Osman II
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Osman II (November 3, 1604 – May 20, 1622) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death.
Osman was the son of Ahmed I. He ascended the throne at the early age of 14 as the result of a coup d'état against his uncle Mustafa I. Despite his youth, Osman soon sought to assert himself as a ruler and personally led the Ottoman invasion of Poland during the Moldavian Magnate Wars. Badly defeated at the Battle of Chotin (Chocim) (in fact siege of Chotin by the Polish hetman Jan Chodkiewicz in September-October, 1621, Osman returned to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries for his humiliation.
Probably the first Sultan to identify and attempt to tackle the Janissaries as a praetorian institution doing more harm than good to the modern empire, Osman closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and drafted loyal troops into the capital. The result was a palace uprising under the leadership of Mustafa I's mother. Osman was taken prisoner and strangled with a bowstring.
Osman was certainly hotheaded, known to be vindictive and at times sadistic. However, as a ruler he was perceptive and energetic. In contrast to most of his successors he compares favourably. His worst fault as a politician was probably that he tried too much too soon.
| Preceded by: Mustafa I | Ottoman Sultan | Succeeded by: Mustafa I |