36 Facts About Mahmud II

Mahmud II's reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms he instituted, which culminated in the Decree of Tanzimat that was carried out by his sons Abdulmejid I and Abdulaziz.

Notwithstanding his domestic reforms, Mahmud II's reign was marked by nationalist uprisings in Ottoman-ruled Serbia and Greece, leading to a loss of territory for the Empire following the emergence of an independent Greek state.

In terms of the general social structure of the Ottoman Empire, Mahmud II's reign was characterized by a major interest in Westernization; institutions, palace order, daily life, clothing, music and many other areas saw radical reform as the Ottoman Empire opened up to the modernization.

Mahmud II was the son of Abdul Hamid I and his Seven consort Naksidil Kadin.

Mahmud II was the youngest son of his father, and the second child of his mother, he had an elder brother, Sehzade Seyfullah Murad, two years older than him, and a younger sister, Saliha Sultan, one year younger than him.

Selim III was killed, but Mahmud II was safely kept hidden by his mother and was placed on the throne after the rebels deposed Mustafa IV.

Mahmud II apparently ran to the roof of the Third Court where other pages saw him and helped him come down with pieces of clothes that were quickly tied together as a ladder.

However, he was killed during a rebellion in 1808 and Mahmud II temporarily abandoned the reforms.

However, Napoleon, who had invaded all of Europe except the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire, could not be trusted and accepted as an ally; Mahmud II rejected the offer.

Mahmud II's reign marked the first breakaway from the Ottoman Empire, with Greece declaring independence following a rebellion that started in 1821.

Mahmud II accomplished this with careful calculation using his recently reformed wing of the military intended to replace the Janissaries.

Mahmud II was responsible for the subjugation of the Iraqi Mamluks by Ali Ridha Pasha in 1831.

Mahmud II ordered the execution of the renowned Ali Pasha of Tepelena.

Mahmud II sent his Grand Vizier to execute the Bosniak military commander Husein Gradascevic and dissolve the Bosnia Eyalet.

Sultan Mahmud II maintained control of his forces, unfurled the banner of the prophet and declared his intention of taking command of the army personally.

Mahmud II made great efforts to revive the sport of archery.

Mahmud II ordered archery master Mustafa Kani to write a book about the history, construction, and use of Turkish bows, from which comes most of what is known of Turkish archery.

Mahmud II's funeral was attended by crowds of people who came to bid the Sultan farewell.

About the same time that Mahmud II ordained these changes, he personally set an example of reform by regularly attending the Divan, or state council, instead of abstaining from attendance.

Mahmud II's modernizations included the relaxation of much of the restrictions on alcoholic beverages in the Empire, and the sultan himself was known to drink socially with his ministers.

In dealing with the complicated questions that therefore arose, Mahmud II is considered to have demonstrated the best spirit of the best of the Koprulus.

Sultan Mahmud II provided a valuable personal example of good sense, and economy, organising the imperial household, suppressing all titles without duties, and all salaried officials without functions.

Mahmud II steadily persevered in this great measure and ultimately the island of Cyprus became the only part of the empire in which power that was not emanating from the Sultan was allowed to be retained by Dere Beys.

In 1831, Mahmud II established an official gazette, Takvim-i Vekayi.

Mahmud II began by officially adopting the fez for the military after the Janissary eradication in 1826, which signified a break from the old style of military dress.

Mahmud II planned for the population to adopt this as well, as he desired a homogeneous look for Ottoman society with an 1829 regulatory law.

Unlike past Sultanic clothing decrees and those of other societies, Mahmud II wanted all levels of government and civilians to look the same.

Mahmud II faced significant resistance to these measures specifically from religious groups, laborers, and military members because of traditional, religious, and practical reasons.

Mahmud II's portraits give a valuable insight into his clothing mentality, as he switched to a more European-style and fez after 1826.

On top of these reforms, Mahmud II was critical in the establishment and flourishing of an Ottoman foreign affairs office.

Mahmud II placed enormous importance on this position and equated salary and rank with the highest military and civilian positions.

Mahmud II expanded the Language Office and Translation Office, and by 1833 it began to grow in both size and importance.

Mahmud II had at least eighteen sons, of which only two lived to adulthood:.

Mahmud II had at least nineteen daughters, but only six survived infancy and only four reached the age of marriage:.

The 2006 historical detective novel The Janissary Tree, by Jason Goodwin, is set in 1836 Constantinople, with Mahmud II's modernising reforms forming the background of the plot.

Mahmud II is a minor role in the film but is portrayed as both an adult and a child.