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Osman III (Ottoman Turkish: عثمان ثالثOsmān-i sālis; 2 January 1699 – 30 October
1757) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757.[1] He was succeeded by his cousin Mustafa III.
Early life [edit] Osman III was born on 2 January 1699 in the Edirne Palace. His father was Mustafa II and his mother was Şehsuvar Sultan. He was the younger half-brother of Mahmud I. When his father was deposed from the throne in 1703, he was taken back to Istanbul and imprisoned in the Kafes. Osman III lived in the Kafes for 51 years. [2]
He was secretly circumcised on 17 April 1705 with the other princes here. He was among the princes in Ahmed's entourage. He also later made trips to the sultan inside and outside the city. Together with his elder brother Mahmud's embassy on 1 October 1730, he became the biggest prince waiting for the throne.[3]
Reign [edit] Osman III lived most of his life as a prisoner in the palace, and as a consequence, he had some behavioural peculiarities when he took the throne. Unlike previous sultans, he hated music, and banished all musicians from the palace. According to Baron de Tott, Osman III was an angry and a modest type of ruler.[4]
Osman III's initial action in governance was to select officials to collaborate with. Throughout his reign, the alterations he implemented in high-level governmental positions, particularly that of the Grand Vizier, can be seen as efforts to diminish the overwhelming influence of the charitable authority[vague] prevalent during the previous sultan's era
In the severe storm of March 1756, an Egyptian galleon ran ashore in Kumkapı at dusk. Due to the storm, 600 passengers could not be evacuated. The sultan, who came to the shore, took all the passengers by bringing barges from the shipyard. He ordered the construction of the Ahırkapı Lighthouse in Istanbul to prevent such incidents. [5]
The first procession of his enthronement was held on 14 December 1754.
Contemporary historians stopped writing on political events due to the severe and freezing cold of January 1755. [6] Osman was responsible for a firman in 1757 that preserved the Status Quo of various sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Holy Land.[7]
In the second year of his reign, Osman lost his mother Şehsuvar Sultan, afterward, the oldest prince Mehmed, died of illness on 22 December 1756. According to various sources, the funeral of the prince, controlled by the grand vizier and the sheikh al-Islam. It was attended by 5,000 people and contemporary sources mentioned that the prince was poisoned and killed on the initiative of Köse Mustafa Pasha.[3] The sultan was notified of provisions sent to oppose banditry in Anatolia and Rumelia. Measures were taken against the tribes of Bozulus and Cihanbeyli, the Armenians (due to the turmoil in Iran), the bandits around Erzurum and Sivas, and the famous leader Karaosmanoğlu Hacı Mustafa Ağa. The latter was captured and executed, and his head was brought to Istanbul on 5 December 1755.[3]
