Seyyid Lokman: The coronation of Mehmed III’s (1600)

(David Collection, Copenhagen , Denmark)

An illuminated page made by an unknown Ottoman artist. This page comes from a historical manuscript which deals with the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III’s campaign in Hungary. This military campaign was part of the Thirteen Years' War (1593-1606), a war fought between the Ottoman empire and the Holy Roman empire and its allies - the war resulted in very little result for either side. This page shows the coronation of Mehmed III in 1595 in the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. The sultan is sitting in the upper left corner on his throne while officials have gathered to pay tribute to him. What the page doesn't show is that Mehmet had 19 of his (half) brothers and 20 sisters had executed after his coronation in order to secure his power. Page from around 1600.