Bayezid II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the eldest son of Mehmed II the Conqueror. Although he remained in the shadow of his father, Bayezid managed to consolidate the position of the Empire in Anatolia and the Balkans, conquer the Peloponnesus and suppress the rebellion of the Safavid dynasty. He is most famous for admitting the Jews and Muslims that were expeled from Spain in 1492 due to the Spanish Inquisition.
Background
Bayezid II was born into the family that ruled the Ottoman Empire. His father was Mehmed II, better known as Mehmed the Conqueror, the Sultan that conquered Constantinople and ended the Eastern Roman Empire. His mother was Emine Gulbahar Hatun, Mehmed’s first wife. He had a younger brother named Cem. It is believed that Bayezid was born on the territory of today’s Greece in a town called Didymoteicho.
Education
Bayezid was moved to Amasya, a province quite distanced from Istanbul, in 1454. He spent his childhood there learning from the best possible tutors about statecraft and also gaining knowledge about science, mathematics, history, literature, calligraphy and medicine. He soon became a governor of the Amasya province where he got to practice his skills and improve at politics and diplomacy.
Although it was a pretty remote and peaceful province, it was a good chance to practice for Bayezid. As a result of his position as a governor, he was predominantly interested in domestic matters and had a great fear that his younger brother Cem might become sultan instead of him. The leading citizens of Amasya assured him that he will succeed the throne and he decided to build them the mosque complex as a thank you. Bayezid spent a total of 27 years in Amasya but the complex was finished by his son, although it bears Bayezid’s name.
Career
Bayezid assessed the throne upon the death of Sultan Mehmed in 1481. He was right about his brother wanting to overthrow him as Cem looked for the support from Mamluks in Egypt. However, Bayezid’s armies defeated Cem and he was forced to ask protection from a Catholic military order in Rhodes. He was eventually imprisoned and handed over to Pope Innocent VIII, who was eager to use him as help to get Turks out of Europe. The Papal crusade wasn’t formed but Bayezid paid the Pope to keep Cem as a prisoner until his death in 1495.
While making sure that his throne was not threatened, he also made sure to consolidate the position of the Ottomans on the territories that his father conquered. In 1483, he brought a part of Balkans called Herzegovina under the Empire’s direct control and he tried several times to conquer Morea (Peloponnesus), which was a strategically important position for the naval power Bayezid wanted. He finally managed to take Morea from the Venetian Empire in 1501, when the entire Peloponnesus was under Ottoman Empire’s authority.
When King Ferdinand of Spain ordered its Muslim and Jewish population to leave his country in 1492 as a part of the Spanish Inquisition, Bayezid decided to welcome them to the Ottoman Empire. He even sent Admiral Kenan Reis and the navy to Spain to make sure they arrive safely. The refugees were given citizenship and a firman (decree) was issued ordering everyone to offer a friendly welcome to all the Jews and threatening death to all of those who refuse to admit them.
Through his entire reign, Bayezid had to face rebellions in the east, threatening the position of the empire in Asia. While he focused his forces on the war with the Venetian Empire, the Safavid dynasty caused him a lot of problems in the east. The rebellions that were backed with the support of the Shah Ismail of Persia even spread to Anatolia in 1511.
This was at the same time when Bayezid’s sons started a dispute about succeeding the throne. The Safavid rebellion was suppressed but his son Ahmed, who was a part of the victory and brought the majority of Anatolia under his control, was now marching towards Constantinople. Meanwhile, his other son, Selim, secured the support of the Tatar Khan who ruled Crimea and arrived at the Balkans, where Bayezid defeated him. Despite that, Selim made the crucial move when he got the support of Janissaries, who were the elite military guard. This forced Bayezid to abdicate in favor of Selim in April 1512.
Bayezid soon headed to his native town Demotika, where he planned to spend his retirement but he died at Buyukcekmece in May 1512.
Achievements
Religion
He was a very religious person, who was careful in respecting the law of Islam and the Qur’an. Bayezid gave a significant portion of the state revenue for building numerous mosques.
Politics
He was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who was more forced on domestic interests than on expanding its territories. He consolidated the position of the Empire in the areas that his father Mehmet the Conqueror won.
Views
Bayezid was an educated man with a keen eye for military tactics and diplomacy. He was more interested in domestic interests but he greatly noticed that the Empire must invest in the naval power. Aside from that, he conquered Peloponnesus, acquiring an important strategic position for naval actions.
As an intelligent man, he understood the importance of education. He invested in building colleges and he supported scholars, jurists, and poets, as well as philosophers, which was an area of his interest. However, he refused to keep paintings of Italian artists in the Imperial palace, clearly stating that she wasn’t oriented towards Europe. He also built a lot of bridges and hospitals.
When he received all the Jews that were expelled by the Spanish inquisition, Bayezid showed his humanity but he also did it out of interest, which he himself confirmed to his courtiers. Bayezid realized that the Jews brought in new methods, ideas, and skills and will definitely help in consolidating the power of the Empire. Indeed, the Sephardic Jews established the first printing press in 1493 and other Jew scholars also achieved cultural flourishing.
Quotations:
"You venture to call Ferdinand a wise ruler, he who has impoverished his own country and enriched mine!"
Personality
He was described as superstitious, very melancholic and stubborn. There are also some claims that he was easily influenced by others.
Physical Characteristics:
Bayezid is portrait as a man of average height that looked just the way you would expect a sultan to look, wearing a turbane and growing a fairly long beard.
Quotes from others about the person
"Very melancholic, superstitious, and stubborn” - Venetian ambassador
Interests
Religion, philosophy
Philosophers & Thinkers
Mordecal Komtino
Politicians
Mehmed the Conqueror
Writers
Solomon ben Elijah Sharbiṭ ha-Zahab, Menahem Tamar
Music & Bands
Ottoman harem music
Connections
Bayezid had a total od eight wives: Sultan Hatun, Nigar Hatun, Şirin Hatun, Gülruh Hatun, Bülbül Hatun, Hüsnüşah Hatun, Gülbahar Hatun, Ferahşad Hatun. He had a lot of children with them but his two sons are important - Selim and Ahmed. The two of them fought for the throne and in 1512, it was Selim that suceeded Bayezid and became Sultan Selim I.
Struggle for Domination in the Middle East: The Ottoman-Mamluk War
This two-part volume offers a comprehensive account of the conflict between the Ottoman and Mamluk Empires. Part One explores Ottoman-Mamluk relations from their inception in the middle of the 14th century to the laying of the foundations of the conflict in the second half of the 15th century. Part Two offers a detailed description of the actual war of 1485-91, and analyzes it from various angles including military, economic, and diplomatic.