Savcı Bey
Savcı Bey was an Ottoman prince who participated in a joint rebellion with a Byzantine prince against their fathers in 1370s. Savcı was the youngest of Murat I 's three sons. The name of his mother and birth year are unknown. In Ottoman tradition all princes (Turkish: Şehzade) were required to work as provencial (sanjak) governors as a part of their training. Savcı's sanjak was Bursa the co capital of the empire.
The rebellion
When Ottoman Turks captured Edirne (Adrianopolis) Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos appealed to the West for help. But he was detained as a deptor in Venice. His son and regent in Constantinople (modern İstanbul, Turkey) Andronikos (later Andronikos IV Palaiologos), refused to pay the depts and John had to give up the island Tenedos (modern Bozcaada, Turkey) to buy his freedom. After that event, John asssigned his younger son Manuel (later Manuel II Palaiologos) as his crown prince and accepted the suzerainty of Ottomans in 1373. Thus, when the Ottoman sultan asked for his services against some rebellions in Ottoman lands, he had to leave his capital. That gave Andronikos a chance to rebel.
On the Ottoman side, Savcı Bey who was the youngest of the brothers, saw that under the shadow of his older brothers he had almost no chance to be enthroned in the future. Probably he was also afraid of his older brothers. (This fear was not rootless; later when Murat I died older brother Beyazit I immediatelly killed the other brother.) He prepared to rebel to gain the post. His father was occupied with suppressing the Anatolian rebels and he saw his chance to revolt. Using the royal treasury under his disposal, he formed an army. The rebellious princes, well aware of each others' interests, decided to collaborate and combined their forces.[1][2]
End of the rebellion
After learning about the joint rebellion the fathers returned from Anatolia. The arnies of the fathers and the sons met in Apikridion (an ambigious location probably south west of Constantinople), where Murat persuaded Savcı's soldiers to swich sides.[3] Although the princes escaped to Didymoteicho (in modern Greece) they soon surrendered. After a short interview, enraged Murat blinded Savcı. But then he changed his mind and had him executed
References
- ^ Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim:Türkiye tarihi II, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, p 16
- ^ Joseph von Hammer: Osmanlı Tarihi Vol I (condensation: Abdülkadir Karahan), Milliyet yayınları, İstanbul. p 20
- ^ Nicolae Jorga: Geschiste des Osmanichen vol I, (trans: Nilüfer Epçeli) Yeditepe Yayınları, 2009, ISBN 975-6480-18-1, p 235
External links
.svg){kind=small} Ottoman princes fighting for the throne | ||
|---|---|---|
| Against Murad I (1373) | | |
| Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413) | ||
| Against Mehmed I (1419) | ||
| Against Murad II (1421–1423) | ||
| Against Bayezid II (1481-1482) | ||
| Against Bayezid II (1511–1512) | ||
| Against Selim I (1512–1513) | ||
| Against Suleiman I (1553–1561) | ||
| Against Ahmed I (1603–1617) | ||