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God's Shadow

Page 52

by Alan Mikhail


  Selim, 1, 10–12, 30, 32, 42, 54, 113, 137, 145–47, 154, 175, 180–81, 249, 375

  accession to Ottoman throne, 250

  administrative work of, 70–72, 326–29, 362–63

  advances on Istanbul, 224–34

  with advisers, 61

  Americas and, 352, 353, 356, 358

  armed forces of, 82–83

  arrives in Istanbul to take throne, 233–34

  attack on ‘Ala’ al-Dawla, 280

  attack on Georgia, 198–202, 206, 207, 209, 221

  Babur and, 250

  Bayezit and, 59, 211–12, 217–18, 221–22, 224, 225–28, 236–37

  becomes sultan, 235–46, 235

  birth of, 16

  brothers and, 27–28

  in Cairo, 306–7, 372

  as caliph, 309–10, 382, 442–43n

  camp at Yeni Bahçe, 234, 236

  chronicled life of, 12

  circumcision festival of, 24–25

  as combatant, 355–56

  competition for Ottoman throne, 63–64, 79, 241–45

  connections to Trabzon, 75

  consorts of, 75

  coronation of, 235

  in Crimea, 210–23, 210

  death of, 357–62, 373

  descendants of, 75–76, 403–4

  in Edirne, 325–27, 330, 331, 333, 351, 352, 355–57

  enemies of, 197–209

  Erdoğan’s interest in, 399–400

  establishes power base in the east, 200–203

  funeral of, 361

  as “God’s Shadow on Earth,” 12

  as governor of Trabzon, 63–76, 77–86, 186–87, 190, 194, 197–209, 210–11, 228, 258–60, 308, 333, 382

  half-brothers and, 240–41

  health of, 356–57

  on his deathbed, 354

  hunting, 323, 326, 330

  in Istanbul, 22, 37–38, 43–44, 229–34, 254, 324–25

  Janissary Corps and, 198–202, 220–21, 228–34, 236, 238, 279–80, 326, 361

  in Jerusalem, 296–97

  kaftan and crown of, 403–4

  lays groundwork for Suleyman’s success, 363–65

  leads raids for Caucasian slaves, 198

  leaves Amasya for Istanbul, 37

  legacy of, 369–84

  legal reforms instituted by, 382–83

  letter to Ismail, 257–58, 260

  Machiavelli’s assessment of, 246

  Mamluk Empire and, 131, 274–80 (see also Ottoman–Mamluk wars)

  military philosophy of, 194–96, 200–203, 206–9, 274–75

  Morocco and, 347–53, 355–56, 358

  mosque of, 361–63, 362

  personal piety and, 381

  pillars of support for, 79–80

  place in Islamic history, 369–70

  Selim (continued)

  plans invasion of Rhodes, 329–30

  plots to take over throne, 216–17

  prepares march on Istanbul, 220–23

  princely education of, 22, 24

  as “Protector of Holy Cities,” 309

  reads Alexander the Great, 372

  realignment of power in North Africa and, 343–53

  reformulation of religious institutions by, 381–84

  religious clashes and, 54–55

  Safavid Empire and, 185–96, 197, 197, 200, 203, 206, 221, 250–69, 330–33, 442–43n (see also Ottoman–Safavid wars)

  as “Selim the Grim,” 11

  sends flattering letters to Bayezit, 221–22

  Shiite Muslims and, 182, 258–59 (see also Ottoman–Safavid wars)

  slave trade and, 198

  solidification of power base, 77–86

  speech in Georgia, 228

  storms palace, 237

  succession and, 210–11

  succession from, 403

  Sunnism and, 401

  symbolism of, 401, 402, 403–4, 404

  Şehinşah and, 82

  tomb of, 361–63, 362, 404

  warlike character of, 274–75

  writes verse on his own reign, 334

  Selimname (“Book of Selim”), 12, 78, 199–203, 211, 215–16, 226–27, 229, 231, 234, 237–40, 294

  Selman Reis, 316–17

  Senegambia, 150

  Sephardim, 165–82

  September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks of, 394

  Serbia, 57

  capture of, 25

  Seven Cities of Cibola, 95, 96, 102, 295

  seven, symbolism of, 15

  Seville, 340

  Shakespeare, William, 100, 372

  sharia, 222, 382–83, 394–95. See also Islamic law

  Sharur, 190

  Shiism/Shiite Muslims, 3, 119, 182, 185–96, 203–7, 232, 245, 250–69, 270–71, 276, 350, 370, 384, 402–3. See also Shiite–Sunni relations

  in Anatolia, 330–33

  massacred by Selim, 258–59

  in Ottoman Empire, 330–33

  Shiite–Sunni relations, 252–53, 255, 256–69, 331–33, 365, 402–3

  shipbuilding technology, 124–25

  Shkodra, siege of, 25

  Sicily, 111, 172, 350

  Silistra, 217, 222

  Silk Road, 5, 66, 67–69

  silk trade, 6–7, 254, 292, 327–28

  Sinai Desert, 298–99, 301, 348

  Sivas, 207, 251, 258, 259

  Sixtus IV, Pope, 38, 120

  slave rebellions, 155–58, 162

  slavery, 142–43, 148–50, 153–54, 163–64, 389. See also slaves; slave trade

  in Americas, 197

  in Hispaniola, 152–53

  Spanish Empire and, 148–64

  slaves

  Caucasian, 197–202

  Christian, 379–80

  English, 389

  Georgian, 199–202

  Mediterranean, 163

  Muslim, 389

  North African, 163

  West African, 3, 148–64, 197, 386, 389, 396

  slave trade, 108, 109

  in Crimea, 215

  in Iberia, 151

  Portuguese Empire and, 150–51

  Spanish Empire and, 151–53

  in West Africa, 150–52

  Smederevo, 225, 226

  Smith, John, 385, 387–88

  Socotra, 315

  Sofia, 123, 340

  Songhai Empire, 17

  A Son of the Sahara, 393

  South Asia, 250. See also specific nations and regions

  Southeast Asia, 318, 320. See also specific nations

  Southern Crooked Island, 127

  Spain, 2, 5, 12, 17, 94, 110–13, 127, 137–38, 180, 263, 373. See also Spanish Empire

  expulsion of Jews and Muslims from, 55, 83, 125, 150, 165–72, 165, 171, 271, 337

  Inquisition in, 55

  Jews in, 115–16

  Muslims in, 113–22, 121, 152

  unification of, 337

  Spanish Crown, 137–38, 139–40. See also specific rulers

  Spanish Empire, 17, 78, 114, 137–43, 257, 268, 270–71, 335–53

  administrative structures of, 143–44

  Americas and, 385–87, 388

  in Florida, 396

  Islam and, 385–88

  Islam’s influence on, 140–47

  North Africa and, 335–39, 345, 348–53, 448n

  Ottoman Empire and, 349–53

  realignment of power in North Africa and, 343–47

  Roman Empire and, 145–46

  Saadian Empire and, 349–53

  slavery and, 148–64

  slave trade and, 151–53

  succession crisis in, 345

  triangular war in Morocco and, 349–53

  voyages to Americas, 249

  Wolof people and, 161–62

  Spinola, merchant house of, 97, 98, 100

  St. James the Moor-slayer, 104, 134–35, 135

  St. Peter’s Basilica, 375

  Strabo, geographer, 23

  Strachey, William, 387–88

  Strait of Bonifacio, 372

&
nbsp; Strait of Gibraltar, 99, 334

  Styria, 173

  Suez, 317

  Sufis, 33, 188–92, 193

  sugar, 153–54

  cultivation of, 153–55

  sugar economy, 158

  sugar plantations, 153–55, 155

  Suleyman, 12, 75–76, 175, 211–12, 215, 241, 346, 369–70, 384

  after Selim’s death, 358, 360–62

  becomes sultan, 359, 360–61, 360

  builds on Selim’s successes, 363–65

  burial of Hafsa, 363

  commissions a mosque for Selim’s burial, 361–62, 362, 403

  conquest of Rhodes and, 330

  in Crimea, 213, 214–20

  early campaigns of, 364–65, 364

  as governor of Manisa, 245, 279

  Sultan Selim the Grim Bridge (Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü), 399, 400, 402–3, 405

  Sunnism/Sunni Muslims, 3, 80, 186–87, 189, 193, 195, 203, 205, 250, 270–82, 284–302, 370, 384, 401–3. See also Shiite–Sunni relations

  Swabia, 173

  Syria, 94, 172, 276, 304, 308, 329, 332–33, 344–45, 348, 372, 375, 396, 402

  coffee trade and, 318, 444–45n

  Selim’s campaign for, 281–82, 283–84, 288, 292, 296, 299

  Syriac Christianity, 93

  Syrian mercenaries, 317

  Şahkulu, 203–9

  Şahkulu Rebellion, 203–9, 211, 213, 222, 226, 244, 251, 258, 259, 331

  Şebhane Karahisari, 211

  Şehinşah, half-brother of Selim, 81–82

  Tabriz, 190–91, 191, 203, 207, 259, 264–66, 265, 279, 331, 332

  Tainos, 126–29, 131, 148–64, 148, 222, 426n

  forced to mine for gold, 153

  Muslims and, 157, 158, 162

  rebellions by, 157

  Tajli Khanum, wife of Ismail, 266

  Talmud, 176

  Tamerlane, 3

  taqiyya, 51, 54

  Tatar khans, 213, 214–16, 217–19, 227, 265

  Tatars, 333

  taxes, 137, 139, 143–44, 151, 173, 180, 198, 242, 278, 307–8, 310, 320, 326, 329, 347

  Teke, 79, 203, 204–5, 207, 242

  Temple Mount, 296–97

  Tenes, 338

  terrorism, Muslims and, 394, 395

  Tetzel, Johann, 375

  Tha‘āliba tribe, 344

  The Thief of Bagdad, 393, 393

  Thirty Years’ War, 388

  Thrace, 227

  Tlaxcala, 145

  Tlemcen, 348

  Tokat, 68, 258, 333

  Toledo, sacking of, 143, 144

  Topkapı Palace, 79, 230, 234, 245, 254, 325, 361, 362, 418n

  Torres, Luis de, 127

  Torrid Zone, 106

  Toungoo Empire, 83

  Trabzon (formerly Trebizond), 63–76, 65, 122, 146, 174, 244, 254, 261, 286

  administration in, 70–72, 362–63

  agriculture in, 70–71

  anti-Jewish violence in, 181–82

  as conduit for Ottoman slave trade, 198

  ethnic minorities in, 79–80

  Jews in, 173

  Ottomanization of, 72–74, 77

  Selim as governor of, 63–76, 77–86, 92–93, 186–87, 190, 194, 197–209, 210–11, 228, 258–60, 308, 333, 382

  Trabzon market, 63

  trade in, 67–69, 70–71

  trade, 7, 97, 106, 291, 299, 327, 349, 352, 386

  Americas and, 340

  coffee trade, 318–20, 444–45n

  Europe and, 86, 91–92, 92, 95, 99–101, 317 (see also specific nations and empires)

  Genoa and, 91–92, 92

  London and, 100–101

  Ottoman Empire and, 67–69, 86, 91–92, 99–100, 274

  between Ottomans and Mamluks, 274

  Portuguese Empire and, 317

  regulation of, 68–69, 72

  silk trade, 254, 292, 327–28

  in Trabzon, 67–69, 70–71

  trade wars, 328

  Wolof people and, 161

  transatlantic passage, 129–30

  Transylvania, 123

  The Travels of Marco Polo, 95, 101

  Treaty of Constantinople, 25

  tributo, 144

  Tripoli, 113, 290, 292, 338, 339, 350

  Tristão, Nuno, 150

  Trump, Donald, 395

  Tuman Bey, 284, 299–306, 309

  Tunis, 96–97, 99, 102, 308, 341–42, 343, 350

  Turkey, 399–405

  founding of after World War I, 400

  Iran and, 402, 403

  Ottoman heritage of, 401, 402–3

  political Islamism in, 402

  religious identity in, 401–2

  Shiite Muslims in, 402

  Sunnism in, 401

  Turkish nationalism, 399–401

  Turkish language, 5

  Turkishness, 400

  Turkmen, 291

  Turks, 5, 6, 9, 163, 386–87, 388, 389, 401. See also Moors

  Twain, Mark, 391, 392

  Twelve Imams of Shiism, 193

  ‘Ubayd Allah Khan, 255–56

  Umayyad mosque

  of Aleppo, 285, 293

  of Damascus, 293

  United States, 4, 12

  Islam and, 390–96

  Muslims and, 390, 394–95

  at war in Middle East, 396

  United States Constitution, 390

  Urfa, 275

  ‘Uthman, Rightly Guided Caliph, 271, 273

  ‘Uthmanic codex, 271, 273

  Uzbeks, 255, 267

  Uzun Hasan, 84, 190

  helmet of, 77

  vakıf, 72–74, 77

  Valencia, 151

  Valona (Vlorë), 38

  Vasco da Gama, 3, 268, 313, 356

  the Vatican, 106, 372, 378

  Velázquez de Cuéllar, Diego, 130

  Vélez-Blanco, 118

  Vélez-Rubio, 118

  Venetian Empire, 17, 25, 26, 44, 84. See also Venice

  war with, 25, 29

  Venezuela, slave rebellions in, 162

  Venice, 12, 44, 86, 180, 263, 265, 318, 326, 328–30, 351, 359, 364, 371. See also Venetian Empire

  coffee in, 444–45n

  peace treaty with, 175

  spies from, 332

  Vera, 118

  Verdi, Giuseppe, 372

  Vienna, 444–45n

  Vilayet Antilia, 312, 334, 352, 358

  Virginia, 385, 387–88, 389–90

  Vladislaus II, 329

  Wallachia, 387

  Wars of the Roses, 100

  Wattasids, 347

  West Africa, 103, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 117, 125, 150–52, 170–71, 312. See also specific nations and regions

  West Africans, 3, 148–64, 197, 386, 389, 396

  Wittenberg, Germany, 370, 376

  Wolof Empire, 151

  Wolof Muslims, 150–62. See also Wolof Rebellion

  Wolof Rebellion, 155–58, 160, 161, 164, 387

  World War I, 400

  wrestling, 355–56, 355

  Ximénez, Pero, 133

  Ya‘kub, 84

  Yemen, 313–20, 327–28, 347, 352, 396

  Yeni Bahçe, 234, 236

  Yenişehir, 244, 245, 256–57, 258

  Yersinia pestis, 323–24

  Yozgat, 258

  Yuan, 94

  Yuan Mongol emperors, 93, 94

  Zahid, 188–89

  the Zahidiyya, 188–89. See also the Safaviyya

  zambra, 132–33

  Zuazo, Alonso de, 156–57

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALAN MIKHAIL, professor of history and chair of the Department of History at Yale University, is widely recognized for his work in Middle Eastern and global history. He is the author of three previous books and over thirty scholarly articles that have received multiple awards in the fields of Middle Eastern and environmental history, including the Fuat Köprülü Book Prize from the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association for Under Osman’s Tree: The Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Environmental Histo
ry and the Roger Owen Book Award of the Middle East Studies Association for Nature and Empire in Ottoman Egypt: An Environmental History. In 2018, he received the Anneliese Maier Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for internationally distinguished humanities scholars and social scientists. His writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

  ALSO BY ALAN MIKHAIL

  Under Osman’s Tree:

  The Ottoman Empire, Egypt,

  and Environmental History

  The Animal in Ottoman Egypt

  Nature and Empire in

  Ottoman Egypt:

  An Environmental History

  Water on Sand:

  Environmental Histories of the

  Middle East and North Africa

  (editor)

  FRONTISPIECE:

  Selim takes aim

  . . .

  Copyright © 2020 by Alan Mikhail

  All rights reserved

  First Edition

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

  Book design by Barbara M. Bachman

  Production manager: Anna Oler

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

  Names: Mikhail, Alan, 1979– author.

  Title: God's shadow : Sultan Selim, his Ottoman empire, and the making of the modern world / Alan Mikhail.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020010516 | ISBN 9781631492396 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781631492402 (epub)

  Subjects: LCSH: Selim I, Sultan of the Turks, 1470-1520. |

  Turkey—History—Selim I, 1512-1520. | Ayşe Gülbahar Hatun, consort of

  Bayezid II, Sultan of the Turks, –1505.

  Classification: LCC DR504 .M55 2020 | DDC 956/.015092 [B]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020010516

  Liveright Publishing Corporation, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

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  W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., 15 Carlisle Street, London W1D 3BS

 

 

 


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