Selim I expanded the Ottoman Empire by seventy percent during his eight-year reign, fundamentally shifting the state's center of gravity toward the Middle East. Ascending to the throne in 1512 after a series of power struggles, he transformed the sultanate into a pre-eminent global power by conquering the Mamluk Sultanate and assuming the mantle of the caliphate.
Early Military Commands
Born in Amasya in 1470, Selim spent his early adulthood serving as a governor in Trabzon. His military reputation grew through a series of engagements against the Safavid Empire. In 1505, he repelled an invasion force led by Ebrahim Mirza with only 450 men. He later secured further victories at Erzincan in 1507 and 1510, and successfully invaded parts of Georgia in 1508.
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Fearing his father, Bayezid II, favored his brother Ahmet as successor, Selim initiated internal rebellions. After an initial defeat at the Battle of Tekirdag in 1511, he successfully dethroned his father in 1512 with Janissary support. Upon securing the throne, he defeated Ahmet at the Battle of Yenişehir in 1513. To prevent further civil strife, he subsequently executed his brothers and nephews, a policy intended to eliminate rival claims to the sultanate.
Imperial Expansion
Between 1516 and 1517, Selim orchestrated a comprehensive conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate. This campaign brought the Levant, Hejaz, and Egypt under Ottoman control. By securing the pilgrimage routes to Mecca and Medina, he solidified his authority over the Islamic heartlands. By the time of his death at Çorlu in 1520, the empire covered approximately 3.4 million square kilometres.
Fast facts
- Born: 1470, Amasya
- Died: 1520, Çorlu
- Reign as Sultan: 1512-1520
- Reign as Caliph: 1517-1520
- Known languages: Persian, Arabic, Tatar, medieval Greek, Ottoman Turkish
- Burial site: Tomb of Selim I
Questions readers ask
How did Selim I change the Ottoman Empire?
He expanded the empire's territory by 70 percent and shifted its cultural and political center from the Balkans to the Middle East.
Was Selim I the first Ottoman Caliph?
He is popularly remembered as the first legitimate Ottoman Caliph, although claims of an official transfer of the office from the Abbasid dynasty were later inventions.
Achievements
- sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1512–1520)
- caliph (1517–1520)
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