SULTAN III. MUSTAFA HAN

Father : Sultan III. Ahmed
Mohter : Mihrimah Sultan
Date of Birth : January 28,1717
Accession to the Throne : October 30, 1757
Death : January 21, 1774

He was accessed to the Ottoman throne as the twenty-sixteen Sovereign. Through the support of his mother, he received a good education. Since he was raised freely at the Palace, he had the opportunity of learning state affairs. He had a keen mind and was very industrious. He believed that the corruption in state affairs could be eliminated through reforms.

He did not want to imitate the West when making reforms in state institutions. He rather considered that the the established foundations should be modernized within the traditional structure in order to respond to the dayís requirements. And he trusted jurists for the fulfilment of this mission. He used to say, ìlf jurists are corrupted in a country, then justice is also corrupted. Where there is no justice, there is no harmony and fellowship eitherî.

The major external affair which Sultan III. Mustafa had to deal with during his reign during his reign was the Russia issue. During the period beginning with the 1763 Chikhrin Expedition. The Russian Tzarina Catherine mobilized troops to Poland which was an Ottoman protectorate and enthroned Count Stanislas Poniatowsky. Efforts were made to solve the problem through diplomacy in vain. The war between the two states continued until the execution of Küçük Kaynarca Treaty in 1774. The inconclusive efforts of the sovereign for strengthening the state and solving the problems worried him and he fell ill. The signing of the said Treaty after him has become a major turning point in the stateís vitality. The treasury which was rich when he took it over at his enthronement, was delivered in a rich condition in spite of the war.

Sultan Mustafa was a medium height person with fair complexion, somewhat slanting eyes and a blond beard. He hated unfairness and tried to operate justice. He got an interest in astrology and learned the subject well.