TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · 12 / 38 · sultan
Murad III
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.
Open the reign of Murad III on the mapFamily
| Father | Selim II |
|---|---|
| Mother | Nurbanu Sultan |
| Consorts | Safiye Sultan |
| Children | Mehmed III and more than twenty princes and princesses (records are incomplete) |
Major achievements
- Twelve-year war with Persia and the Treaty of Ferhad Pasha (1590), bringing the empire to its widest borders
- First trade capitulation with England (1580)
- Taqi al-Din's Istanbul Observatory founded (later demolished)
- Golden age of the palace painting studio: miniatures of the Şehname and Surname
- Ottoman influence established in Morocco
- Debasement of the akçe and the spread of bribery — the beginning of financial decay
Treaties
- Treaty of Ferhad Pasha (Constantinople) (1590, Persia)
Grand viziers
| Name | From | To | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sokollu Mehmed Pasha | December 15, 1574 | October 12, 1579 | 4 years, 301 days |
| Semiz Ahmed Pasha | October 11, 1579 | April 28, 1580 | 1 year, 1 day |
| Lala Mustafa Pasha | April 28, 1580 | August 7, 1580 | 101 days |
| Koca Sinan Pasha | August 7, 1580 | December 6, 1582 | 2 years, 121 days |
| Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha | December 24, 1582 | July 25, 1584 | 1 year, 214 days |
| Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha | July 28, 1584 | October 29, 1585 | 1 year, 93 days |
| Hadim Mesih Mehmed Pasha | November 1, 1585 | April 14, 1586 | 164 days |
| Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha (term 2) | April 14, 1586 | April 2, 1589 | 164 days |
| Koca Sinan Pasha (term 2) | April 14, 1589 | August 1, 1591 | 2 years, 109 days |
| Serdar Ferhat Pasha | August 1, 1591 | April 4, 1592 | 247 days |
| Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha (term 3) | April 4, 1592 | January 28, 1593 | 299 days |
| Koca Sinan Pasha (term 3) | January 28, 1593 | January 16, 1595 | 1 year, 353 days |
Battles and treaties
| Year | Event | Result / parties |
|---|---|---|
| 1578 | Battle: Çıldır | Ottoman victory |
| 1585 | Campaign: Capture of Tabriz | Ottoman victory · Treaty of Constantinople (1590) |
| 1590 | Treaty: Treaty of Ferhad Pasha (Constantinople) |
Full infoboxes are in the site’s “Battles and Treaties” tab; source: English Wikipedia.
Death
He died of illness in Topkapı Palace in 1595.
Territorial change
The lands that changed hands in this period, and the battles or treaties that brought the changes, can be seen on the map: map of the reign of Murad III.