Sultan Osman II

Ruled 1618-1622

Sultan Osman IISultan Osman II was the 16th sultan of the Ottoman dynasty and was also known as Osman Han or Genc (Young) Osman. His father was sultan Ahmed I and mother was Haseki Mahfiruz. He was born on 3rd of November 1604 and ascended to throne on 26th of February 1618 at the age of 14, that's how he got his nickname "Genç" meaning "young" in Turkish. Osman was well educated and intelligent, he spoke several languages. He was also a good poet and wrote poems under the pseudonym of Farisi.

When sultan Osman was enthroned, he first decided to make changes in administrative duties and among council (Divan) members. During his reign he also had to deal with several disasters in Istanbul such as huge fires in 1621 and 1622.

At that time the Empire was in the state of war with Persia in the East and the Kingdom of Poland in the West. Despite the objection of his army, Osman II decided for mobilization to Poland and also attacked Italian coast in the Mediterranean. He planned some reforms to strentgthen the State and wanted to eliminate the Jannissary Corps because of their corruption, establishing a new military discipline. These plans, of course, gained the anger of the jannissaries who rebelled in 1622 and raided the Palace. Young Osman was de-throned, imprisoned and then strangled by the jannissaries at Yedikule dungeons on 20th of May 1622. Sultan Mustafa I, Osman's uncle, was re-enthroned. Osman II was buried in his father's mausoleum next to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.