[December 22] Mehmed III, sultan of the Ottoman Empire

Local Name: محمد ثالث (Meḥmed-i sālis)
Parents: Murad III, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Safiye Sultan
Date of Birth: 26 May 1566
House: Osman
Spouse(s): Handan Sultan
Predecessor: Murad III
Reign: 1595 – 1603
Brief: Nothing is known of the life of Mehmed before he began his fight to gain the Ottoman throne. His father died in 1595 and Mehmed immediately began to kill off his rivals, all brothers, to secure the throne for himself. Despite his eventual execution of nineteen brothers, Mehmed was a lazy ruler who did little himself. His mother, Safiye Sultan, ruled for him even during the Austro-Ottoman War. Forced to take command of his army early in his reign, Mehmed found victory at the Battle of Keresztes, though he tried to flee midway through the battle. It was the only time he fought in battle. A large envoy from England delivered many English gifts, but Mehmed was only somewhat impressed and, after seeing an English warship, decided it was time to rebuild the Ottoman fleet. Although aloof and uninterested in the arts, Mehmed's reign was a strong continuation of his predecessor's and little land was lost or gained during it. His son, Ahmed I, succeeded him relatively peacefully upon his death in 1603, though a younger son, Yahya, converted to Christianity and sought an alliance with the west to restore the Middle East to Orthodoxy.

Date of Death: 22 December 1603

Successor: Ahmed I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Vitellius, emperor of Rome (69)
• Bretislaus II, king of Bohemia (1100)