Ottoman interregnum

The Ottoman Interregnum ( Turkish Fetret Devri or Turkish Saltanat Fasılası ) refers to the period between 1402 and 1413, in which, after the defeat and capture of Sultan Bayezid I against Timur in the Battle of Ankara, his sons fought a succession battle for the throne of the Ottoman Empire fought out. Finally, Mehmed I was able to assert himself as sultan.

Suleyman vs. İsa vs. Mehmed

Süleyman Çelebi , the eldest son, resided in Edirne and controlled the European parts, İsa Çelebi resided in Bursa and controlled Western Anatolia. Mehmed resided in Amasya and ruled over central Anatolia. After Timur soon disappeared to the east and his empire fell apart after his death in 1405, Mehmed was able to quickly bind some annexed emirates to himself as vassals. He could also beat İsa. Meanwhile, Suleyman had himself proclaimed Sultan in Adrianople . He had support from the European vassals and the benevolence of Byzantium , which had got rid of its tribute payments, and was able to bring parts of Anatolia under his control.

Suleyman vs. Mehmed vs. Musa

Finally, with Musa Çelebi , another brother appeared on the scene, who had been in captivity with his father. In the following battles, Suleyman was trapped in Adrianople, taken prisoner on the run and handed over to his brother, who had him strangled in 1410. Musa pursued a harder line towards the European possessions and Byzantium, whereupon they asked Mehmed for help. In 1413 there was a decisive battle near Çamurlu in what is now Bulgaria, in which Musa was killed and Mehmed became sultan of the reunified empire.

literature

Klaus Kreiser : The Ottoman State 1300-1922 (= Oldenbourg floor plan of history. Vol. 30). 2nd updated edition. R. Oldenbourg, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-486-58588-9 .

See also: Interregnum

predecessor	Office	successor
Bayezid I.	Sultan of the Ottoman Empire 1402–1413	Mehmed I.