1

Inauspicious

Enthronement

The Uprising against Sultan Ibrahim and

Enthronement of Mehmed IV

In the summer of 1648, the men of the sword (the elite infantry

Janissaries and the cavalry known as sipahis) united with men of the

turban (the sheikhulislam—leading Muslim religious authority in the

empire—and magistrates of the city) to demand the dethronement of

Sultan Ibrahim on account of his abandoning Islamic law, the domi-

nation of women in the affairs of state, the suffering of commoners,

the loss of numerous citadels on the frontiers, the threat to Istanbul

of foreign navies, and the inattention of the sultan, who allegedly

spent all his time with his concubines.^1 To complete their act and

fulfi ll their political wishes, the rebels knew that the most important

person in the dynasty was not the sultan, but his mother.

An anonymous miniature album circa 1650 contains a portrait of

Kösem Sultan, the valide sultan (fi gure 1.1). She is depicted sitting on

a golden throne, her hands palm down on her thighs, wearing a gold

head covering and fur-lined, gold-pinstriped light blue cloak over a

pink garment and gold sash.^2 All the symbols of royal power—gold,

fur, and throne—illustrate her might. Yet knowing the reign of her

son Ibrahim was effectively over, she attempted to control the proc-

ess of transition to ensure her continued relevance. The valide sultan

refused to send Ibrahim’s oldest son, Mehmed, to Ahmed I’s mosque

(popularly known as the Blue Mosque) on the Hippodrome to receive