Mehmed IV
Ottoman sultan who oversaw territorial expansion and the Köprülü era.
Mehmed IV, known as Mehmed the Hunter, ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. Born on 2 January 1642, he became sultan at just six years old after a coup removed his father from power. His reign was the second longest in Ottoman history, trailing only Suleiman the Magnificent. Though it began and ended with military setbacks and political turmoil, the middle years saw a resurgence under the Köprülü family of grand viziers. Contemporaries viewed Mehmed as deeply religious, earning the title *gazi*, or holy warrior, for the conquests achieved during his time in power. Under him, the empire’s European territories reached their greatest extent.
Mehmed was born at Topkapı Palace in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and a Russian-born concubine named Turhan Sultan. His grandmother was Kösem Sultan, the Greek-born former wife of Sultan Ahmed I. Shortly after his birth, a quarrel between his parents led Ibrahim to snatch the infant from his mother and throw him into a cistern. Harem servants rescued him, but the incident left a permanent scar on his head.
He took the throne in 1648 amid instability. On 21 October 1649, he and his brothers Suleiman and Ahmed were circumcised. His grandmother Kösem, acting as regent, was suspected of backing rebels and plotting to poison him in favor of his half-brother Suleiman. In September 1651, Mehmed agreed to sign her death warrant. The empire faced palace plots, uprisings in Anatolia, a naval defeat by Venice near the Dardanelles, and food riots in Constantinople. In response, his mother granted Köprülü Mehmed Pasha full executive power as grand vizier on 14 September 1656. This began the stable Köprülü era. Mehmed spent much of his time hunting, which earned him the nickname Avcı, or the Hunter.
Under Grand Viziers Köprülü Mehmed and his son Fazıl Ahmed, Ottoman fortunes revived. They reclaimed Aegean islands from Venice and captured Crete during the Cretan War (1645–1669). Successful campaigns followed against Transylvania in 1660 and Poland from 1670 to 1674. When Mehmed accepted the vassalage of Petro Doroshenko, Ottoman rule expanded into Podolia and Right-bank Ukraine, leading to the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). His next vizier, Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa, besieged Chyhyryn in 1678 with 70,000 men during campaigns against Russia. He then backed a Hungarian uprising in 1683, marching a large army through Hungary to besiege Vienna. At the Battle of Vienna on the Kahlenberg Heights, the Ottomans suffered a devastating defeat by Polish-Lithuanian forces under King John III Sobieski and their allies, including the Imperial army. In 1672 and 1673, the sultan joined two Polish-Lithuanian campaigns with Grand Vizier Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, capturing Kamaniçi Castle and returning to Edirne after the Treaty of Bucaş.
A great fire struck Constantinople on 4–5 July 1660, the worst the city had ever seen. Starting in Eminönü, it spread across most of the historic peninsula, burning two-thirds of the city and even the minarets of Suleiman I’s mosque. As many as 40,000 people died, and thousands more perished in the famine and plague that followed.
The defeat at Vienna on 12 September 1683 marked the start of the Great Turkish War. The Holy League’s armies began pushing the Ottomans back into the Balkans.
In May 1675, Mehmed’s sons Mustafa II and Ahmed III were circumcised, and his daughter Hatice Sultan was married, celebrated with the Famous Edirne Festival. Silahdar Findikli Mehmed Aga described the sultan as medium-sized, stocky, with white skin and a sun-burnt face, a sparse beard, and a forward-leaning posture from much riding.
After the Second Battle of Mohács in 1687, the empire fell into crisis. Ottoman troops mutinied. Grand Vizier Sarı Süleyman Pasha fled his command, first to Belgrade and then to Istanbul, fearing his own soldiers. When news of the defeat and mutiny reached Istanbul in early September, Abaza Siyavuş Pasha was appointed commander and soon grand vizier. Before he could take charge, the army had disintegrated, and the Janissaries and sipahis began returning to their bases. Mehmed was overthrown by disgruntled soldiers in 1687, retired to Edirne, and died there of natural causes on 6 January 1693.
- born
- 2 January 1642
- died
- 6 January 1693
- field
- Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
- nationality
- Ottoman
- known_for
- Second-longest-reigning sultan; territorial expansion in Europe; known as 'the H
Lore & Background
Mehmed IV was born at Topkapı Palace, Constantinople, in 1642, the son of Sultan Ibrahim by Turhan Sultan, a concubine of Russian origin, and grandson of the Greek-born Kösem Sultan. Soon after his birth, his father and mother quarrelled, and Ibrahim tore Mehmed from his mother's arms and flung the infant into a cistern. Mehmed was rescued by the harem servants, but this left him with a lifelong scar on his head. He ascended to the throne in 1648 at the age of six. On 21 October 1649, Mehmed along with his brothers Suleiman and Ahmed were circumcised. Kösem Sultan, his grandmother and regent, was suspected of supporting rebels and plotting to poison the sultan and replace him with his younger half-brother, Suleiman. As a result, Mehmed agreed to sign his grandmother's death warrant in September 1651. The empire faced palace intrigues, uprisings in Anatolia, defeat of the Ottoman navy by the Venetians outside the Dardanelles, and food shortages leading to riots in Constantinople. Under these circumstances, Mehmed's mother granted Köprülü Mehmed Pasha full executive powers as Grand Vizier on 14 September 1656, beginning the Köprülü era. Mehmed's reign is notable for a revival of Ottoman fortunes led by Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed and his son Fazıl Ahmed. They regained the Aegean islands from Venice, and Crete, during the Cretan War (1645–1669). They also fought successful campaigns against Transylvania (1660) and Poland (1670–1674). When Mehmed IV accepted the vassalage of Petro Doroshenko, Ottoman rule extended into Podolia and Right-bank Ukraine, leading to the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). His next vizier, Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa, led campaigns against Russia, besieging Chyhyryn in 1678 with 70,000 men. He next supported the 1683 Hungarian uprising of Imre Thököly against Austrian rule, marching a vast army through Hungary and besieging Vienna. At the Battle of Vienna on the Kahlenberg Heights, the Ottomans suffered a catastrophic rout by Polish-Lithuanian forces famously led by King John III Sobieski and his allies. In 1672 and 1673, the sultan embarked on two Polish-Lithuanian campaigns with serdar-ı ekrem and Grand Vizier Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, and after the signing of the Bucaş Treaty, returned to Edirne. The fire of 4–5 July 1660 was the worst conflagration Constantinople had experienced to date. It started in Eminönü and spread to most of the historic peninsula, burning much of the city. Two-thirds of Constantinople was turned to ash, and as many as forty thousand people were killed. Thousands died in the famine and plague which followed. On 12 September 1683, the Austrians and their Polish-Lithuanian allies won the Battle of Vienna. The Turks retreated into Hungary, beginning the Great Turkish War as the armies of the Holy League pushed the Ottomans back to the Balkans. After the Second Battle of Mohács in 1687, the Ottoman Empire fell into deep crisis. There was a mutiny among the Ottoman troops. The commander and Grand Vizier, Sarı Süleyman Pasha, fled from his command. On 8 November 1687, it was decided to depose Sultan Mehmed IV and enthrone his brother Suleiman II. Mehmed was deposed by the combined forces of Janissaries and Sekbans commanded by Osman Pasha. He was imprisoned in Topkapı Palace but permitted to leave from time to time, and died in Edirne Palace in 1693. He was buried in Turhan Sultan's tomb, near his mother's mosque in Constantinople. In 1691, a plot was discovered in which senior clerics planned to reinstate Mehmed in response to the ill health of his successor, Suleiman II.
Reader's Guide
Mehmed IV's significance lies in his long reign, which spanned a period of both crisis and revival for the Ottoman Empire. Ascending as a child during a time of palace intrigues, military defeats, and food riots, his reign stabilized under the Köprülü grand viziers, who restored Ottoman power in Europe and expanded the empire to its greatest territorial extent on the continent. However, the disastrous defeat at Vienna in 1683 triggered a prolonged war that ultimately led to his deposition. His legacy is mixed: he is remembered as a pious ruler and a hunter, but his reign ended with the empire in retreat. The Köprülü era, which he presided over, is often seen as a last period of strong central authority before the empire's long decline. His deposition by mutinous troops set a precedent for military intervention in Ottoman politics.
Did You Know?
- Mehmed IV came to the throne at age six after his father was overthrown in a coup.
- As an infant, his father threw him into a cistern, leaving a lifelong scar on his head.
- He signed his grandmother Kösem Sultan's death warrant in September 1651.
- The fire of 4–5 July 1660 turned two-thirds of Constantinople to ash and killed as many as forty thousand people.
- He was deposed in 1687 after the Second Battle of Mohács and died of natural causes in Edirne Palace in 1693.
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