Mehmed III

Mehmed III
Ottoman Caliph
Amir al-Mu'minin
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah)
Reign16 January 1595 – 22 December 1603
PredecessorMurad III
SuccessorAhmed I
Born26 May 1566 (1566-05-26)
Manisa Palace, Manisa, Ottoman Empire
Died22 December 1603(1603-12-22) (aged 37)
Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Burial
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
ConsortsHandan Hatun
Halime Hatun
Fülane Hatun
Issue
Among others
Şehzade Mahmud
Ahmed I
Mustafa I
Names
Mehmed bin Murad
DynastyOttoman
FatherMurad III
MotherSafiye Sultan
ReligionSunni Islam
TughraMehmed III's signature

Mehmed III (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثالث, Meḥmed-i sālis; Turkish: III. Mehmed; 26 May 1566 – 22 December 1603) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turkish War, during which the Ottoman army was victorious at the decisive Battle of Keresztes. This victory was however undermined by some military losses such as in Győr and Nikopol. He also ordered the successful quelling of the Jelali rebellions. The sultan also communicated with the court of Elizabeth I on the grounds of stronger commercial relations and in the hopes of England to ally with the Ottomans against the Spanish.