The program is akin to Friday Night With Jonathon Ross in the UK and The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien in the US.

He introduced his debut music album called "Beyaz, Türküler". It was available to buy in 1998.

He has won "Golden Orange Awards" two times in Turkey.

References[link]

• Beyazonline.com - His brief biography
• Who is Who Database - Beyazıt Öztürk

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beyazıt Öztürk

• Beyazıt Öztürk at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website of Beyazıt Öztürk

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2011)

Müslüm Akbaş (born May 7, 1953), better known as Müslüm Gürses (pronounced [mysˈlym ɟyɾˈses]) is a Turkish folk singer.^[1]

He was born in 1953 in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. He married Muhterem Nur in 1983.

He mostly sings Turkish folk and Ottoman classical music, with an arabesque style. His talent and his special style have put him to a different place among other folk singers. In his songs he mostly expresses sorrow and painful feelings. He is considered a cult figure in Turkish folk music and has a very dedicated group of fans, most of whom being young, low-income urban people. He is mostly called Müslüm Baba (means 'Papa Müslüm' in Turkish) among them.^[2]

List of Albums[link]

Sen Olmayinca - Gönül Teknem
Sandik
Topraktan Bedene
Usta Ne Yazar
Garipler
Vay Canim
Sadece
Sultanim
Muslumce 92
Paramparca
Agur Yarali-Gurbert Geceleri
Muslum' Ce Turkuler 2001
Nerelerdesin
Biz Babadan Boyle Gorduk

References[link]

Mircea the Elder
Voivode of Wallachia
Mircea the Elder
Reign	1386–1418
Romanian	Mircea cel Bătrân
Born	1355
Birthplace	Wallachia
Died	1418
Place of death	Wallachia
Buried	Cozia Monastery
Predecessor	Dan I
Successor	Michael I
Consort	Maria (possibly a Lackovic)
Offspring	Mihail I, Vlad Dracul, Radu II Chelul
Royal House	House of Basarab
Father	Radu I
Mother	Calinica

Mircea the Elder (Bulgarian: Мирчо Стари Romanian: Mircea cel Bătrân pronounced [ˈmirt͡ʃe̯a t͡ʃel bəˈtrɨn]; 1355–1418) was ruler of Wallachia from 1386 until his death. The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II ("Mircea the Younger"). Starting in the 19th century, Romanian historiography has also referred to him as Mircea the Great (Romanian: Mircea cel Mare).^[1]

Family background and heirs[link]

Mircea was the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and Lady Calinica, thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab.^[2] He was the father to Vlad II Dracul and grandfather of Mircea II, Vlad the Impaler (Dracula), Vlad Călugărul and Radu the Handsome. All of these would at one time or the other rule Wallachia, with Mircea II and Vlad Ţepeş both being able military commanders (the latter would eventually become one of the most notorious leaders in history, and the inspiration for the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker).

Historical importance[link]

Wallachia under Mircea cel Bătrân, c. 1390

Mircea's reign is often considered to have brought stability to Wallachia. Found in a volatile region of the world, this principality's borders constantly shifted, but during Mircea's rule, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history: from the river Olt in the north to the Danube in the south, and from the Danube's Iron Gates in the west to the Black Sea in the east.^[3]

Mircea strengthened the power of the state and organized the different high offices, promoted economic development, increased the state's revenue, and minted silver money that enjoyed wide circulation not only inside the country but also in neighboring countries. He gave the merchants of Poland and Lithuania trade privileges and renewed those his predecessors had given to the people of Braşov. As a result, Mircea was able to afford increasing his military power. He fortified the Danube citadels and strengthened "the great army" made up of townspeople and of free and dependent peasants. He also proved to be a great supporter for the Church.^[4]

While organizing the coun try and its institutions, Mircea also formed a system of lasting alliances which enabled him to defend the independence of the country. Through the intermediary of Petru Muşat, the prince of Moldavia, he concluded a treaty of alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland in 1389. The treaty was renewed in 1404 and 1410. He maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg, the king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against Ottoman expansion.^[5]

Conflicts with the Ottoman Empire[link]

The seal of Voivode Mircea from 1390, depicting the coat of arms of Wallachia

His interventions in support of the Bulgarians south of the Danube who were fighting against the Turks brought him into conflict with the Ottoman Empire. In 1394 Beyazid I (also known as "Yıldırım Beyazıt", "the Thunderbolt") crossed the Danube river, leading 40,000 men, an impressive force at the time. Mircea had only about 10,000 men so he could not survive an open fight. He chose what today we would call guerrilla warfare by starving the opposing army and utilizing small, localized attacks and retreats (a typical form of asymmetric warfare). On October 10, 1394, the two armies finally clashed at the Battle of Rovine, which featured a forested and swampy terrain, thus preventing the Ottomans from properly spreading their army; Mircea finally won the fierce battle and threw the Ottomans out of the country. Giurescu, pp. 367. This famous battle was later epically described by the poet Mihai Eminescu in his Third Epistle. However, Mircea had to retreat to Hungary, while the Turks installed Vlad Uzurpatorul on the throne of Wallachia.

In 1396 Mircea participated in an anti-Ottoman crusade started by Hungary's monarch. The crusade ended with the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Nicopolis on September 25. In the next year, 1397, Mircea, having defeated Vlad the Usurper with Hungarian help, stopped another Ottoman expedition that crossed the Danube, and in 1400 he defeated yet another expedition of Turks crossing the country.Giurescu, pp. 368.

The defeat of Sultan Beyazid I by Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) at Ankara in the summer of 1402 opened a period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire and Mircea took advantage of it to organize together with the Hungarian king a campaign against the Turks. In 1404 Mircea was thus able to impose his rule on Dobrogea again. Moreover, Mircea took part in the struggles for the throne of the Ottoman Empire and enabled Musa to ascend that throne (for a brief reign). It was at this time that the prince reached the height of his power.Giurescu, pp. 369

Towards the end of his reign, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans; in return for a tribute of 3,000 gold pieces per year, the Ottomans desisted from making Wallachia a province ("pashalik").Giurescu, p. 370.

Cultural importance[link]

The "bravest and ablest of the Christian princes", as he was described by German historian Leunclavius, ruled Wallachia for 32 years. Apart from his military successes Mircea was an art lover, leaving us among other monuments beautiful Cozia Monastery, built after the model of the radu Krusevac Church (Krusevac) in Serbia.

In popular culture[link]

Film[link]

Mircea was played by Sergiu Nicolaescu in the 1989 film Mircea, which was also directed by Nicolaescu.

Notes[link]

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mircea cel Bătrân

• (Romanian) Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Istoria critică a românilor, vol. I, Bucharest, 1875
• (Romanian) A. D. Xenopol, Istoria românilor din Dacia Traiană, vol. I, Iaşi, 1889
• (Romanian) Nicolae Iorga, Studii şi documente cu privire la istoria românilor, vol. III, Bucharest, 1901
• (Romanian) Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Românilor, vol. I, Bucharest, 1938