I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

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4 years have passed (1)

Mustafa’s record of answering correctly more than 30 times didn’t exceed 34.

Perhaps he had grown tired of the game, as he sulked and hit his fists together in frustration, crying.

Tazlu, holding the child, comforted him worriedly, saying, “The Padishah has only shown four times, but you really got the answers right consistently.”

Getting 33 answers in a row and getting four are two completely different stories.

Yusuf smirked at Tazlu, who needed to draw attention for his child. “There’s no need to worry. I believe what you said. It’s more entertaining than that.”

If it’s not just a simple coincidence, there are two possibilities. Either he has a good intuition or he’s just lucky. Of course, intuition and luck can be hard to distinguish.

‘Anyway, it seems like my luck is somewhat different from his.’

Even if luck is 10, I don’t have the confidence to guess like Mustafa, which seems to indicate that high luck mainly influences survival and children.

I could have died on the spot if I hadn’t changed my clothes due to a bad feeling with Ismail, so luck for survival seems to keep working.

As for luck with children, it goes without saying. The quality of excellent lineage isn’t exactly special.

“Definitely intriguing.”

If the child’s luck works in a different direction from his own, he could be quite useful in the future.

Although it’s not an instinctively apparent talent like the smart Mehmet or the extremely gifted Murad, it requires ongoing observation.

Of course, it could very well just end up being coincidental.

Just like Khasim, who, at four years old, hasn’t shown exceptional characteristics unlike his older siblings.

‘It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have overwhelming talent. That’s why we have education.’

Yusuf, still moist-eyed from tears, patted Mustafa’s head as he looked up at him.

“Grow up big. I’m looking forward to it.”

“…Ugh, waaaah!”

Mustafa started crying again.

At the very least, he seems to have good instincts.

*

As spring transitioned into summer in 1514, news finally arrived as the incessant rains began to dry up.

“The Al-Mughamis Tribe, which ruled Basra, has declared surrender.”

“Did they surrender willingly?”

“Yes, Padishah.”

Basra, located 55 km from the Persian Gulf, served as a port city due to the Shatt al-Arab waterway formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Thanks to that, it became a prosperous city, with the Arab nomads of the Mughamis Tribe having taken control of Basra and its surroundings.

“Since they surrendered without resistance, we should hand over the administration of Basra to them.”

“That’s quite a satisfactory result. We can’t afford to pay attention that far, can we?”

“That’s true. The Empire is suffering from many ailments right now.”

The ability to endure the simultaneous reforms and wars was largely thanks to the previous ruler, Bayezid II.

By minimizing war and focusing on internal affairs, they had maintained considerable basic resources, including finances.

However, the financial surplus accumulated over nearly 30 years had dropped to a dangerous level due to ongoing wars and conquests.

Grand Vizier Hadim Ali Pasha, with a tired expression, said, “It seems our loyal subjects are lamenting the shortage of cooperative partners to work with.”

The Ottoman Empire basically struggles with a shortage of manpower.

In places like small villages further from cities, administrative reach is often lacking, which is one reason they often delegate governance.

Even Georgia, described as stabilized, should be viewed more as “it’s rolling along” rather than having fully normalized governance.

This issue needs to be dealt with unless the number of bureaucrats increases through examinations.

“The most pressing issue is finance. At this rate, we won’t even be able to properly pay the newly formed bureaucrats.”

“Stop whining, Grand Vizier. It’s not that dire, is it?”

“There’s a limit to filling things with loot. Reforms are happening far too quickly.”

“That’s not the reason for the abolition of the jizya.”

The jizya is a property tax imposed on non-Muslims; since non-Muslims were not obligated to serve in the military, it also functioned as a form of protection tax.

Since they had no military obligations, there were hardly any non-Muslims in the military, which also restricted the professions available to them.

This was why the jizya, which discriminated between Muslims and non-Muslims, was abolished as part of the reforms.

Yusuf raised his hand to interrupt the Grand Vizier, who was about to say something.

“Of course, I understand that visible revenue has decreased due to the abolition of the jizya. However, we need to know who has been paying that jizya all along.”

Muslims pay zakat at a fixed rate based on annual income, while jizya was paid in proportion to the working population.

For the poor, paying jizya is more expensive than paying zakat, but for the middle class, paying jizya was much better than paying zakat.

The abolition of the jizya implies that the beneficiaries of tax relief are the struggling poor.

“Moreover, most of those paying jizya are farmers, and they’re likely to be apprehensive about increasing jizya with each child born.”

In a country already facing a population shortage, the jizya acted as a form of family planning policy, akin to China’s one-child policy.

If the economy is to thrive in the future, the growth of the lower class is essential.

Just as Emperor Akbar of the historical Mughal Empire abolished discriminatory jizya to integrate Hindus, the Ottomans needed to eliminate jizya to embrace all religions into the fold.

Yusuf looked around at his officials.

“I fully understand your concerns regarding fiscal management.”

The Grand Vizier, who could be deemed an intimate confidant of Yusuf, likely did not voice such concerns out of genuine curiosity and dissatisfaction.

It would be more accurate to say that he represented the discontent swirling among the officials.

“Change often comes with pain. However, the moment we stop due to discomfort, we will fall behind. Keep that in mind.”

“We will remember, Padishah.”

The grand vizier and the officials all bowed, and Yusuf nodded.

“This tough time won’t last long. Once the revenues from Cairo begin to rise, we should have plenty of leeway then.”

That amount of time was ample, as they could easily endure with the plunder obtained from conquering the Safavids and Mamluks.

The earlier complaints came off as the typical hubbub of those holding onto money glancing at their dwindling balances.

Rising from his seat, Yusuf gestured towards Silahtar Agha.

“Bring it here.”

At this command, the Silahtars moved, and shortly after, they brought out a finely folded cloth and unveiled it.

It was the crescent moon and star drawn on a red background, which would later become the flag of Turkey, and the flag being announced for the Ottoman Empire.

“I considered other forms of national flags, but surprisingly, it’s hard to imagine any other flag.”

Some mistakenly believe that the Islamic country of Turkey includes the crescent moon and star in its flag to symbolize Islam, but that is a misconception based on the reversed sequence of events.

Instead, many view that the symbol of the Ottomans, who dominated Islam, expanded to symbolize all of Islam.

Whether it was coincidence or if the Ottomans were influenced by that, the current capital, Constantinople, was originally a symbol of the crescent in Byzantium.

Although the flag of the moon and star hadn’t been introduced yet, there was no reason to forcibly adopt a different symbol.

“This flag will henceforth serve as the national flag of the Ottoman Empire, and it will fly in any city that belongs to the Empire.”

“And what is the flag beside it?”

Next to the widely spread national flag was a newly unfurled banner.

“This will be the flag that symbolizes me.”

On a rare purple background symbolizing precious dye, a white crescent and star along with the Alpha and Omega (ΑΩ) were depicted.

The first letter and the last letter of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega, both signify all or eternity.

It was a flag denoting an eternal dynasty, and as Yusuf turned his gaze away from the two unfurled banners, he stood up.

“I hereby declare the Empire shall now be known as the Ottoman Empire.”

This was the moment establishing the identity of the Empire as the realm of the Ottoman dynasty.

*

For those who spend most of their lives in the same town or city, the fact that the Empire had doubled in size didn’t resonate much.

However, they could indirectly feel this when those who had participated in the war returned.

“There’s a massive stone mountain built by people near Cairo. It’s bigger than that small mountain over there!”

“What? A man-built mountain? Nonsense!”

People gathered around the building known as the Padishah’s retreat laughed, as Yusuf’s portrait was displayed there.

Though he returned missing his left hand from the war, he was living like a playboy thanks to the spoils he brought back.

Waving his empty left arm in protest, he replied, “It’s true! Who are these people to call me a liar without even having been there?! I’m going to ask the cavalry directly!”

“Come on! Just believe him! Let’s hear the next story!”

“Cough, I feel a bit of pain in my throat.”

As he casually rubbed his neck, a man nearby suddenly extended his hand.

“I knew you’d want barley tea. Drink it and hurry up with your story!”

While looking eagerly at him, the man comfortably took a sip of barley tea when soldiers rushed in, gathering the townspeople in front of the building’s small square.

As people murmured in confusion, the sanjakbey ruling the city stood in front of the subjects.

“I will read the letter sent by the Padishah. Everyone, take your places!”

At the booming proclamation of the sanjakbey, the subjects were startled and hurried to take their positions.

“To my dear subjects, I announce that during this time, the Empire has overcome numerous crises and has been called a well-protected nation.”

The phrase “well-protected nation” was quite special, as it implied they felt the Empire had successfully defended against foreign powers.

Of course, it likely leans more toward the side of being the aggressor rather than the protector.

“In the last few years, we have punished the Safavids who attacked the Empire, and we captured Egypt, which supported them, but there are still countless enemies threatening the Empire.”

The Ottomans are fundamentally a nation that cannot help but be isolated.

Europe has been suffering from a chronic fear of when the Ottomans might conquer them since the fall of Eastern Rome.

The same Islamic powers are too similar, making it hard to find any allies, and it’s clear that the Ottomans will be viewed unfavorably for eliminating discriminatory elements like the jizya to alleviate internal anxieties.

It would not be wrong to say they are surrounded by potential enemies.

“However, there is nothing to fear. Any enemy that attacks the Empire will not be forgiven by the Ottoman dynasty, which is the master of the Empire, and as a pledge of that, I declare that the name of the Empire shall be the Ottoman Empire.”

When he formally established the name Ottoman Empire to emphasize the dynastic nature, a small uproar arose, and the sanjakbey gestured with his hand.

As the captivating red national flag unfurled, the gazes of the murmuring subjects turned toward it.

“I solemnly declare that this flag will illuminate the subjects of the Empire like the sun and will descend upon enemies like red blood.”

With the cheers of the assembled subjects in the square, the red flag flew from the citadel of the city.

Red flags fluttered throughout the Ottoman Empire, and the Empire entered a phase of recuperation.

Thus, four years passed.

*

“It took longer than I thought.”

“Isn’t it because the problem given by my father is quite difficult?”

Yusuf chuckled at Mehmet’s almost whiny remark. At 15 years of age, being a second-year middle school student, Mehmet had the right to grumble a bit.

Of course, it wouldn’t hold up if he didn’t achieve results.

“Alright, was it challenging to make a furnace for the tiles?”

“It was tough, but I managed.”

Chini refers to pottery in the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans began making pottery back in the 13th century, being at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations, which allowed them to start earlier than other European nations.

They began by imitating Chinese pottery and now primarily made tiles to decorate mosque walls or everyday goods for the middle and upper classes.

This meant they already had basic pottery-making skills. Of course, utilizing that in a furnace was a different ball game.

“Well then, it’s about time for you to head over to the sanjakbey. Compared to me, who became a sanjakbey at 11, you’re quite late.”

Already, the area Mehmet would govern was being built up with the help of the Crimean Khanate and Circassians.

It was only a matter of time before Mehmet, who had delayed due to research, would need to cross that threshold.

Knowing there was no more time to waste, Mehmet nodded.

“I will do my best not to disappoint the Padishah.”

“Right, you must do that.”

As he chatted lightly with Mehmet, a knock sounded, and a bewildered palace attendant entered.

“Padishah! There’s a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Letters desiring to betroth the princess are pouring in. It seems to be because of that statue. And…”

As the attendant’s speech trailed off, Yusuf furrowed his brows.

“And what else?”

“In front of the statue, Prince Murad is knocking people out.”

…This boy’s adolescence again.

Mehmet clapped lightly, while Yusuf felt a headache coming on.