TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Revolt · 1589
The cost of the Iranian war had shaken the markets; angry at being paid in debased coin, the household troops rose in Istanbul and marched on the palace. They demanded the heads of those they held responsible, Mehmed Pasha, governor of Rumelia, and the chief treasurer Mahmud Efendi. According to Selaniki, the hesitant Murad III was threatened with deposition. When the courtiers intervened the two men were handed over and killed, and the unrest subsided (2 April 1589). Grand Vizier Siyavuş Pasha and the şeyhülislam Abdülkadir Şeyhi Efendi were then dismissed as well.
| Date | 2 April 1589 |
|---|---|
| Location | Istanbul |
| Result | Mehmed Pasha, governor of Rumelia, and the chief treasurer Mahmud Efendi, whose heads the troops demanded, were killed; the grand vizier, the şeyhülislam and other officials were dismissed |
| Belligerents | Palace and government (Murad III) | Household troops (kapıkulu) |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Murad III |
Took place during the reign of Murad III (1574–1595). Murad III
Open the reign of Murad III on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 5,408,000 km² in 1589; at the start of Murad III's reign they measured 5,136,000 km², at its end 5,558,000 km².
During Murad III (1574–1595) the atlas records 6 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Dagestan–Derbent (1578), Kars–Ardahan–Artvin (1578), Batumi (Adjara) (1578), Eastern Georgia (Kartli and Kakheti, Tbilisi) (1578), Akhaltsikhe (Childir) (1578), Azerbaijan–Shirvan–Yerevan (1590).
The borders reached their widest extent in his reign, but in the same years the cost of long wars, the debasement of the coinage and factional struggles at court began. That the peak and the unravelling fit into the same reign is its central paradox.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “Murad III” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.