TURKEY. 
155 
While his numerous armies at once threatened Persia, the 
Asiatic rebels, and the German empire, the effeminate sultan, 
shut up in his harem, left the cares of government to his 
grand-vizir and his ministers. Plunged in debauchery of 
every kind, he exhibited, though in the prime of life, all the 
appearance of decrepitude. One of the sultanas, the mother 
of his eldest son, encouraged an impatience to reign in the 
heart of that young prince. His seditious expressions, with 
which the seraglio resounded, were repeated to the emperor, 
■who condemned both the mother and son to die. Soon 
afterwards famine, which had terrified his subjects at the 
commencement of his reign, ravaged Constantinople for 
several months. It was succeeded by pestilence, and Maho¬ 
met, whose strength was completely exhausted at the age of 37, 
this time sunk under that scourge, on the 21st of December, 
1603, after a reign of nine years. 
1603—1617.— Achmet (properly Ahhmed) I.—This 
prince was only fifteen years old when he ascended the 
throne, in 1603. He was less cruel, but not less despotic 
than his predecessors. Achmet had a brother, whom he did 
not put to death, but was content with confining him in a 
prison, and with seizing the wealth of his grandmother, the 
valydeh, whom he sent back to the old seraglio 5 and with 
this money he bestowed gratuities on the troops. 
Some pachas, taking advantage of the sultan’s youth, 
attempted to shake off the yoke. The capitan-pacha was 
sent against the rebels, whose audacity was encouraged by a 
strong reinforcement of Persians. Calender, one of these 
pachas, after making himself master of Antioch, Damascus, 
and Tripoli in Syria, proclaimed himself sovereign of that 
province. The capitan-pacha, having no experience in mili¬ 
tary operations upon land, was defeated ; and a small rebel 
squadron intercepted a convoy carrying the imposts levied 
in Egypt to Constantinople. The Ottoman admiral was 
summoned to give an account of his conduct, strangled 
before his arrival at court, and all his property confiscated. 
This reverse induced the sultan to wish for peace with the 
emperor Rudolph, and the treaty of Vienna was signed on 
the 9th of November, 1606. Meanwhile, the self-created 
despot of Syria was extending his conquests in Asia. The 
grand-vizir passed over to that country, and efficaciously 
opposed the progress of the rebel, who, compelled, notwith¬ 
standing a vigorous resistance, to retreat to Erzerum, his 
capital, secured his treasures and fled to Persia. The vizir, 
highly appreciating the valour of Calender, strove to gain 
him over, and prevailed upon him to set out for the purpose 
of throwing himself at the emperor’s feet and soliciting his 
pardon. From that moment all the provinces of Asia 
returned to their allegiance. Calender, on his arrival at 
Constantinople, was admitted to the presence of the em¬ 
peror ; he accosted him with a firmness mingled with respect, 
and obtained his pardon, and even the government of Te- 
mesvar in Hungary; but having two years afterwards 
retained part of the revenues of his pachalik, he was put to 
death in his palace and in the midst of his troops. 
The grand-vizir then proceeded through Asia with his 
army, restoring tranquillity to its provinces, and received 
orders to march against the sofy; but learning that the 
emperor had been prejudiced against him, he repaired to the 
court, confounded his enemies, secured the approbation and 
confidence of his master, and returned to his camp, resolved 
to extinguish the last sparks of rebellion, and accomplished 
his object as much by stratagem as by force. 
The archduke Matthias, having become king of Hungary 
in the life-time of his brother, the emperor Rudolph, renewed 
the treaties concluded with the Porte, which having thus no 
cause for hostility with Europe, renewed the war with Persia, 
which however produced no event worthy of record. 
The grand signor employed his leisure in the erection of 
a magnificent mosque in the Hippodrome, close to that of 
St. Sophia, and surpassing that edifice in splendour. Do¬ 
mestic tranquillity was soon disturbed by a very slight cause. 
The mufty prohibited the use of tobacco, then recently 
introduced into Turkey, because it produces a kind of intox¬ 
ication ; but the partizans of that plant were so numerous, 
that they imposed silence on the imans and on the mufty 
himself. The plague having again broken out at Constan¬ 
tinople, the dogs, which are innumerable in that city, were 
accused of propagating the contagion; but the mufty 
espoused the cause of those animals and would not suffer 
them to be killed. They were therefore collected together 
and transported to an uninhabited island. 
After an inactivity of two years, a long interval for the 
Turks to remain at peace, troops were sent into Moldavia, 
the new waywode of which had neglected to pay his tribute 
and seemed disposed to shake off the yoke. The defaulter 
was slain ; and the sultan at the same time recovered Tran¬ 
sylvania. The inhabitants had deposed their waywode, 
Battori, and invested Bethlem Gabor with that dignity. 
The latter, supported by the Turks, engaged his competitor, 
killed him and received from the Porte the investiture of 
Transylvania, as a vassal, and paid the tribute. The peace 
with the court of Vienna was not interrupted by this event. 
Facardin (Fakhred-dyn) prince of the Druses, who at first 
took up arms to clear Syria from the banditti by which it 
was infested, gave in the sequel some alarm to the sultan ; 
but after defeating the Turks, he offered to pay tribute, and 
the sultan confirmed him in his little sovereignty. 
Persia, dissatisfied with the peace which she had signed, 
again had recourse to arms. Shah Abbas, who was ardently 
desirous of war, set out from Ispahan in 1616, marched 
against the Turks and routed them near Bassorah. Pursuing 
his victory, he recovered all that part of Asia Minor which 
his ancestors had lost. 
Achmet, ashamed of remaining inactive in his palace, 
while Abbas was triumphing at the head of the Persian armies, 
prepared to take the field, but was seized with a violent dis¬ 
order, which put an end to his life on the 15th of November, 
1617, in his 30th year, after a glorious reign of 14 years. 
1617—1618.— Mustapha (properly Moussthafa) I.— 
During the reign of Mahomet III., Achmet, confined in a 
narrow prison with his brother Mustapha, and exposed to the 
same dangers, promised to spare his life, if fortune should 
ever raise him to the throne. He did more than keep his 
word; for when, after a reign of 14 years, he found himself 
at the point of death, and considering that all his children 
were still very young, this prince sent for his ministers, and 
told them that he was authorised by the example of the 
khalyfs to chuse the eldest of the imperial race for his suc¬ 
cessor ; and be therefore desired, for the good of his subjects, 
that his brother might fill the throne after his death. Accord¬ 
ingly, no sooner had Achmet closed his eyes, than Mustapha 
was proclaimed emperor. It was soon found that a worse 
choice could scarcely have been made. A long captivity 
during the two last reigns had impaired the intellects of this 
prince. Manifesting a strong antipathy to women, and 
prodigal without motive, he indulged the most childish 
whims: conferring wealth all at once upon those who had 
no kind of merit to recommend them, or appointing persons 
wholly incapable to the most important posts, he highly 
enjoyed the surprise and embarrassment arising from so un¬ 
expected a change of fortune. To such a length did he 
carry these frolics, that he gave the pachaliks of Cairo and 
Damascus to two itchoglans, who were mere children. 
The sultana-valydeh, incensed at the aversion which the 
emperor displayed for her sex, and at the little influence 
which he allowed to herself, soon conspired against him. 
The ministers, convinced of the sultan’s utter incapacity, 
excited the janissaries and spahys to insurrection. A rumour 
was circulated that he designed to strangle his nephews; and 
the people demanded his deposition, for the purpose of raising 
to his place a son of Achmet’s, whose memory was dear to 
them. 
1618—4622.— Othman II.-—The life of Mustapha was 
spared. He was shut up in one of the towers of the seraglio 
on the l7th of March, 1618, and prince Othman, twelve 
years of age, appeared among the people, who approved by 
their acclamations the choice of the soldiery. 
The 
