Sultan Mustafa III - Father of 580 Children?!

I am Mustafa III Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774.
I was born in 1717 as the son of Sultan Ahmed III and Mihrişah Kadın.
My father was a cultured and enlightened sultan and he gave me a good education.
I was taught the arts and sciences as well as the principles of Islamic law and government. When I was a child my father was deposed in a coup and I was imprisoned in the Topkapi Palace.
I spent the next twenty-seven years in confinement but I never lost hope of becoming sultan. During my time in prison I read extensively and studied the history of the Ottoman Empire.
I also learned about the latest military and technological developments in Europe.
I knew that the Ottoman Empire was in decline and I was determined to reform it if I ever became sultan. In 1757 my uncle Sultan Osman III died and I was released from prison.
I became sultan at the age of forty. As sultan I immediately began to implement reforms.
I modernized the army and the navy and I established new schools to train soldiers and government officials.
I also promoted trade and commerce and I tried to improve the lives of my people. However my reforms were not met with universal support.
The conservative elements of Ottoman society resisted change and I faced opposition from some of my own ministers. In 1768 the Russian Empire invaded the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman army was defeated and the Russians captured Crimea.
I was devastated by the defeat and I knew that it was a major setback for my reform efforts. I died in 1774 shortly after the end of the Russo-Turkish War.
I was succeeded by my brother Abdul Hamid I. I know that my reign was not a successful one.
I was unable to achieve all of my reform goals and the Ottoman Empire continued to decline.
However I did my best to serve my people and to strengthen the empire.
I hope that I will be remembered as a sultan who tried to make a difference. Additional details about Mustafa IIIs life events: In 1720 Mustafa III was circumcised along with his brothers Şehzade Süleyman Mehmed and Bayezid. In 1730 after the Patrona Halil revolt led to the deposition of his father Sultan Ahmed III and the succession of his cousin Sultan Mahmud I Mustafa his father and brothers were all locked up in the Topkapi Palace. In 1756 after the death of his elder half-brother Mehmed he became heir to the throne. Mustafa III ascended the throne on 30 October 1757 after the death of his cousin Osman III the son of Sultan Mustafa II. Soon after his accession to the throne Mustafa demonstrated a special care for justice.
He appointed honest and capable judges and he ordered them to enforce the law impartially.
He also issued a number of decrees aimed at protecting the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Mustafa III was a devout Muslim and he was a strong supporter of the Islamic faith.
He built new mosques and madrasas and he encouraged the study of Islamic law and theology.
He also promoted the spread of Islam among non-Muslims. Mustafa III was a patron of the arts and sciences.
He founded a number of schools and libraries and he invited scholars and artists from all over the world to come to Istanbul.
He also supported the production of books manuscripts and works of art. Mustafa III was a skilled diplomat and he was able to maintain good relations with most of the European powers.
However his relations with Russia were strained and the two empires eventually went to war in 1768. The Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74 was a disaster for the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman army was defeated on several occasions and the Russians captured large territories in Crimea and the Caucasus.
Mustafa III was devastated by the defeat and he died in 1774 shortly after the end of the war.

Источник: rutube.ru