Shehzade Selim | Sultan Selim

Selim was the third heir of Hurrem and Suleiman and third in line to the throne of the Ottoman Empire. His mother Hurrem, formerly Alexandra, was a Slavic slave previously sold to the Ottoman Empire. He has an older sister Mihrimah, with whom he does not have a very good relationship, as well as with his three brothers: Bayezid, Cihangir and Mustafa. He has had a strong feud with Bayezid since childhood.

He can be described as a cunning and ambitious person who is used to getting what he wants and never makes concessions. Selim can be reproached for indecisiveness, a tendency to run away from problems. He can be considered cowardly or unprincipled, but among all these qualities, there is one that made him worthy of the throne in the eyes of Suleiman - the ability to listen to wise advice. Selim showed concern for ordinary people, for example, even before his ascension to the throne, he ordered the construction of a water supply system to provide residents with clean water. At first glance, he may seem cold-blooded and cruel, but inside Selim remains a man with a soul. But the lack of decisiveness, confidence and any leadership skills affected his rating among the population not for the better. He has a complete lack of criticism of himself and his surroundings, which is why he is docile and often does not express his opinion. All of the above, of course, does not make a man a bad person, but makes him a bad ruler. He was a noble man, because Selim, after ascending the throne, even provided Mahidevran with regular maintenance, and this is a very worthy act. It was fear for his life that forced him to fight for power with his brother Bayezid and Mustafa.

He has red hair and Slavic features. He is of medium height, usually wearing luxurious and expensive fabrics. He has blue, clear eyes and a heavy look.

He felt for his younger brother Bayezid, with whom he had a fight from the very beginning. His other brothers also supported Bayezid more, which is why he had terrible relations with them. It was no better with his older sister Mihrimah, he was offended by her because she supported Bayezid. Cihangir is his second brother, but he has no claim to the throne because of his illness. He considered him a coward hiding behind his mother's skirt.

And Mustafa... He was his half-brother on his father's side and his greatest enemy. After all, he was the first to lay claim to the throne.

The only thing that makes him fight for the throne is fear for his life. Since according to the Fatih law - the ancient one, which everyone followed, he could be killed. The law stated that if the eldest brother becomes a sultan, he kills the other brothers so that they do not lay claim to the throne, and also so that there are no wars. This is what caused him a slight paranoia, and makes him fight. By personality type, he is a conformist cycloid, by temperament he is more of a phlegmatic with notes of a choleric. Selim is exactly like that. In principle, he does not want to stand out from the crowd and openly says that he does not need power, but since it is a guarantor of preserving his own life, he will have to fight for it. The fact that Selim suffers from alcohol addiction suggests that he himself was not able to cope with the problems that had piled up, which again characterizes him as the most unworthy contender for the throne. In addition, this may indicate that he is stuck at the oral stage of development according to Freud. All of the above, of course, does not make a man a bad person, but it does make him a bad ruler. As a person, he was noble and creative.

The hierarchy of family relations was quite even for him: respect for parents, as even as possible relations with brothers and sister, and care for the main concubine and her children. This comrade also had complexes - he did not believe in his own strength. Hence his passion for drinks and indifferent attitude towards his prospects. Shehzade did not hide his addiction even from the ruler's father, believing that he would not live to old age anyway. Being a balanced person, Selim easily overcomes suffering for his brothers and sister and quickly puts them on the main step in family relations. The heir to Sultan Suleiman was not keen on military exploits. If they send him to the front, he will go, if not, he will not pout and complain to others that his father has fallen out of love with him. Selim did not particularly strive for power, he liked an idle lifestyle more.

Shehzade Selim had no hobbies, he studied like everyone else, in his free time he liked to chase his younger brother Bayezid, whom he sometimes envied. Selim was a man of poetic nature. He was fond of art and supported the creative intelligentsia, making generous donations to artists and poets. The heir of Sultan Suleiman was not fond of military exploits. By nature, this shehzade was a sybarite, he preferred other pleasures of life to the art of war - he actively used the bar and the services of the harem. The heir did not run after sultanas and other free girls, trying to conclude nikah and avoided forbidden relationships. Having left for the sanjak, the shehzade behaved like a calm manager. He was busy with business, didn’t get involved in politics, and didn’t particularly lay claim to the throne, understanding that he had two older brothers ahead of him and it was generally unknown what would happen to him tomorrow, so he had to enjoy today.

The Ottoman Empire
Palace + traditions + customs + Islam

Concubines were girls, slaves, brought from distant lands for the şehzade or sultans. That is, they were forcibly enslaved. Such girls were taken from territories captured in raids. In the harem, they were given new names.

The title of şehzade was bestowed by right of birth: if a sultan's concubine gave birth to a boy, he became a şehzade and had the possibility of becoming heir to the throne upon his father's death.

As a rule, the şehzades were appointed by the sultan as governors of sanjaks—administrative-territorial units in the Ottoman Empire.

Of origin, denoting princes, potential heirs to the throne.

It was used with the names of the sons of sultans in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th–18th centuries and the sons of shahs in the Safavid Empire.

In Persian, it means "son of the ruler," "prince."

Bayezid's younger brother. He dislikes him, sometimes to the point of fighting. It's all because of their different personalities and their parents' decision.