The repercussions of the problem of succession to the throne and its impact on The stability of the Ottoman State between 1544-1553

Abstract

Anyone who follows the political history of states and ruling families throughout history will almost never find a political system devoid of the repercussions of the struggle over the inheritance of the throne. These repercussions are represented in the occurrence of competition that develops into an armed struggle between members of the ruling family or sometimes with outsiders, with the aim of controlling power or monopolizing power. This conflict often erupted in the event that some of the brother princes objected to the installation of one of them as a sultan. In a quick look at many Islamic countries, we find that their history is not devoid of such repercussions on the system of government in them.The Ottoman Empire was not immune from such conflict, which appeared early in its history, as power in it was transmitted naturally within the members of the ruling family, mostly from the father to the eldest son, and this situation continued until the reign of Bayezid I and after his death, the struggle over the throne did not stop. Not only among his sons, but it extended to continue among his grandchildren as well, and the matter continued as well until the era of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who witnessed a struggle over the inheritance of the throne between his sons during his reign, while he was still alive, a struggle that left a somewhat significant impact on the stability of the state, as it intensified Disagreement within the regime in the Ottoman Empire at the end of its reign, with the presence of women’s interference in the affairs of government and politics, with the absence of a law regulating the succession to the throne in the state, and as a result of this, the sons of the Sultan began to feel fear for their lives from the bloody struggles for the throne, especially with the advancing age of their father, and because they They are not all siblings from one mother, which had serious repercussions for the state. This is what this research tries to clarify, through an introduction, a conclusion, and the following two topics: The first topic: Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, his wives, and his sons, and the second topic: The repercussions of the conflict over the inheritance of the throne between 1544-1553.