151 / 166
Tyrants of the Tigris & euphrates
331
Ottoman Empire
Gold Sultani, AH 1031
Mustafa I (2nd reign), Ottoman Sultan, AH 1031-1032/AD 1622-1623
A 1364. Very Fine.
Misr (Egypt) mint. Sultan
Mustafa bin Mehmet khan
‘azza nasruhu, mint and date below; Reverse,
sultan
al-birrayn wa khaqan al-bahrayn al-sultan bin al-sultan
“sultan of the two lands and khaqan of the two
seas, the sultan, son of the sultan”. The “two lands” allude to Asia and Europe, separated at Constantinople
by the Bosporus. The “two seas” are the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The mint name Misr translates as
“Egypt”, referring to the province. The mint itself is believed to have been at Cairo. Very rare.
The Ottoman sultan Osman II (1618-1622) was assassinated in 1622 and his uncle, the former sultan Musta-
fa I was restored to the throne. Mustafa began his second reign by executing all those who had participated
in the assassination of Osman. During his second reign, Mustafa came to be known as Mustafa “the Saint”.
The sultan’s mental state was unimproved and he reigned as a puppet, controlled by family members and
courtiers. He believed that his late nephew was still alive and could be found searching for him throughout
the palace, calling on Osman to relieve him from the burden of rule. Political instability and rebellion
ensued. Mustafa was deposed once again and the 11-year-old Murad IV, another son of Ahmed I was
enthroned on September 10, 1623. Mustafa lived until 1639 and was buried in the courtyard of the Hagia
Sophia Mosque.
332
Ottoman Empire
Gold Sultani, AH 1038
Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan, AH 1032-1049/AD 1632-1640
A 1369. Very Fine.
Jazai’r (Algeirs) mint, actual date rather than accession date.
Sultan Murad bin Ahmed khan ‘azza nasruhu
,
mint and date below; Reverse,
sultan al-birrayn wa khaqan al-bahrayn al-sultan bin al-sultan
“sultan of
the two lands and khaqan of the two seas, the sultan, son of the sultan”. The “two lands” allude to Asia and
Europe, separated at Constantinople by the Bosporus. The “two seas” are the Black Sea and the Mediter-
ranean. Very rare.
Murad IV (1623-1640) came to power at age 11, following his uncle, Mustafa I. Murad, the son of Sultan
Ahmed I, was a mere puppet in the hands of his Greek mother and other power brokers at court. The empire
fell into decline as the Safavid Persians broke the Peace of Amasya, which since 1555 had defined the bor-
der between the Ottoman Empire and Iran, capturing most of Iraq. At the same time, political and religious
rebellions broke out across the empire. At the age of 16, out of fear of a palace coup, Murad took full charge
of the affairs of state and asserted himself as absolute monarch. He brutally executed a number of relatives
and high ranking officials on charges of corruption and for reasons of security. Murad confronted the Safa-
vid forces successfully and reinstated the terms of the Amasya treaty, with the Safavid Shah acknowledging
the permanent loss of Baghdad and Mesopotamia.