Look at how many languages he knew.



Look at who his hero was

How do you do it, my friend?

Where do you get all these books--at a library?

Bravo

This reference predates the Orbini one by over a hundred years. It is interesting that the author writes Serbian or Macedonian; the implication was that she was captured by "slavic" pirates, whether Serbian or Macedonia. The implication is that Macedonians self titled themselves as Macedonian as early as the 15th century. There seems to be no credible link to Greek Macedonia because of the word "Serbian" before "Macedonian."

However, the author mentions Alexander the Great being the insipiration and states a Greek biography about Alexander.

Also, it doesn't say the mother of Mehmet was half Macedonian; if you look at it closer, it says her origin was unknown except that she was a Western slave and probably taken by pirates, whether Serbian or Macedonian, and that she was Christian. It doesn't state, however, that she or her son, Mehment, was half Macedonian. You're misreading it!

Wow.

Sorry I should've posted this too. Here's where it says he is possibly half Macedonian.

TM most of the sultans mothers were of non turkish blood on their maternal side, actually during the ottoman empire it is hard to find a sultan with a turkish mother.

I'm a little confused by that first image which says "USA Today" at the top and has the date "1453"... Since America was discovered 39 years later, in 1492, what does that USA Today refer to?

rogi the 2 are not related

usa today must be the name of the series of books

1453 is the fall of tsarigrad and thats what the book is about.

100% correct. Some years ago there was a fantastic documentary on this subject on SBS and I was amazed at how many sultans through the course of the Ottoman empire had mothers from Ukrainian, Russian and Hungarian backgrounds that were initially slaves and a part of their fathers harems.

USA Today is a newspaper in the US. They have a book review section in it.

I saw that documentary. It was very interesting, the whole structure of the Sultans. i.e. that when a new sultan took the reigns, he would kill all of his half brothers and potential killers.

And yes, the harems were mostly kidnap victims from various parts of the empire, and sometimes outside the empire like Italy.

In fact, when these sultans would take the reigns at a young age, the kidnapees (i.e. their mothers) would end up being the most powerful person in the empire, because they would advise their sons (the sultan) on what to do.

Sultans were also not allowed to marry. Some say that the Ottoman empire began to fall when this one sultan broke this rule, fell in love with this Albanian woman in his harem, married her, and ordered the murder of his eldest son (heir to the thrown) so that his younger son would take over the empire.

I am just reading a little more about this, and apparently the line of Sultans has not stopped despite the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1922. Just like dead monarchies, they still continue to appoint new successors (albeit fake) to the Ottoman empire should it be reinstated.

The current 'head of the Ottoman dynasty' is Ertuğrul Osman, a 94 year old landlord in New York City.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/reale ... ref=slogin

bushav if you ever get the chance to reat a book called constantinople, do it , fantastic read

The current 'head of the Ottoman dynasty' is Ertuğrul Osman, a 94 year old landlord in New York City.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/reale ... ref=slogin


This I did not know. Thank you Bushav. This is most interesting.
Incidentally, the lady in the picture looks like Ita Buttrose.

cool, thanks osiris!


lol she does too.