Mehmed IV
The Hunter Sultan who oversaw the Köprülü era and the height of Ottoman expansion in Europe.
Mehmed IV (2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693), nicknamed Mehmed the Hunter, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at age six after his father was overthrown in a coup. He became the second-longest-reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent. Under his reign, the empire reached the height of its territorial expansion in Europe. He was known as a pious ruler and referred to as gazi for his role in conquests. He was overthrown in 1687 and died of natural causes in Edirne in 1693.
Quick Facts
- Reign
- 8 August 1648 – 8 November 1687
- Predecessor
- Ibrahim
- Successor
- Suleiman II
- Spouse
- Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan; Others
- Issue
- Hatice Sultan
- Mustafa II
- Ahmed III
- Ümmügülsüm Sultan
- Fatma Emetullah Sultan
- Full name
- Mehmed bin Ibrahim
Facts from the source article.
Background
Mehmed IV was born at Topkapı Palace in 1642, son of Sultan Ibrahim and Turhan Sultan. As an infant, his father threw him into a cistern during a quarrel, leaving a lifelong scar on his head. He ascended the throne at age six in 1648. His grandmother Kösem Sultan, acting as regent, was executed in 1651 after Mehmed signed her death warrant. His mother granted Köprülü Mehmed Pasha full executive powers as Grand Vizier in 1656, beginning the Köprülü era. Mehmed developed a keen interest in hunting, earning the nickname Avcı (the Hunter).
Did You Know?
- Mehmed IV was known as Avcı, meaning 'the Hunter', because hunting took up much of his time.
- The fire of 4–5 July 1660 burned two-thirds of Constantinople and killed as many as forty thousand people.
- Mehmed IV's Haseki Sultan was Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan, of Greek origin, mother of two future sultans.
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