Ottoman Civil War (1509–1513)
Military conflict
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The Ottoman Civil War[dubious – discuss] was a war of succession in the Ottoman Empire from 1509 to 1513, during the reign of Bayezid II, between his two sons Ahmed and Selim, later between Selim (where he became sultan) Ahmed and Korkut.
- Bayezid abdicated in favor of Selim under pressure from his rebellious son and the Janissaries
- Executions of Şehzade Ahmed and Şehzade Korkut in 1513
| Ottoman Civil War (1509–1513) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Battle of Yenişehir in 1513, the last battle of the civil war | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
|
Army of Selim I Janissaries Supported by: Crimean Khanate[1] |
Army of Bayezid II (until his abdication) Army of Şehzade Ahmed Supported by: Safavid Iran[2] | Army of Şehzade Korkut | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
|
Selim I Bıyıklı Mehmed Pasha Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha |
Bayezid II  #Şehzade Ahmed  Hadım Ali Pasha † |
Şehzade Korkut | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||||
| 10,000–20,000 (Together with the Janissaries) |
Army of Bayezid II: 40,000 (until his abdication) Army of Şehzade Ahmed: 15,000–30,000 | 3,000–8,000 | ||||||
In 1509, Ahmet, the older claimant, won a battle against the Karaman Turks and their Safavid allies in Asia Minor and marched on Constantinople[3] to exploit his triumph. Fearing for his safety, Selim staged a revolt in Thrace but was defeated by Bayezid and forced to flee to Crimea in 1511.[citation needed]
Bayezid II developed fears that Ahmet might then kill him to gain the throne and refused to allow his son to enter Constantinople. Though some sources [citation needed] suggest that the Janissaries acted on their own in preventing Ahmet from entering the city due to their loyalty to Selim.
Selim returned from Crimea and, with support from the Janissaries, defeated and eventually killed Ahmet a year later in 1513 after a series of civil disobediences. Bayezid II abdicated the throne on April 25, 1512 and departed for retirement in his native Demotika, but he died along the way and is buried next to Bayezid Mosque, in Constantinople.
The conflict is dramatized in the alt-history video game Assassin's Creed Revelations, in which it is one of the focal plotlines.