Life
Mustafa was born in 1515 in Manisa to Suleiman and his lover Mahidevran, when Suleiman was still a prince. He experienced problems in his relations with his father. He was the first born son and therefore the apparent heir to the throne but his father, according to some historians, was more interested in Mustafa's younger half-brother Şehzade Mehmed, the eldest son of Hürrem. Suleiman created more opportunities to the younger one and seemed as if preparing him for the throne. The situation was not pleasant for Mustafa because of the treatment he got from his father. Then he faced a second shock after being sent to Amasya from Manisa. The rule of Manisa was given to the younger brother, Mehmet.
According to the Ottoman tradition, Mustafa must be sent to the closest province in relation to the capital of the empire, Istanbul. However, he was sent to Amasya. There he got the news of the death of his brother Mehmet. It seemed like the barriers between the throne and Mustafa were gone but he still faced another challenge. Another brother of Mustafa, Şehzade Bayezid, was sent to Konya for his Sanjak assignment. Bayezid then passed to Kütahya from Konya which were both closer to İstanbul than Amasya.
It was a critical decision because Bayezid’s mother was Hürrem. Her support of her own son made Mustafa's political career hard, but he successfully ruled Amasya for 12 years. In 1547, during Suleiman’s Elkas Campaign, the Sultan met with his sons Selim, Bayezid and Mustafa in different places and talked with them about the political situation. It was long after the death of Mehmet but the race between the three princes was going on. Selim was also sent to Anatolia as the prince of Manisa in 1544.
Mustafa’s life was in danger because of the alliance between Hürrem and Rüstem Pasha.
Read more about this topic: Şehzade Mustafa
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