Cafes

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The cafe

The Kafes ( Ottoman قفس İA ḳafes , German for “cage” ), the so-called “prince's prison”, was a separate area in the harem of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul , in which Ottoman princes (Turkish: Şehzade ) were held.

function

After the abolition of the fratricide law introduced by Mehmed II , the institution served to regulate the succession to the throne and the political neutralization of the aspirants, as the Ottomans did not divide the territory through inheritance and did not allow the eldest son to succeed to the throne until the 18th century existed. In particular, the psychological disruption of Mustafa I and Ibrahim the Mad are seen as examples of the ineffectiveness and negative effects of coffee. The kafes also served as a reserve for the sultan's legitimate successors in the event that he died. The princes in the cafe were also an option to exchange the sultan. Osman III spent 51 years in captivity before taking the throne.

Life in the café

The cafe was separated from the rest of the palace by high walls. It was used from 1617. The kafes was also called şimşirlik , as it was surrounded by box trees (şimşir) . As long as the fathers of the princes ruled , the princes (şehzade) lived in relative freedom and received a good education. After the ruler's death, they were kept under close surveillance. According to tradition, the cafe area comprised 12 buildings. The princes had 10 to 12 concubines and various palace eunuchs at their disposal. Any contact with the outside world was strictly prohibited. Visits were only allowed under supervision and with the prior approval of the Sultan. Pregnancies of the concubines were terminated because male offspring were undesirable. The café was in use until the Tanzimat period .

literature

  • Gilles Veinstein: Cafes . In: Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition, vs: KAFES

Individual evidence

  1. Klaus Kreiser: The Ottoman State 1300-1922 . Munich 2001, p. 1.
  2. ^ AD Alderson: The structure of the Ottoman Dynasty . Clarendon, Oxford 1956, p. 36; J. von Hammer-Purgstall: History of the Ottoman Empire . Hartleben's Verlag, Pest 1833. Reprint Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1963, Volume 8, p. 175 f.
  3. İslâm Ansiklopedisi , Volume 38, p. 483.