by Alan Mikhail
Selim, 1, 10–12, 30, 32, 42, 54, 113, 137, 145–47, 154, 175, 180–81, 249, 375
accession to Ottoman throne, 250
administrative work of, 70–72, 326–29, 362–63
advances on Istanbul, 224–34
with advisers, 61
Americas and, 352, 353, 356, 358
armed forces of, 82–83
arrives in Istanbul to take throne, 233–34
attack on ‘Ala’ al-Dawla, 280
attack on Georgia, 198–202, 206, 207, 209, 221
Babur and, 250
Bayezit and, 59, 211–12, 217–18, 221–22, 224, 225–28, 236–37
becomes sultan, 235–46, 235
birth of, 16
brothers and, 27–28
in Cairo, 306–7, 372
as caliph, 309–10, 382, 442–43n
camp at Yeni Bahçe, 234, 236
chronicled life of, 12
circumcision festival of, 24–25
as combatant, 355–56
competition for Ottoman throne, 63–64, 79, 241–45
connections to Trabzon, 75
consorts of, 75
coronation of, 235
in Crimea, 210–23, 210
death of, 357–62, 373
descendants of, 75–76, 403–4
in Edirne, 325–27, 330, 331, 333, 351, 352, 355–57
enemies of, 197–209
Erdoğan’s interest in, 399–400
establishes power base in the east, 200–203
funeral of, 361
as “God’s Shadow on Earth,” 12
as governor of Trabzon, 63–76, 77–86, 186–87, 190, 194, 197–209, 210–11, 228, 258–60, 308, 333, 382
half-brothers and, 240–41
health of, 356–57
on his deathbed, 354
hunting, 323, 326, 330
in Istanbul, 22, 37–38, 43–44, 229–34, 254, 324–25
Janissary Corps and, 198–202, 220–21, 228–34, 236, 238, 279–80, 326, 361
in Jerusalem, 296–97
kaftan and crown of, 403–4
lays groundwork for Suleyman’s success, 363–65
leads raids for Caucasian slaves, 198
leaves Amasya for Istanbul, 37
legacy of, 369–84
legal reforms instituted by, 382–83
letter to Ismail, 257–58, 260
Machiavelli’s assessment of, 246
Mamluk Empire and, 131, 274–80 (see also Ottoman–Mamluk wars)
military philosophy of, 194–96, 200–203, 206–9, 274–75
Morocco and, 347–53, 355–56, 358
mosque of, 361–63, 362
personal piety and, 381
pillars of support for, 79–80
place in Islamic history, 369–70
Selim (continued)
plans invasion of Rhodes, 329–30
plots to take over throne, 216–17
prepares march on Istanbul, 220–23
princely education of, 22, 24
as “Protector of Holy Cities,” 309
reads Alexander the Great, 372
realignment of power in North Africa and, 343–53
reformulation of religious institutions by, 381–84
religious clashes and, 54–55
Safavid Empire and, 185–96, 197, 197, 200, 203, 206, 221, 250–69, 330–33, 442–43n (see also Ottoman–Safavid wars)
as “Selim the Grim,” 11
sends flattering letters to Bayezit, 221–22
Shiite Muslims and, 182, 258–59 (see also Ottoman–Safavid wars)
slave trade and, 198
solidification of power base, 77–86
speech in Georgia, 228
storms palace, 237
succession and, 210–11
succession from, 403
Sunnism and, 401
symbolism of, 401, 402, 403–4, 404
Şehinşah and, 82
tomb of, 361–63, 362, 404
warlike character of, 274–75
writes verse on his own reign, 334
Selimname (“Book of Selim”), 12, 78, 199–203, 211, 215–16, 226–27, 229, 231, 234, 237–40, 294
Selman Reis, 316–17
Senegambia, 150
Sephardim, 165–82
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks of, 394
Serbia, 57
capture of, 25
Seven Cities of Cibola, 95, 96, 102, 295
seven, symbolism of, 15
Seville, 340
Shakespeare, William, 100, 372
sharia, 222, 382–83, 394–95. See also Islamic law
Sharur, 190
Shiism/Shiite Muslims, 3, 119, 182, 185–96, 203–7, 232, 245, 250–69, 270–71, 276, 350, 370, 384, 402–3. See also Shiite–Sunni relations
in Anatolia, 330–33
massacred by Selim, 258–59
in Ottoman Empire, 330–33
Shiite–Sunni relations, 252–53, 255, 256–69, 331–33, 365, 402–3
shipbuilding technology, 124–25
Shkodra, siege of, 25
Sicily, 111, 172, 350
Silistra, 217, 222
Silk Road, 5, 66, 67–69
silk trade, 6–7, 254, 292, 327–28
Sinai Desert, 298–99, 301, 348
Sivas, 207, 251, 258, 259
Sixtus IV, Pope, 38, 120
slave rebellions, 155–58, 162
slavery, 142–43, 148–50, 153–54, 163–64, 389. See also slaves; slave trade
in Americas, 197
in Hispaniola, 152–53
Spanish Empire and, 148–64
slaves
Caucasian, 197–202
Christian, 379–80
English, 389
Georgian, 199–202
Mediterranean, 163
Muslim, 389
North African, 163
West African, 3, 148–64, 197, 386, 389, 396
slave trade, 108, 109
in Crimea, 215
in Iberia, 151
Portuguese Empire and, 150–51
Spanish Empire and, 151–53
in West Africa, 150–52
Smederevo, 225, 226
Smith, John, 385, 387–88
Socotra, 315
Sofia, 123, 340
Songhai Empire, 17
A Son of the Sahara, 393
South Asia, 250. See also specific nations and regions
Southeast Asia, 318, 320. See also specific nations
Southern Crooked Island, 127
Spain, 2, 5, 12, 17, 94, 110–13, 127, 137–38, 180, 263, 373. See also Spanish Empire
expulsion of Jews and Muslims from, 55, 83, 125, 150, 165–72, 165, 171, 271, 337
Inquisition in, 55
Jews in, 115–16
Muslims in, 113–22, 121, 152
unification of, 337
Spanish Crown, 137–38, 139–40. See also specific rulers
Spanish Empire, 17, 78, 114, 137–43, 257, 268, 270–71, 335–53
administrative structures of, 143–44
Americas and, 385–87, 388
in Florida, 396
Islam and, 385–88
Islam’s influence on, 140–47
North Africa and, 335–39, 345, 348–53, 448n
Ottoman Empire and, 349–53
realignment of power in North Africa and, 343–47
Roman Empire and, 145–46
Saadian Empire and, 349–53
slavery and, 148–64
slave trade and, 151–53
succession crisis in, 345
triangular war in Morocco and, 349–53
voyages to Americas, 249
Wolof people and, 161–62
Spinola, merchant house of, 97, 98, 100
St. James the Moor-slayer, 104, 134–35, 135
St. Peter’s Basilica, 375
Strabo, geographer, 23
Strachey, William, 387–88
Strait of Bonifacio, 372
&
nbsp; Strait of Gibraltar, 99, 334
Styria, 173
Suez, 317
Sufis, 33, 188–92, 193
sugar, 153–54
cultivation of, 153–55
sugar economy, 158
sugar plantations, 153–55, 155
Suleyman, 12, 75–76, 175, 211–12, 215, 241, 346, 369–70, 384
after Selim’s death, 358, 360–62
becomes sultan, 359, 360–61, 360
builds on Selim’s successes, 363–65
burial of Hafsa, 363
commissions a mosque for Selim’s burial, 361–62, 362, 403
conquest of Rhodes and, 330
in Crimea, 213, 214–20
early campaigns of, 364–65, 364
as governor of Manisa, 245, 279
Sultan Selim the Grim Bridge (Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü), 399, 400, 402–3, 405
Sunnism/Sunni Muslims, 3, 80, 186–87, 189, 193, 195, 203, 205, 250, 270–82, 284–302, 370, 384, 401–3. See also Shiite–Sunni relations
Swabia, 173
Syria, 94, 172, 276, 304, 308, 329, 332–33, 344–45, 348, 372, 375, 396, 402
coffee trade and, 318, 444–45n
Selim’s campaign for, 281–82, 283–84, 288, 292, 296, 299
Syriac Christianity, 93
Syrian mercenaries, 317
Şahkulu, 203–9
Şahkulu Rebellion, 203–9, 211, 213, 222, 226, 244, 251, 258, 259, 331
Şebhane Karahisari, 211
Şehinşah, half-brother of Selim, 81–82
Tabriz, 190–91, 191, 203, 207, 259, 264–66, 265, 279, 331, 332
Tainos, 126–29, 131, 148–64, 148, 222, 426n
forced to mine for gold, 153
Muslims and, 157, 158, 162
rebellions by, 157
Tajli Khanum, wife of Ismail, 266
Talmud, 176
Tamerlane, 3
taqiyya, 51, 54
Tatar khans, 213, 214–16, 217–19, 227, 265
Tatars, 333
taxes, 137, 139, 143–44, 151, 173, 180, 198, 242, 278, 307–8, 310, 320, 326, 329, 347
Teke, 79, 203, 204–5, 207, 242
Temple Mount, 296–97
Tenes, 338
terrorism, Muslims and, 394, 395
Tetzel, Johann, 375
Tha‘āliba tribe, 344
The Thief of Bagdad, 393, 393
Thirty Years’ War, 388
Thrace, 227
Tlaxcala, 145
Tlemcen, 348
Tokat, 68, 258, 333
Toledo, sacking of, 143, 144
Topkapı Palace, 79, 230, 234, 245, 254, 325, 361, 362, 418n
Torres, Luis de, 127
Torrid Zone, 106
Toungoo Empire, 83
Trabzon (formerly Trebizond), 63–76, 65, 122, 146, 174, 244, 254, 261, 286
administration in, 70–72, 362–63
agriculture in, 70–71
anti-Jewish violence in, 181–82
as conduit for Ottoman slave trade, 198
ethnic minorities in, 79–80
Jews in, 173
Ottomanization of, 72–74, 77
Selim as governor of, 63–76, 77–86, 92–93, 186–87, 190, 194, 197–209, 210–11, 228, 258–60, 308, 333, 382
Trabzon market, 63
trade in, 67–69, 70–71
trade, 7, 97, 106, 291, 299, 327, 349, 352, 386
Americas and, 340
coffee trade, 318–20, 444–45n
Europe and, 86, 91–92, 92, 95, 99–101, 317 (see also specific nations and empires)
Genoa and, 91–92, 92
London and, 100–101
Ottoman Empire and, 67–69, 86, 91–92, 99–100, 274
between Ottomans and Mamluks, 274
Portuguese Empire and, 317
regulation of, 68–69, 72
silk trade, 254, 292, 327–28
in Trabzon, 67–69, 70–71
trade wars, 328
Wolof people and, 161
transatlantic passage, 129–30
Transylvania, 123
The Travels of Marco Polo, 95, 101
Treaty of Constantinople, 25
tributo, 144
Tripoli, 113, 290, 292, 338, 339, 350
Tristão, Nuno, 150
Trump, Donald, 395
Tuman Bey, 284, 299–306, 309
Tunis, 96–97, 99, 102, 308, 341–42, 343, 350
Turkey, 399–405
founding of after World War I, 400
Iran and, 402, 403
Ottoman heritage of, 401, 402–3
political Islamism in, 402
religious identity in, 401–2
Shiite Muslims in, 402
Sunnism in, 401
Turkish nationalism, 399–401
Turkish language, 5
Turkishness, 400
Turkmen, 291
Turks, 5, 6, 9, 163, 386–87, 388, 389, 401. See also Moors
Twain, Mark, 391, 392
Twelve Imams of Shiism, 193
‘Ubayd Allah Khan, 255–56
Umayyad mosque
of Aleppo, 285, 293
of Damascus, 293
United States, 4, 12
Islam and, 390–96
Muslims and, 390, 394–95
at war in Middle East, 396
United States Constitution, 390
Urfa, 275
‘Uthman, Rightly Guided Caliph, 271, 273
‘Uthmanic codex, 271, 273
Uzbeks, 255, 267
Uzun Hasan, 84, 190
helmet of, 77
vakıf, 72–74, 77
Valencia, 151
Valona (Vlorë), 38
Vasco da Gama, 3, 268, 313, 356
the Vatican, 106, 372, 378
Velázquez de Cuéllar, Diego, 130
Vélez-Blanco, 118
Vélez-Rubio, 118
Venetian Empire, 17, 25, 26, 44, 84. See also Venice
war with, 25, 29
Venezuela, slave rebellions in, 162
Venice, 12, 44, 86, 180, 263, 265, 318, 326, 328–30, 351, 359, 364, 371. See also Venetian Empire
coffee in, 444–45n
peace treaty with, 175
spies from, 332
Vera, 118
Verdi, Giuseppe, 372
Vienna, 444–45n
Vilayet Antilia, 312, 334, 352, 358
Virginia, 385, 387–88, 389–90
Vladislaus II, 329
Wallachia, 387
Wars of the Roses, 100
Wattasids, 347
West Africa, 103, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 117, 125, 150–52, 170–71, 312. See also specific nations and regions
West Africans, 3, 148–64, 197, 386, 389, 396
Wittenberg, Germany, 370, 376
Wolof Empire, 151
Wolof Muslims, 150–62. See also Wolof Rebellion
Wolof Rebellion, 155–58, 160, 161, 164, 387
World War I, 400
wrestling, 355–56, 355
Ximénez, Pero, 133
Ya‘kub, 84
Yemen, 313–20, 327–28, 347, 352, 396
Yeni Bahçe, 234, 236
Yenişehir, 244, 245, 256–57, 258
Yersinia pestis, 323–24
Yozgat, 258
Yuan, 94
Yuan Mongol emperors, 93, 94
Zahid, 188–89
the Zahidiyya, 188–89. See also the Safaviyya
zambra, 132–33
Zuazo, Alonso de, 156–57
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALAN MIKHAIL, professor of history and chair of the Department of History at Yale University, is widely recognized for his work in Middle Eastern and global history. He is the author of three previous books and over thirty scholarly articles that have received multiple awards in the fields of Middle Eastern and environmental history, including the Fuat Köprülü Book Prize from the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association for Under Osman’s Tree: The Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Environmental Histo
ry and the Roger Owen Book Award of the Middle East Studies Association for Nature and Empire in Ottoman Egypt: An Environmental History. In 2018, he received the Anneliese Maier Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for internationally distinguished humanities scholars and social scientists. His writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
ALSO BY ALAN MIKHAIL
Under Osman’s Tree:
The Ottoman Empire, Egypt,
and Environmental History
The Animal in Ottoman Egypt
Nature and Empire in
Ottoman Egypt:
An Environmental History
Water on Sand:
Environmental Histories of the
Middle East and North Africa
(editor)
FRONTISPIECE:
Selim takes aim
. . .
Copyright © 2020 by Alan Mikhail
All rights reserved
First Edition
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Mikhail, Alan, 1979– author.
Title: God's shadow : Sultan Selim, his Ottoman empire, and the making of the modern world / Alan Mikhail.
Description: First edition. | New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020010516 | ISBN 9781631492396 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781631492402 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Selim I, Sultan of the Turks, 1470-1520. |
Turkey—History—Selim I, 1512-1520. | Ayşe Gülbahar Hatun, consort of
Bayezid II, Sultan of the Turks, –1505.
Classification: LCC DR504 .M55 2020 | DDC 956/.015092 [B]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020010516
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