It is debatable whether Bayezid was born on the specified date. According to the sources that we have that are the most trustworthy, we are able to establish that the date was December 1447.
His birthplace is the Dimetoka Palace in Dimetoka, which is located inside the boundaries of Greece at the present day and was a district center of Edirne during the time of his birth.
Once the city of Istanbul was successfully taken, Prince Bayezid, who was around seven years old at the time, assumed the role of governor of Amasya under the direction of Hadım Ali Pasha. He was brought up to become a sultan here, where he received instruction from some of the most renowned intellectuals throughout that time period.
During that historical period, Amasya served as a hub for both education and culture. It was from the most renowned scholars of the day that he mastered a wide range of Islamic sciences, including Fiqh Procedure, Fiqh, Tafsir Procedure, Tafsir, Hadith Method, Hadith, Sarf, Nahiv, and Kalam. He also learnt many more Islamic sciences. One of the individuals who provided him with instruction in the realm of Islamic studies was the renowned Muhyiddîn Mehmed-i İskilibi, also referred to as Şeyh Yavsi – Hünkar Şeyhi. This particular individual was also the sheikh of the Bayrami sect where he was a member.
The Islamic sciences, as well as mathematics and philosophy, were among the subjects that Prince Bayezid studied. In addition to that, he was instructed in calligraphy by Sheikh Hamdulphah. In addition to Arabic and Persian; He also acquired the Chagatai dialect and the Uyghur alphabet at a decent level.
Prince Beyazid resided in Amasya for 27 years as the sancakbeyi. While he was in this role, he served as the right-hand commander at the Battle of Otlukbeli in 1473. Moreover, after the commodities of the merchants arriving from Iran were looted in 1479, the soldiers sent by Prince Bayezid as governor added Torul and its surrounds to the Ottoman borders.
However, it is usually stated that he led a Sufi, semi-poetic life in the Amasya palace, and in the interim, it is said that he did not break off his link with the city of Afyon.
ARRIVAL AND ASSEMBLY
After Fatih Sultan Mehmet died unexpectedly by poisoning -according to overwhelming majority- near Gebze on May 4, 1481, Grand Vizier Karamanlı Mehmed Pashaquickly sent a messenger toBayezid and Bayezid’s brother Cem SultanHowever, Cem Sultan learned the news of his father’s death long after Bayezid, as the messenger sent to him was caught and detained by Anatolian Beylerbeyi Sinan Pasha on the way. Meanwhile, the janissaries, who allied with Bayezid, revolted in Istanbul, assassinated Karamanlı Mehmed Pasha, a follower of Cem Sultan, on May 4, 1481, and enthroned, Prince Korkut
Learning of his father’s death and getting the messages delivered by the statesmen regarding his hurried coming to the capital, II. Bayezid started off from Amasya with 4,000 people and reached Üsküdar in 9 days. The next day, he officially accepted the sultanate from his son, Prince Korkut, and ascended to the Ottoman throne on May 22, 1481.
II. First of all, Bayezid awarded three thousand silver pieces to the kapikuls and increased the ulufes of the janissaries to 5 silver coins.
CEM SULTAN and II. BAYEZID’S FIGHT FOR THE THRONE
Cem Sultan, commonly known as Prince Cem, rejected the sultanate of his elder brother Bayezid. After this tragedy, the Ottoman Empire sponsored a struggle that would endure a long time and finally Europe would interfere.
II. After Bayezid came to the throne in Istanbul, Cem Sultan started war with his 4,000 men in front of İnegöl against Bayezid’s army headed by Ayas Pasha , which was not yet ready. After Cem Sultan won this battle, he had sermons read and coins struck in his name in Bursa. Thus, he publicly declared his sovereignty.
Cem Sultan, who reigned in Bursa for 18 days, consolidated his influence over the neighboring cities and towns. Later II. He offered Bayezid to split the Empire equally. According to this idea, the Anatolian regions of the Empire would be ceded to Cem Sultan. However, this suggestion, which entailed separating the state into two, was received with dismay not only by Bayezid but by all the state authorities. Europeans and Mamluks, who viewed the split of the Ottoman Empire in their own interests, supported Cem Sultan on this subject.
In June 1481, II. Cem Sultan, who fought with Bayezid’s army on the Yenişehir plain and was defeated, initially retreated to Konya. After not finding adequate support in Konya, he relocated to Tarsus. Cem ruler, who subsequently proceeded to Cairo following the invitation he got from the Mamluk ruler, garnered enormous interest in Cairo and during his time there, he went to Mecca and did the pilgrimage. During this era, his older brother II. Although Bayezid promised to grant 1 million silver coins to Cem Sultan if he handed up the crown, he did not accept this offer and, with the aid he obtained from the old Karaman Beys, collected an army anew and invaded Konya on 27 May 1482.
Cem Sultan, who lost this conflict, retreated to Ankara. He did not stay in Ankara and moved to Rhodes with roughly thirty soldiers in 1482. On July 29, 1482, he was received with a grand ceremony by Pierre d’Aubusson, Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.
Cem Sultan, who formed an army here and made plans to grab the crown he claimed, could never enjoy a pleasant life again. After falling into the hands of Europe, Pope VIII sought to eliminate the Ottoman Empire . Innocentius intended to utilize Cem Sultan. Cem Sultan was originally transported to France at the request of the Pope. following a period Pope VIII. Although he started to live a slightly more happy life following the death of Innocentius, this time the French king planned to utilize Cem Sultan as a trump card for his own political goals. Acting for this objective, King of France VIII. Charles marched on Rome and obtained Cem Sultan from the Pope on January 26, 1495. Cem Sultan, who set out with the French Army, died on February 25, 1495.
Some reports indicate that Cem Sultan was poisoned by the Pope because he had to give up the precious captive he was keeping.
II. Upon the news of his brother’s death, Bayezid decreed three days of mourning in the kingdom. Funeral prayers were offered in absentia for Cem Sultan at mosques around the country, and II. Bayezid presented 100 thousand silver pieces to the impoverished to pardon his brother’s misdeeds.
While Cem Sultan was in Europe, Muslims in Andalusia, who were vanquished by the Spanish, begged for aid from the Ottoman Empire. II. Although Bayezid could not completely offer the necessary help since his brother Cem Sultan was in prison in Europe, he despatched Kemal Reis to Spain and moved the Muslims in Spain to North Africa and the Jews to Thessaloniki and Istanbul. In 1492, in addition to Muslims, roughly 150 thousand Jews were placed in Ottoman territory.
Because of the Europeans who had the ambition of recapturing Istanbul following the Cem Sultan event, II. Although Bayezid adopted a very meticulous and peaceful approach, he did not hesitate to battle when required. Although he reigned on the throne almost as long as his father, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, he went on battle just five times.
These campaigns, in which the sultans personally participated as commander-in-chief at the head of the army, were dubbed “Sefer-i Hümayûn”.
THE FIRST SEFER-I HUMAYIN
Sultan Bayezid marched to Serbia via Edirne, Plovdiv, and Sofia in 1483. He proceeded from the banks of the Morava River until near Belgrade. He had all the fortresses in this area maintained and returned to Istanbul in November 1483. This first time took roughly 7 months. This expedition of the Sultan worried Hungary. King Matthias, who could not risk a conflict with the Ottoman Empire, concluded a peace with the Ottoman Empire near the end of 1483.
As a result of the expedition, the Duchy of Herzegovina joined the Province of Bosnia.
THE SECOND SEFER-I HUMAYIN
The sultan, who departed Istanbul on May 1, 1484, proceeded to Moldavia and went on an expedition to the same region again 8 years later. At the end of this campaign, in which the Wallachian Voivode joined the Ottomans with 20,000 men, the Ottoman Empire fulfilled all its aims and transformed the Black Sea into a Turkish lake. In addition, land link to Crimea was provided.
Sultan II. After starting out for Istanbul, Bayezid laid siege to Akkerman, located south of the port where the Dniester runs into the Black Sea, on July 24, and 16 days later, on August 9, this town was taken. Çelebi Mehmet and Fatih Sultan Mehmet tried to take the place 3 times but could not take it, II. Bayezid stole it.
THE THIRD SEFER-I HUMAYIN
Sultan II. Bayezid set out from Istanbul to take Belgrade on March 10, 1492, and reached to Sofia, where he changed his mind and assigned this mission to Süleyman Pasha . He proceeded to Albania, journeyed towards the southwest, arriving to Albanian territory via Monastir and remained in Tepedelen. While he was on this road near the end of July, the Sultan survived a murder attempt by a Shiite bouncer and returned to Istanbul in the closing days of 1492. In this operation, which lasted around 9.5 months, there was no combat as the Ottoman land was not left.
After a time, Süleyman Pasha arrived Belgrade and attacked the castle . He became the third person to besiege the citadel after Murat and Fatih. While the siege was underway, Süleyman Pasha entered Transylvania to scare the Hungarians and lost the siege there. Considering that there was little hope of victory with this setback, the siege was abandoned and this city could not be taken over until Suleiman the Magnificent.
THE FOURTH SEFER-I HUMAYIN
Sultan II. Bayezid departed Istanbul on May 31, 1499 to commence the Venetian campaign. By sending the fleet to the island of Cyprus, which was under Venetian administration at the time, he hoped to scatter the Venetian soldiers by giving the idea that Cyprus was under attack, and he succeeded in this.
Admiral Melchior Trevisano was designated commander-in-chief of the Venetian bases in the Peloponnese and serious defensive preparations commenced.
Naval Battle of Sapienza
A massive Venetian Navy of 200 troops appeared off the coast of Modon to remove the Ottoman Navy from the waterways of the Peloponnese.
Two gigantic warships met each other off the shore of Cape Gallo, near the southwestern extremity of the Peloponnese . The Ottoman Navy was led by Humayun Kemal Reis .
Barak Reis , the commander of the right wing , drove his own ship to the region where the Venetian fleet was most concentrated and, according to some versions, set fire to the gunpowder part of his own ship there. After a tremendous explosion, the Venetian fleet sustained terrible losses. Barak Reis was slain along with around 500 of his sailors.
Because of this gallantry of Barak Reis, Sapienza Island was dubbed ” Barak Reis Island “.
After this occurrence, the Ottoman Empire tried a heavier offensive and inflicted a memorable loss on Venice. This win was also the first naval combat won by the Ottomans on the open sea.
THE FIFTH SEFER-I HUMAYIN
On August 30, 1499, barely 33 days after the Sapienza Sea Battle, Lepanto Castle fell into the hands of the Ottomans. The retreat of the famous Venetian Admiral in the neighborhood with his fleet destroyed the morale and morale of the inhabitants in the castle, and the castle commander surrendered the stronghold.
For the Ottoman Army, it was the turn of the 3 important Venetian bases in the Peloponnese: Koron, Modon and Navarino.
However, at this time, Venice deployed forces and seized the island of Kefalonia, which had been under Ottoman authority since 1479. Then, they stormed the Ottoman shipyards in Preveza, which was previously under their hands, and torched the ships on the slipway, but they were defeated.
Returning to Edirne in the end of 1499, II. Bayezid departed Edirne on April 7, 1500, after a few months of relaxation. Because of this action , this mission was considered as the 5th Imperial mission .
On July 7, the fleet landed at Modon, followed by the troops under the leadership of the sultan himself and proceeded to assault the citadel. Although the Venetian navy invaded on July 24, they were defeated by Kemal Reis. The stronghold was defended in a style peculiar to the Venetians, but was lost on August 10, 1500. The surrender of Modon despite the intense fight heralded the end of the Koron and Navarino fortresses located close this citadel.
Two days after the conquest, that is, on August 12, Navarin surrendered together with the nearby Milona and Fener fortresses. The name of this city, built by Avar Turks, originates from Avar. The Venetians returned to Venice with all their men and munitions with the approval of the Ottomans.
On August 16, with the capitulation of Koroni without opposition, Venice had no link with Greece. On December 3, 1500, the Venetian fleet arrived in front of Navarino. A Christian Albanian captured by the Venetians opened the fortress gate to them. While the Venetians thought they had seized Navarino, Kemal Reis invaded the harbor with 30 vessels and captured 8 Venetian ships.
1509 ISTANBUL EARTHQUAKE (LITTLE APOCALYPSE)
In the earthquake that erupted in Amasya, Tokat, Sivas, Çorum and their surrounding districts on September 10, 1509 and lasted fiercely for 45 days, the inhabitants had to live in tents for almost two months.
This earthquake also happened in Istanbul and Edirne with the same severity. On September 14, 1509, Istanbul suffered the most devastating earthquake recorded in Ottoman history. As a result of this earthquake, nicknamed as the small apocalypse, 109 mosques and masjids and 1,070 residences in Istanbul became unsuitable. Approximately 5,000 persons from the public lost their lives. Thousands of people were trapped under the debris. The foamy sea waves crashed past the walls of Istanbul and Galata, unleashing a flood in the streets and a small-scale tsunami. Meanwhile, the ancient dams were also dismantled.
Sultan II. Since Bayezid could not trust the walls of his palace, he pitched up a tent in the garden of the palace and remained there for around 10 days.
This earthquake, which persisted sporadically for almost 45 days, kept the population of Istanbul in perpetual excitement. Two-thirds of the population of Çorum lost their lives due to landslides in their city. Meanwhile, when the Gallipoli fortifications were demolished, Sultan II. Dimetoka, the city where Bayezid was born, became a pile of land.
Although Sultan Bayezid relocated to Edirne, the second capital, due of this earthquake, another earthquake of the same size as the one in Istanbul happened in Edirne, 15 days after the Istanbul earthquake. Architect Hayreddin had a timber residence erected for the Sultan at Edirne in 15 days. The Sultan started to dwell in this wooden home. In the same year, another earthquake of comparable severity happened in Edirne. The Tunca River surged and overflowed its bed, burying the remains of the earthquake. Many individuals lost their lives owing to the flood of Tunca River, which did not allow passage for three days.
After this II. Bayezid personally convened talks with qualified persons regarding what needed be done for the restoration of Istanbul. At the end of the sessions, one person from twenty households and twenty-two coins each house were gathered to reconstruct or repair the ruined locations in Istanbul. In this way, 37,000 paid laborers were recruited from Anatolia and 29,000 from Rumelia, and roughly 3,000 architects and carpenters were hired. Apart from this, 8,000 Yaya people and 3,000 Müsellem people were ordered to burn lime. The building works, which begun on March 29, 1510, were finished within 65 days. During this era, in addition to the walls of Istanbul, notable locations such as the vaults in Galata, the Galata Tower, the Maiden’s Tower, the Rumelian and Anatolian strongholds and lighthouses, Çekmece bridges and Silivri castle were also rebuilt. Sultan II. Following these efforts of Bayezid, Istanbul was reconstructed in a short period. This building was carried out totally under the direction of Architect Hayreddin.
After the structure was done, food was provided to the destitute for three days and nights under the direction of the monarch.
II. BAYEZID’S ACCEPTANCE AND DEATH
On April 24, 1512, II. Bayezid proclaimed that he was abdicating on behalf of his son Selim.
He delivered the following counsel to his son, to whom he left the throne:
“Do not deviate from justice, be merciful to the helpless and helpless. Show compassion to the needy, if you want everyone to be dedicated to you, show great respect to the ulama, and do not be harsh on anybody unless it is necessary.”
Bayezid notified Sultan Selim that he wished to retreat to Dimetoka. 11 days after his son’s ascent, Bayezid went out from Istanbul to Dimetoka with a huge party. II was quite unwell and fatigued when he set off. Bayezid could not ride a horse, but he could continue going with a palanquin.
II, who did not live to reach Dimetoka on the voyage. 32 days after his departure, on May 26, 1512, at the age of 62, Bayezid marched for justice at the hamlet of Abalar in Havsa, Edirne.
Bayezid’s body was carried to Istanbul and following the funeral prayer at Fatih Mosque, he was buried in his tomb in the Bayezid Mosque, which he had built.
After the news of Bayezid’s death was heard, funeral prayers were held in absentia across the Islamic world.