Şehzade Ahmed (son of Bayezid II)
Şehzade Ahmed was a Şehzade of the Ottoman Empire, the eldest surviving son of Sultan Bayezid II. He fought against his younger brother, Selim, in the Ottoman Civil War of 1509–1513 to succeed their father, and was a central figure in the Şahkulu rebellion. Ahmed ultimately lost the war against his brother, and was executed by Selim's order after the latter usurped the throne.
Background
Ahmed was the oldest living son of Bayezid II, the 8th sultan of the Ottoman Empire. His mother was Bülbül Hatun. In Ottoman tradition, all princes were required to serve as provincial governors in Anatolia as a part of their training. Ahmed was the governor of Amasya, an important Anatolian city. Although the status was not official, he was usually considered as the crown prince during the last years of his father's reign, in part because of the support of the grand vizier, Hadim Ali Pasha.He became known as a poet and scholar, as well as a patron of the arts: his circle included, among others, the poet Mihri Hatun.
Siblings
Ahmed had two living half-brothers. Of the two, Korkut was governing in Antalya and Selim in Trabzon. Custom dictated that whoever first reached Istanbul after the death of the previous sultan had the right to ascend to throne, so the distances from the sanjaks to Istanbul more or less determined the succession and usually whoever the previous sultan favored the most as his successor. In this respect, Ahmed was the most fortunate because his sanjak was the closest to Istanbul.Although Selim's son Süleyman had been assigned to Bolu, a small sanjak closer to Istanbul, upon Ahmed's objection, he was relocated to Kaffa in Crimea. Selim saw this as an unofficial display of support for his elder brother and asked for a sanjak in Rumeli. Although he was initially refused on the ground that Rumeli sanjaks were not offered to princes, with the support of the vassal Crimean khan Meñli I Giray, he was able to receive the sanjak of Semendire, which, although it was technically in Rumeli, was quite far from Istanbul. Consequently, Selim chose to stay close to Istanbul instead of going to his new sanjak. His father Beyazıt thought this disobedience insurrectionist; he defeated Selim's forces in battle in August 1511, and Selim escaped to Crimea.
Şahkulu Rebellion
While Beyazıt was fighting against Selim, Ahmed was tasked with suppressing the Şahkulu Rebellion in Anatolia. However, instead of fighting, Ahmed tried to win over the soldiers to his cause for winning the Ottoman throne and left the battlefield. His attitude caused unease among the soldiers; more importantly, his main supporter, Hadim Ali Pasha, lost his life during the rebellion.Capturing Konya
Hearing about Selim's defeat by their father, Ahmed declared himself as the sultan of Anatolia and began fighting against one of his nephews. He captured Konya, and although his father Beyazıt asked him to return to his sanjak, he insisted on ruling in Konya. He also attempted to capture the capital; but he failed because the soldiers blocked his way, declaring their preference for a more able sultan. Selim then returned from Crimea, forced Bayazit to abdicate the throne in favor of himself, and was crowned as Selim I.Defeat and death
Ahmed continued to control a part of Anatolia in the first few months of Selim's reign. Finally, the forces of Selim and Ahmed fought a battle near Yenişehir, Bursa, on 24 April 1513. Ahmed's forces were defeated; he was arrested and executed shortly after.Family
Consorts
Ahmed had at least seven consorts. Four of them are known:- Sittişah Hatun, mother of Şehzade Osman;
- Gülçiçek Hatun
- Bülbül Hatun
- Feraşad Hatun
Sons
Ahmed had at least seven sons:- Şehzade Süleyman, governor of Koca, and Çorum 1509 – 1513, he had two daughters; one of them was:
- *Hundihan Sultan;
- Şehzade Alaeddin, governor of Bolu 1509 – 1513, married his cousin Neslişah Hanımsultan, the daughter of his aunt Aynışah Sultan, and Ahmed Beg, and they had one daughter:
- *Hvandi Sultan, married to Sunullah Bey, governor of Kastamonu;
- Şehzade Osman - with Sittişah Hatun, governor of Osmancık 1509 – 1513;
- Şehzade Murad, governor of Bolu. He had two sons and one daughter:
- *Şehzade Mustafa ;
- *Şehzade Mehmed ;
- *Asitanşah Sultan;
- Şehzade Ali
- Şehzade Mehmed
- Şehzade Kasım
Daughters
Ahmed had at least four daughters:- Kamerşah Sultan, known also as Kamer Sultan. She married in 1508 to Damad Mustafa Bey, governor of Midilli, and son of Iskender Pasha. They had at least a child, a daughter. Buried with her father;
- Fatma Sultan, married, in 1508 to Sultanzade Mehmed Bey, Ser-ulufeciyan, son of Damad Koca Davud Pasha and of an unnamed Ahmed's half-sister. She became widow in 1511 and in 1512 she chose to follow her full-brother Murad into exile in Persia, where she joined the harem of Ismail I;
- Fahrihan Sultan, married, in 1508 to Damad Suleiman Bey, Silahdar ;
- Hanzade Sultan, married in 1516 to Damad Ahmed Bey;