(Source: book cover)
Good day everyone. In my first book review in the 'hive book club' category, I gave a quick summary about a book written by Mark David Baer. From there, I discovered that this author had written more books about religion and history, so I decided to pick up another one. This book (2011) is titled 'Honored by the glory of Islam; conversion and conquest in Ottoman Europe'.
In this book, the author has studied the life of Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV. The focus of his study was not strictly biographical, though it is written in a chronological order following his life. The focus, as can be surmized from the title, is on conversion, from both a personal and institutional perspective in the 17th century.
Court intrigue and a boy sultan
For one's reign to begin, another reign often has to end. The same goes for Mehmed, though none of these events were of his own doing. His father, Ibrahim, got overthrown in a coup in the year 1648. He was accused of being an incompetent ruler, and he got blamed for internal instability and military defeats (on Crete, for example). Baer contends this was partly justified: Ibrahim was much more involved with the pleasures that being a sultan can bring, than the actual ruling of the realm.
The ruling of the realm was done by so-called viziers, the 17th century Ottoman equivalent of what would today be the prime minister. But the most powerful person in the realm at the time was a woman: Ibrahim's mother, Kosem. Given current representations and views of sunni Islam, it's quite remarkable to see a woman holding such a high position in a muslim society, but it was a trend at that time. However, it was not conceivable for a woman to openly rule at the time: and so, Mehmed IV became a sultan when he was 6 years old. His father Ibrahim was only considered a liability at this point, and was killed a few years later.
A decade of crisis
Baer names one of the chapters in his book 'a decade of crisis'. This decade refers to the regency period 1648-1658, when Mehmed was a minor, and power was in the hands of no fewer than 12 viziers (in 10 years!) and his mother, Hatice. Setbacks in wars and a devaluation of Ottoman currency made his administration deeply unpopular. On top of this, a devastating fire laid waste to Istanbul in 1660: an estimated 40.000 people died in a few days to the flames.
A revival of Islam?
After some introduction and stage-setting, Baer shows how the topic of conversion has to to with Mehmed's story. During the middle of the 17th century there was somewhat of a 'revival' going on in Ottoman sunni Islam (though I doubt they'd use the word 'revival').
The reforming group, the Kadizadelis, claimed that the setbacks the Ottoman Empire had suffered in recent decades were due to the weakening faith of the muslims in the empire. They advocated a return to how Islam was practiced in the early years, and advocated punishing those who transgressed. Transgressions included the use of opium, tobacco and coffee, not keeping to religious practices and holidays, and adhering to Sufi sects, who were considered non-traditional/heterodox by the Kadizadelis.
Mehmed's life and exploits
The Kadizadelis, whose leader preached in the Hagia Sophia, had a great influence on the Ottoman court, and in the end also on Mehmed IV himself. From here, the book roughly follows Mehmed's life. Baer shows that the 'revival' of Islam is also visible in his actions. Mehmed had a distaste for life in Istanbul, and moved his court to Edirne in 1663. During his reign, he would try to make Istanbul live up more to muslim/sharia standards. One of the measures he took was the total prohibition of alcohol, which included the city's Christian and Jewish populations. From Edirne he staged any expedition into Europe he desired, though his first big victory would not be on the mainland.
One the main adversaries of the Ottoman Empire at the time was Venice, especially on the seas. Venice had held the island of Crete for a long time, and the Ottomans wanted to take Crete to strengthen their hold on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Taking the last stronghold, Candia, was proving to be a colossal task, however: when the Ottomans finally took it in 1669, it had taken 27 (!) years to finally break the Venetian defenses.
Taking Candia proved to be one of the highlights of Mehmed's military career. Another would be taking the fortress at Kamenets in 1672, in today's western Ukraine. It would be as far into mainland Europe as the Ottomans have ever gotten.
Mehmed was also an avid hunter. According to his chroniclers, it kept him sharp for war and other military pursuits. Baer tells stories of Christians converting to Islam during these hunting trips, when meeting the Sultan and his large hunting parties. It's hard to imagine such an occurrence; an average farmer from a place like Bulgaria meeting one of the mightiest men alive at the time. It is not surprising that they would convert when under such circumstances (and pressure). Also, as mentioned in my earlier book review, Sabattai Zevi (considered a messiah by many Jews) was pressured to convert in 1666.
Catastrophe at Vienna
Mehmed was looking for an achievement that would crown his reign, and establish him as one of the greatest rulers in history. He would eye up Vienna, capital of the Habsburg dynasty and one of the centers of European Christendom, as his desired prize. The siege and battle for Vienna in 1683 would become famous, but as a victory for the Christians. Mehmed IV might be more remembered today for this famous defeat than for any victories he achieved in the 20 years before it.
The Ottoman defeat at Vienna would cause a shockwave through the empire, and would be an advent of more setbacks: dry weather caused crops to fail and food prices to rise, leading to general unhappiness. Also, Ottoman adversaries like the Habsburgs, Poland and Venice were looking to gain back lost territory, now that the initiative was back in their hands. They would succeed in part, making gains in what is now Hungary, Ukraine and the Agean islands.
Conclusion
Mehmed IV's reign ends the way it began: with a military coup. He was deposed in 1687, and his younger brother Suleiman II was put on the throne. Exiled to Edirne, he would die six years later in 1693. Baer contends that Mehmed's reputation suffered among modern historians, mostly due to the defeat in Vienna. He regrets that history seems to have forgotten his conquests and conversions of Christians and others in his almost 40 year long reign. I've enjoyed this read, and I hope you've enjoyed reading this summary. It's hard to do a book consisting of almost 300 pages justice with in not that many words, but I hope I've succeeded at least a bit. I'll be looking into more non-fiction books on this platform soon. Until the next one,
-Pieter
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