Mehmed Ier

Mehmed Ier Çelebi or Mohammed Ier was born with Edirne in 1387. It is the fourth wire of Bayezid I {{er}}. His/her mother, Devlet, are a princess of Germiyan. After the civil war called “the interregnum” of 1403 with 1413, it was recognized sultan in all the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed Ier died in Edirne in 1421. To avoid renewing the period of disorders having preceded its reign, its death was hidden with the people and the army. It is buried in the Green Mausoleum (Yeşil Turbe) with Brousse (today Bursa).

It had two wives, two girls and five wire: Mustafa Çelebi, Murad II, Ahmed, Yusuf, Mahmud.

History

It accepted its education in the palate of Brousse. It made its training of administrator in the province of Amasya as governor.

The period of interregnum (Fetret devri)

See also: Othoman Interregnum

Bayezid I {{er}} had five wire: Suleyman, Isa Çelebi, Musa, Mehmed and Mustafa. This last died before his/her father in 1401.

After the defeat of Bayezid I {{er}} in front of Tamerlan with Ankara in 1402, the Ottoman Empire was about to explode. The children of Bayezid disputed his succession. Suleyman with Edirne reigned on Bulgaria and Thrace, Isa Çelebi with Brousse, Mehmed Çelebi with Amasya and Musa with Balıkeşir declared each one sultan in his stronghold. Mehmed and Musa were combined initially against Isa which they killed. Mehmed sent Musa in forwarding against Suleyman while passing by the Black Sea. Musa managed to invade Bulgaria and to take Edirne. It benefitted from it to proclaim sultan with Edirne (1410). Furious Mehmed of this treason sent a small garrison to Gallipoli, it was pushed back. The brutal policy the Musa one got enemies as well to him outside as inside. Mehmed was then combined with the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologist and overcame Musa (1413). He then proclaimed Sultan with Edirne of which he made his capital.

Mustafa Çelebi called Düzmece Mustafa ( Moustafa cheating the ), oldest son of Mehmed Ier, left to Samarkand to join Tamerlan. After the death of Tamerlan it returned in Anatolia with the project of détrôner his father (1405). For that it was combined with the princes of Valachie, finally it took refuge near the Byzantine Emperor. Mehmed paid the Emperor so that he imprisons it. It is during the engagements between father and wire that the firearms would have been used for the first time in the Ottoman Empire.

N the other hand of the assistance brought by the Byzantine Emperor, Mehmed had to recognize it like “Father and Lord” and to remain to him honest.

Restoration of the Empire

During the period of interregnum, the Empire had been exhausted and a certain number of territories of Anatolia had been lost. Mehmed Ier was made a duty recover them as fast as possible. It annexed İzmir (Smyrna) in 1414. It organized a campaign to attack the Karamanides (in Turkish, Karamanoğulları) which had attacked Brousse. Once overcome Karamanides required thanks to Mehmed Ier, which it did, letting them live on their grounds, but the state karamanide was annexed.

After this consolidation in Anatolia Mehmed Ier left towards the Roumélie. It subjected the Valachie and forced to him to pay tribute. In same time it reinforced its fleet and the first naval actions took place.

The epopee of the Sheik Bedrettin

In January 1938 the Turkish communist poet Nazim Hikmet was stopped for incentive with the revolt. He was condemned to 28 years of prison because juniors by the army would have read its poems and particularly that entitled “ the epopee of the Sheik Bedrettin ”. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Nobel Prize of literature in 1971) testified to the extreme violence of the maltreatment endured by Nazim Hikmet during his detention.

The population had terribly suffered from the consequences of the civil war. The taxes crushed the people. The theologist originating in Edirne, Sheik Bedrettin , had an acute sense of social justice and freedom. He had adopted a democratic political model with an elected government. It defended all the oppressed populations which they are Turkish Greek or Jewish. Anatolia knew its greater popular revolt thus. Its currency was “ Partagez all except the cheeks of your good liked ”. One of its more faithful disciples was Börklüce Mustafa which after a series of victories over the troops of the sultan had to be folded up in the peninsula of Karaburun with 10 000 of its men. Finally overcome Börklüce Mustafa by Mehmed Ist Sheik Bedrettin was crucifié was taken in the city of, will be judged by the local Cadi, then hung.

To its death Mehmed Ier will have led 24 military campaigns and will have been wounded 40 times.

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