Selim I.

Born in Amasa, Selim dethroned his father Baezid II. (1481–1512) in 1512. Bayezid’s death followed immediately thereafter.Selim put his brothers  and nephews to death upon his accession in order to eliminate potential pretenders to the throne.This fratricidal policy was motivated by bouts of civil strife that had been sparked by the antagonism between Selim’s father Beyazid and his uncle Cem Sultan, and between Selim himself and his brother Ahmet. His biological mother was the ŐPontic Greek lady gül-Bahar Katün, who had never acquired the title of Valide Khatun since she had died before Selim’s accession to the Ottoman throne. According to another theory, Selim was the biological son of Ayse Khatun I. who died at Trebizond on 1505 and was the daughter of Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey, the eleventh ruler of the Dulkadirids centered around Elbistan in Kahramanmaras.

Selim I was described as being tall, having very broad shoulders and a long mustache. He was skilled in politics and was said to be fond of fighting. In 1494, at Trabzon, he married Ayse Hafsa Sultan.

By:Greta Palinkas