مراد الثالث

16 January 1595 CE · 15 Jumada I 1003 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

Murad III (r. 982–1003/1574–1595) — trilingual poet-sultan; saw Poland placed under Ottoman protection, Tiflis and Tabriz taken from the Safavids, and offered the Sa'dids 300 galleys to recover al-Andalus. Sokollu's assassination in his reign opened the era of palace-made grand viziers. Buried in Hagia Sophia's courtyard ¹.

Depth

At a glance

Roles: Ruler
Era: The Gunpowder Empires
Region: Anatolia
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Life in time

The Gunpowder Empires Contemporaries: Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Qasim al-Ahdal · al-Buhuti Mansur ibn Yunus · محمد الثالث

Overview

Sultan Murad III ibn Selim II, who ruled from 982 to 1003 AH (1574–1595 CE), and was the son and successor of Selim II. Al-Salabi says that he cared for learning, literature and poetry, mastered Turkish, Arabic and Persian, and inclined to Sufism. ¹

Early reign

He ordered at the beginning of his reign the prohibition of wine-drinking, and the Janissaries rebelled and forced him to retreat. This is counted as an early sign of the state's weakness. In his reign Poland came under Ottoman protection, Tbilisi was taken in 985 AH, and the Ottomans entered Tabriz in 993 AH. ¹

He proposed a military alliance to the Sa'dis in Rajab 988 AH against the Spaniards. In his reign the grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha was killed. Al-Salabi says that his death opened a door of evil in the appointment and dismissal of viziers. ¹

He died on 16 January 1595 CE aged about forty-nine, and was buried in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia. ¹