1595: What Was the Funeral Like for the 19 Ottoman Princes Executed by Their Brother

In January 1595, nineteen small coffins were carried through the streets of Constantinople. Inside each lay an Ottoman prince, strangled the night before on the orders of his own brother, the new Sultan. The youngest was barely six. And under Ottoman law, every bit of it was legal. This video follows the story from the civil war that inspired the law of fratricide, through the night of the executions, to the funeral procession that a grieving city could not ignore. In this video: • The Ottoman Interregnum and the crisis that shaped a brutal law • Mehmed the Second's Kanunname and the principle of maslaha • Murad the Third's enormous family and the stakes of succession • The accession of Mehmed the Third and the night of January 28 • Silk bowstrings, deaf mute executioners, and the rules of royal death • The funeral procession and the public's reaction • Young Ahmed, the end of fratricide, and the birth of the Kafes, the Cage • The tomb beside Hagia Sophia that still stands today The tomb of the nineteen princes is still there in Istanbul, quietly lying in the shadow of one of the most photographed buildings on earth. Most visitors walk past without ever knowing. Did this story surprise you? Tell us in the comments which chapter of Ottoman history Altinn should explore next, and subscribe so you don't miss it. A like helps more curious viewers find the channel. #OttomanEmpire #Constantinople #HistoryDocumentary #MehmedTheThird #Altinn #HagiaSophia #OttomanHistory 00:00 Intro 00:35 The Law Born From Civil War 02:32 Why Ottoman Succession Was Different 03:09 The Brutal Logic Of Fratricide 04:46 Murad III And His Many Sons 05:56 Murad's Death And The Race To Constantinople 07:10 Nineteen Brothers Condemned 07:45 The Night Of The Silk Bowstring 10:34 Why The Funeral Could Not Be Hidden 12:04 Nineteen Coffins Through The Streets 15:19 A Turning Point For Public Opinion 16:32 Ahmed And The End Of Fratricide 21:04 Legacy Of The Nineteen Princes 25:05 Outro