Kösem sultan’s
Cabinet
MUNIAL’17
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CONTENTS
I. Letter from the Committee Director.......... 3
II. Key Terminology........................................ 4
III. Who is Kösem The Queen Regent?............ 6
a. First Tenure......................................... 7
b. Second Tenure..................................... 7
c. Third Tenure........................................ 8
IV. Important Events During 1623- 1632
a. War Against Safavid Iran...................... 9
b. Relations with the Mughal Empire........ 9
c. The Death of Hafız Ahmed Pasha........ 10
V. Rules of Procedure…………………..……….. 10
VI. Bibliography…………………………..……….. 12
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LETTER FROM THE COMMITTEE DIRECTOR
Dear esteemed delegates,
I have the utmost pleasure and honor of welcoming you all to the second
annual session of MUNIAL 2017. I am Ece Ekin and I am looking forward to
being the committee director of one of our two special committees this year,
Kösem’s Cabinet.
This committee will proceed as a crisis committee and will focus on the years
of Kösem Sultan’s reign as a queen regent. Kösem Sultan was one of the
most powerful women in the history of Ottoman Empire. She held the power
and influenced the politics of the court throughout the reign of six sultans.
Since we are all history and politic enthusiasts I believe that we will have a
very beneficial but also fun time during this 4 days period. I also truly aim
to facilitate your educational experience at the conference at the best of my
ability.
This background guide will give you an overview of the topics at hand and
the work of the committee; nevertheless, it should only serve as an
introduction to your research and preparation for the conference. The
references listed for each topic provides you a good starting point for your
own research, but I highly encourage you to deepen your knowledge further,
especially considering your position as which member of the court you are. If
you have any questions regarding your preparation for the committee and
the conference itself, please feel free to contact me.
I wish you all the best in your preparation for the conference and look
forward to seeing you in April 20th.
Ece Ekin
Committee Director
[email protected]
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KEY TERMINOLOGY
The Imperial Council: (Dîvan-i Hümâyûn), also called Kubbealtı, consisted
of three departments, namely, the Council Chamber as such where state
affairs were being discussed, the clerk offices where the decisions taken by
the Council were put in writing, and the registry (Defterhane) where the
documents and decision records were archived. The Imperial Council would
convene four days a week. The members of the Council, namely the Grand
Vizier, the Kubbealtı Viziers, the Supreme Military Judges of Anatolia and
Rumelia (the European part of the Ottoman Empire) would deliberate on
state affairs, take decisions and pronounce judgments on judiciary cases to
be submitted to the Sultan as the highest authority. The Sheikh ul-lslam,
the chief religious official in the Ottoman Empire, he would, when invited,
participate in some important meetings. Other officers of the Council were,
the officer in charge of affixing the monogram of the Sultan on decrees and
other official documents:; the treasurer:; the Head of the Clerks and Foreign
Minister: Reis-ül Küttab; the writers of official communications/messages,
permits, licenses and certificates: tezkereciler and the clerks: kâtipler. At
these meetings, the state's political, administrative, financial, and customary
affairs and important public cases were discussed. The Council Hall was also
the venue where Grand Viziers would receive foreign ambassadors and
where the wedding ceremonies of Sultan's daughters would take place.
Grand Vizier: In the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Vizier was the prime
minister of the Ottoman sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in
principle, dismissible only by the sultan himself. He held the imperial seal
and could convene all other viziers to attend to affairs of the state.
Kubbealtı Viziers: Kubbealtı Viziers were members of the court in the
Ottoman Empire. They were chosen to consult from the pashas of the empire
by the Grand Vizier and sometimes by the Sultan himself. Their work was
related to the Grand Vizier too.
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Shekül Islam: In the Ottoman empire, which controlled much of the Sunni
Islamic world from the 14th to the 20th centuries, the Grand Mufti was given
the title Shekül Islam. A Shekül Islam was chosen by a royal warrant
amongst the qadis of important cities. The Shkül Islam had the power to
confirm new sultans, but once the sultan was affirmed, it was the sultan
who retained a higher authority than him. He issued fatwas, which were
written interpretations of the Quran that had authority over the community.
He represented the law of shariah and in the 16th century its importance
rose which led to increased power.
The Jannisaries: The Janissaries were elite infantry units that formed the
Ottoman Sultan's household troops, bodyguards and the first standing army
in Europe. They began as an elite corps of slaves made up of conscripted
young Christian boys, and became famed for internal cohesion cemented by
strict discipline and order. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular
salaries. Forbidden to marry or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the
Sultan was expected.
Agha of Jannisaries: The Agha of Jannisaries was the head of the military
troops that was called “The Jannisaries” as mentioned earlier. He
represented those troops in the Imperial Council and hold an immense
power since he controlled a large part of the military units.
Kapudan Pasha: The Kapudan Pasha was the commander-in-chief of the
navy of the Ottoman Empire.
Head of Military Judge: Also called Kazasker, he was a chief judge in the
Ottoman Empire. His jurisdiction extended to the cases of soldiers, who were
later tried only by their own officers. He was subordinated to the Shekül
Islam and had no jurisdiction over the city of Istanbul.
Treasurers: Also called the Minister of Finance, they were members of the
Imperial Council and held rank higher than Agha and lower than vizier and
Head of Military Judge. They were the bookkeepers and charged of the tax
registers in the Ottoman Empire.
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The Main Chancery: He was a high post in Ottoman bureaucracy. His
original duty was to seal royal precepts. The Chancellor was responsible for
sealing the precepts of the sultan and the Grand Vizier. He was also
responsible in supervising the divan’s archives and keeping the records of
the timar system.
Beylerbey: The commander of Commanders, Lord of the Lords. As a high
rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern
period, from the Seljuks of Rum and the Ilkhanids to Safavid Persia and the
Ottoman Empire. Initially designating a commander-in-chief, it eventually
came to be held by senior provincial governors. In Ottoman usage, where the
rank survived the longest, it designated the governors-general of some of the
largest and most important provinces, although in later centuries it became
devalued into a mere honorific title.
Who is Kösem The Queen Regent?
In the Ottoman Empire, the women of the harem could be very influential,
even enjoying a period in the 16th and 17th centuries known as the
“Sultanate of Women” when, through regencies and political strategizing,
they were practically in charge. It’s worth noting that this partly coincided
with the height of the Empire’s power.
Kösem Sultan is one of the most extraordinary of these women. Born on a
small Greek island around 1585, she eventually made her way to
Constantinople at age fifteen, sold into the harem of the Ottoman Sultan
Ahmed I, where she became a favorite of his and then became one of his
wives. Ahmed died in 1617, and in 1623 Kösem’s son Murad IV became
Sultan and Kösem became Queen Regent, or Mother of the Sultan.
Her imperial power ruled the court for a long time however, she was
challenged by her daughter-in-law Turhan Hatice, mother of Mehmed and
another major harem imperial power player. Turhan heard rumors that
Kösem was plotting to remove Mehmed from the throne and replace him with
another grandson—not one of Turhan’s—and legend has it she was
assassinated by the order of Turhan.
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FIRST TENURE
Kösem came back in power when her son ascended to the throne on 10
September 1623 as Murad IV. Since her son was a minor, she was appointed
not only as a Valide Sultan but also, as an official regent during his
minority, from her son's ascension on 10 September 1623 until 18 May
1632. During most of Murad IV’s reign, she essentially ruled through him
and effectively ran the empire, attending meetings of the cabinet from behind
a curtain, even after 1632, when she was no longer regent.
During the early years, the Empire fell into anarchy; the Safavid Empire
invaded Iraq almost immediately, Northern Anatolia erupted in revolts, and
in 1631 the Janissaries stormed the palace and killed the Grand Vizier,
among others. Murad feared suffering the same fate as his elder brother,
Osman II, and decided to assert his power. He later tried to quell the
corruption that had grown during the reigns of previous Sultans, and that
had not been checked while his mother was ruling through proxy. His
absolute rule started around 1632, when he took the authority and
repressed all the tyrants, and he re-established the supremacy of Sultan.
SECOND TENURE
Kösem's other son, Ibrahim, lived in terror of being the next of his brothers
to be executed by his brother's order. His life was only saved by the
intercession of his mother Kösem Sultan.[ After Murad's death, Ibrahim was
left the sole surviving prince of the dynasty. Upon being asked by Grand
Vizier Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha to assume the Sultanate, Ibrahim
suspected Murad was still alive and plotting to trap him. It took the
combined persuasion of Kösem and the Grand Vizier, and personal
examination of his brother's dead body, to make Ibrahim accept the throne.
When Ibrahim succeeded his brother in 1640, he proved too mentally
unstable to rule. This enabled Kösem to continue in power. He was
encouraged by his mother to distract himself with harem girls. The
distractions of the harem allowed Kösem to gain power and rule in his name,
yet even she fell victim to the Sultan's disfavor and left the Imperial Palace.
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Ibrahim's behaviour sparked talks of deposing the sultan. In 1647, the
Grand Vizier Salih Pasha, Kösem Sultan, and the şeyhülislam Abdürrahim
Efendi unsuccessfully plotted to depose the sultan and replace him with one
of his sons. Salih Pasha was executed and Kösem Sultan was exiled from the
harem. The next year the Janissaries and members of the ulema revolted.
On 8 August 1648, Ibrahim was dethroned, seized and imprisoned in
Topkapı Palace. Kösem gave consent to her son's fall, saying "In the end he
will leave neither you nor me alive. We will lose control of the government.
The whole society is in ruins. Have him removed from the throne
immediately. "The new Grand Vizier, Sofu Mehmed Pasha, petitioned the
Sheikh ul-Islam for a fatwā sanctioning Ibrahim's execution. It was granted,
with the message "if there are two Caliphs, kill one of them." Kösem also
gave her consent. Two executioners were sent. Ibrahim was strangled on 18
August 1648.
THIRD TENURE
Eventually Kösem presented her seven-year-old grandson Mehmed IV to the
court with the words "Here he is! See what you can do with him!" Thus, she
declared herself regent for the second time, and ruled openly again between
1648 and 1651. At the head of the Ottoman Empire stood the child sultan,
Mehmed IV. With Mehmed's ascendancy, the position of Valide Sultan
("mother of the reigning sultan") should have gone to his mother Turhan
Hatice Sultan. However, Turhan was overlooked due to her youth and
inexperience. Instead Kösem Sultan was reinstated to this high position.
Kösem Sultan was a valide (mother) under two sons, thus having the more
experience of the two women.
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Important Events During 1623- 1632
a. War Against Safavid Iran
The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1623–1639 was the last of a series of conflicts
fought between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia, then the two major
powers of the Near East, over control of Mesopotamia. After initial Persian
success in recapturing Baghdad and most of modern Iraq, having lost it for
several years, the war became a stalemate as the Persians were unable to
press further into the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans themselves were
distracted by wars in Europe and weakened by internal turmoil.
b. Relations with the Mughal Empire
In the year 1626, the Mughal Emperor Jahangir began to contemplate an
alliance between the Ottomans, Mughals and Uzbeks against the Safavids,
who had defeated the Mughals at Kandahar. He even wrote a letter to the
Ottoman Sultan Murad IV, Jahangir's ambition however did not materialize
due to his death in 1627. However, Jahangir's son and successor Shah
Jahan pursued the goal of alliance with the Ottoman EmpireWhile he was
encamped in Baghdad, Murad IV is known to have met the Mughal Emperor
Shah Jahan's ambassadors: Mir Zarif and Mir Baraka, who presented 1000
pieces of finely embroidered cloth and even armor. Murad IV gave them the
finest weapons, saddles and Kaftans and ordered his forces to accompany
the Mughals to the port of Basra, where they set sail to Thatta and finally
Surat.
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c. The Death of Hafız Ahmed Pasha
Hafız Ahmed Pasha, also known by epithet Müezzinzade, was an Ottoman
grand vizier. He served as grand vizier twice and died in office during a revolt
on 10 February 1632, when the Janissaries attempted to overthrow Sultan
Murad IV. His succedor Topal Recep Pasha served as the Grand Vizier of the
Ottoman Empire from 10 February 1632 to 18 May 1632. He was
instrumental in lynching the former grand vizier, Hafız Ahmet Pasha. When
his brother-in-law Sultan Murad IV realized this, he had Recep Pasha
executed on 18 May 1632.
Rules of Procedure
Like I mentioned before we will proceed as a crisis committee, which means
while we as a committee, are in sessions delivering speeches etc. our crisis
team will bring us edicts that contains happenings and decisions that
actually happened during that time period.
After being delivered the crisis, we will debate upon the subject and decide
what to do next. We will not write resolutions.
Speeches
Rule 1: No representative may address the meeting without having
previously obtained permission of the President/Chairperson. The
President/Chairperson shall call upon speakers in the order in which they
signify their desire to speak after adding them to the Speaker’s List. The
President/Chairperson may call out a speaker if his or her remarks are not
relevant to the subject under discussion.
Rule 2: The meeting may limit the time to be allowed to each speaker and
the number of times each representative may speak on any question. Before
a decision is taken, two representatives may speak in favour of, and two
against a proposal to set a time limit which will then be put to vote. When
the debate is limited and a representative exceeds his or her allotted time,
the President/Chairperson shall call the speaker to order without delay.
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Points of Order: During the discussion of any matter, a representative may
raise a ‘point of order’ if the delegate believes that the President/Chairperson
is not following the Rules of Procedure or not being sufficiently active in
ensuring that other representatives do so. The point of order shall be
immediately ruled on by the President/Chairperson in accordance with the
rules of procedure. If a delegate feels that the ruling of the
President/Chairperson is incorrect, they may appeal against the ruling. The
appeal is put to a vote and the decision of the President/Chairperson could
be overruled by a majority of the members present and voting.
Order of Procedural Motions: The motions indicated below shall have
precedence in the following order over all the other procedures or motions in
the meeting:
a) To suspend the meeting;
b) To close debate on the item under discussion.
VOTING
a)
Each member of the court shall have one vote.
The meeting shall normally vote by a show of hands or by standing but any
representative may request a roll-call vote
b)
The roll-call will be taken in alphabetical order, and when called, the
representative shall answer “yes”, “no” or “abstention”.
c) After the President/Chairperson has announced the beginning of voting,
no delegate shall interrupt the voting unless on a point of order in
connection with the actual voting procedure. The President/Chairperson
may permit members to explain their vote either before or after the voting.
The time given for these explanations may be limited by the
President/Chairperson. The President/Chairperson shall not permit the
proposer of an amendment to explain his vote on his own proposal or
amendment.
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Important Rules
1. The delegates should dress accordingly to the formal dress code. A tie
or a bow tie is required. The speeches of the delegates that are not
dressed accordingly to the code will not be entartained.
2. Members of the court do not have to refer to themselves as “we”, they
can use “I” since you do not represent a whole nation but a single
historical figure.
3. Delegates should not attend the sessions late.
4. All electronical devices are forbidden during sessions.
5. Opening speeches aren’t necessary although oaths of allegiance will be
permitted.
6. You will be permitted to not attend two sessions maximum although it
is not recommended.
7. Message papers will be permitted although direct talk between
delegates is strictly forbidden.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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http://equals.youplusme.com/kosem-sultan-ruler-of-the-ottomanempire/
https://wn.com/Who_Is_Kosem_Sultan
https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=L6
VRgVzRcUC&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=who+is+kösem+sultan+regen
t&source=bl&ots=eimBVW9Nec&sig=RHkh1hW3yct7WZTIq73XBxd40Y&hl=tr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjv7cHloTTAhWMDywKHZxwB5EQ6AEISTAG#v=onepage&q=who%20is%20k
ösem%20sultan%20regent&f=false
https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=L6VRgVzRcUC&pg=PA258&lpg=PA258&dq=who+is+kösem+sultan+regen
t&source=bl&ots=eimBVW9Nec&sig=RHkh1hW3yct7WZTIq73XBxd40Y&hl=tr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjv7cHloTTAhWMDywKHZxwB5EQ6AEISTAG#v=onepage&q=who%20is%20k
ösem%20sultan%20regent&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kösem_Sultan
http://topkapisarayi.gov.tr/en/content/kubbealtı-divan-ı-hümayun
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