The Worst Ottoman Sultans In History

The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1299 to 1922. Due to this longevity, it went through several different forms and iterations. Its power also ebbed and flowed depending on its leadership. When the sultan was strong, the empire thrived. When the sultan was weak, it struggled. Explaining some of the worst sultans in Ottoman history helps illustrate this dynamic.

Mustafa I

Mustafa I ruled twice, from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. At a young age, his brother kept him confined to the Kafes (Cage), a palace apartment meant to prevent power struggles between competing members of the sultan’s family. Doing so made Mustafa mentally unwell, which his first reign demonstrated. Lasting only three months, reports of erratic behaviour, like pulling officials’ turbans and scattering coins to birds and fish, undermined his authority and led to his deposition. His second reign wasn’t much better. Facing rebellions and political instability, he turned to his mother and brother-in-law for guidance. This did little to instill confidence, and he was once again replaced.

Ibrahim I

Ibrahim I ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1640 to 1648. His reign was characterized by eccentricities, rampant spending, and corruption. To some extent, this incompetence was understandable. Much like Mustfa I, Ibrahim spent much of his early life in the Kafes. This made him mentally and physically ill and unfit to govern a vast multicontinental empire. He nonetheless ascended to the throne in 1640 upon the death of his brother Murad IV.

During the early years, Ibrahim retreated from politics and turned to hedonistic tendencies for comfort and distraction. Addicted to sex, stories of his harem became infamous across the empire. Ibrahim's disinterest in governing forced his viziers, like Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha, to run the state. One of Ibrahim’s few policy decisions was to launch a major expedition against Crete in 1645. This was disastrous and drained resources from an empire that was already struggling due to Ibrahim’s mismanagement and extravagant lifestyle. By 1648, elites, military leaders, and religious authorities all united against him, and Ibrahim was deposed and executed.

Mehmed IV

Mehmed IV was more competent than Musfafa I or Ibrahim I. Ruling from 1648 to 1687, his reign was the second longest in Ottoman history and saw some major successes. Mehmed took the Greek island of Crete in 1669 and also captured parts of Ukraine and Poland. All this meant that the Ottoman Empire achieved its greatest territorial reach under his leadership.

These accomplishments were undone by the failed Siege of Vienna in 1683. For years, the Ottomans had attempted to make inroads into Central Europe. Mehmed thus wanted to cement his legacy by taking Vienna and establishing the Ottoman Empire as a dominant power in the region. The siege began in July when 150,000 Ottoman troops surrounded the city. Lasting nearly two months, conditions within Vienna became dire as starvation and disease spread.

The tide turned when a relief army of 75,000, made up of Germans, Poles, and Saxons, reached the city and pushed the Ottomans back. The resulting conflict, known as the Great Turkish War, ended in the first major Ottoman territorial loss in Europe. This trend continued for the next 200 years, as the Ottomans were pushed further and further back. Despite his earlier successes, Mehmed IV is remembered for initiating this centuries-long process of Ottoman decline.

Selim III

Selim III ruled from 1789 to 1807. An ambitious and forward-thinking leader, he recognized the Ottoman Empire’s problems. Centuries of military stagnation and economic problems had left it well behind most other European powers. The root of these issues was the Janissaries. An elite military corps meant to protect the sultan, they were instrumental in the early expansionary period, most notably the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Over the years, their efficacy waned. The Jainssaires had immense privileges and political power. This forced sultans to acquiesce to their demands and avoid major reforms that threatened their position in Ottoman society.

Selim III tried to change this dynamic. Throughout his tenure as sultan, he introduced a series of reforms called the Nizam-ı Cedid (New Order). These resulted in the creation of a newly trained, European-style infantry corps with modern weaponry and a special revenue treasury. While a positive development on the surface. Selim implemented these changes with little respect for the true power of the Janissaries. Indeed, they hated the reforms and overthrew Selim in 1807. He was executed the next year. In short, while he had good ideas, Selim III lacked the political cunning to implement them effectively.

Abdul Hamid II

Abdul Hamid II is one of the most controversial figures in Ottoman history. Reigning from 1876 to 1909, his tenure started out promisingly. In 1876, he approved the first Ottoman constitution and parliament, which put clear limits on the sultan’s authority. However, following a disastrous war with Russia two years later, Abdul Hamid suspended the constitution and ruled with absolute authority for the next thirty years.

This power was sometimes put to good use. Adult Hamid oversaw massive infrastructure projects, like the Hejaz Railway from Mecca to Medina, and also established widespread secular educational institutions across the empire. At the same time, he stoked ethnic and religious-based hatred, leading to massacres against Armenians and Assyrians in the 1890s. Such events laid the groundwork for atrocities like the Armenian Genocide decades later.