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Sultan Selim II-by Jacopo Ligozzi-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Selim II

Selim II was born on May 1524 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, Topkapi palace museum(now Istanbul, Turkey). He was also known as Selim the ‘Blond’ or Selim the ‘Drunk’.He was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566.

His reign brought peace in Europe and Asia and also the rise of the Ottomans to dominance in the Mediterranean. Selim also marked the beginning of the decline in the power of the Sultans.

He was born during the reign of his father Suleiman the Magnificent. Selim gained the throne as sultan in1566, after a palace conspiracy and fraternal dispute.

He had been an unlucky candidate for the throne until his brother Mehmed died of smallpox, and his half-brother Mustafa was strangled to death by the order of his father.

His brother Cihangir died of chronic health issues and his other brother Bayezidwas killed on order of his father after a rebellion against Selim.

Selim died on 15th December 1574 and was buried in Hagia Sophia. Here are 10 interesting facts about Selim II.

1. He was the son of Suleiman I, commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent

Selim was born in Constantinople during the reign of his father Suleiman the Magnificent.

Suleiman was the tenth and longest reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire known for the expansion of the territory and building up of Constantinople as the empire’s capital.

from 1520 until his death in 1566. Selim’s mother was Hurrem Sultan, a slave, and concubine who was born an Orthodox priest’s daughter in Ukraine and later freed and became Suleiman’s legal wife.

2. He had seven sons among whose Murad III became his successor

In 1545 at Konya, Selim took Nurbanu Sultan a concubine as his principal consort. Selim and Nurbanu had one son Murad III Selim’s successor.

It is said that he had four women and each of them was a mother of a prince.

His other sons were;Sehzade Memhed,Sehzade Abdullah,Sehzade Cihangir,Sehzade Mustafa,Sehzade Osman and Sehzade Suleiman.

3. Selim gained the throne in 1566 after a palace conspiracy and fraternal dispute

Selim II ascends to the throne-by Unknown author-

Sultan Selim II with 2 servants-by NakkaÅŸ Osman-

Selim II gained the throne on the 7th of September 1566, after palace infights and fraternal disputes.

At the time, Grand Vizier Mehmed Sokollu and Selim’s wife Nurbanu Sultan controlled much of the state affairs.

Two years after his succession, he succeded in concluding a Treaty at Constantinople with the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II on 17th February 1568.

The Emporer agreed to pay an annual present of 30,000 ducats and granted the Ottomans the authority in Moldavia and Walachia.

4. His plan of uniting the Volga and Don by a canal failed

Selim had a plan prepared for uniting the Volga and Don by a canal in order to chip Russian expansion toward the Ottoman’s northern frontier.

A large force of Janissaries and cavalry were sent to lay siege to Astrakhan and begin the canal works, while an Ottoman fleet besieged Azov.

Nevertheless, the besiegers were driven back by an attack from Astrakhan and a Russian relief army of 15,000 who attacked and scattered the workmen. The Ottoman fleet was destroyed by a storm.

5. The Ottoman Navy faced defeat against Spain and Italian states in the Battle of Lepanto

At the historic Battle of  Naupaktos or Battle of Lepanto which happened on 7th October 1571, the Holy League defeated the Ottoman navy unhesitating.

The Holy League sank or destroyed 50 Ottoman ships and captured 117 galleys and 20 galliots.

30,000 Turks were lost in the battle,10,000 Turks were taken prisoners and many thousands of Christian slaves were rescued.

6. Selim maintained dominance of the Mediterranean

Tomb of Selim II- by R Prazeres-

In six months’ time after the defeat by Spain and the Italian States, the Empires shattered fleets were restored which consisted of about 150 galleys and eight galleasses.

The Ottomans maintained control of the eastern Mediterranean and on August 1574, months before Selim’s death, the Ottomans regained control of Tunis from Spain which had captured it in 1572.

7. Selim was introduced as a generous monarch

Selim II-by John Young-

Selim is known for restoring Mahidevran Hatuns status and her wealth and also he built the tomb of his eldest brother, Sehzade Mustafa, who was executed in 1553.

In the famine of 1573 which was caused by severe cold, farmers were unable to produce food for the people and Selim gave people food and vegetables in the food kitchen.

8. He was known as Selim the Drunk

Selim was more minded toward worldly pleasures and spent most of his time in his harem drinking wine. Due to this, he was given the title Selim the Drunk.

It was the tradition for a sultan to raise his son to follow in his footsteps, but Selim II received no such training from his father because he was never seen as a future sultan.

He was fond of entertainment in the sources of the period, the presence of scholars and poets around him as well as musicians, wrestlers, and connoisseurs.

9. Selim was the first Sultan in Ottoman history who took no interest in administrative matters

Selim didn’t lead his army in any military campaign during his reign unlike his predecessors and most of his campaigns were led by his generals.

During his reigning period, the power of the Ottoman Empire was maintained by his Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmet Pasha.

His governance is seen as a clear disparity compared to his father, Suleiman the Magnificent whose rule was considered ideal.

The empire faced a slow decline as Selim was not able to neither honor the existing treaties nor make new ones.

He neglected most of his responsibilities because he had no interest in governance or stately affairs.

10. Selim paid a higher dowry upon Nurbanu compared to his fathers upon his mother

Nurbanu-Sultan-by Unknown author-

Selim’s only wife, Nurbanu Sultan who is said to have originally been named Cecilia Venier Baffo, or Rachel, or Kale Kartanou, was the mother of his successor Murad III and most of his daughters.

He bestowed upon Nurbanu 110,000 ducats as a dowry, surpassing the 100,000 ducats that his father bestowed upon his mother Hurrem Sultan.

Selim II was an Ottoman sultan whose reign brought peace to Europe and Asia.

He led to the rise of the Ottomans to dominance in the Mediterranean but marked the decline in the power of the sultans. Selim is said to have died of a head injury.