Life of Ottoman princes after changes in the Ottoman succession system in the late 17th century (Murad III-Mustafa II)

The set of beliefs and practices originating from the Turkish state tradition is an important factor determining the inheritance system of the Turkish states. The understanding of divine sovereignty, the consciousness of belonging to the lineage that holds power, and the understanding that "the country is the common property of the dynasty" caused by historical, geographical and administrative needs are effective elements in the Turkish states. This situation has rendered any attempt to determine the inheritance system in the Turkish states ineffective and has caused endless conflicts for the throne. The Ottoman Empire gradually found solutions to the problems arising from this gap in the succession system, brought about by being a centralist state. In this respect, it gradually broke away from the Central Asian state tradition and established one of the longest-lasting centralized empires in the world, which focused on the survival of the state. In order to gain experience in state administration, the princes served as sanjak administrators from the foundation to the 17th century. The princes who reached the age of 10-12 were sent to places designated as sanjaks. They gained scientific, intellectual and military experience. During this process, the mothers of the princes and their teachers called lala would also be with them. The system continued until the beginning of the 17th century, and these princes who gained experience in state administration came to power. Due to sibling quarrels and throne struggles, in the 17th century, instead of the practice of the princes ascending to the sanjak, the practice called the "Cage method" was adopted. In this study, the reasons for the changes in the inheritance system at the end of the 17th century and how this change was reflected in the state administration, the effects of the cage system implemented after the change in the inheritance system on the education and psychology of the princes, and its reflections on the state administration were investigated and explained. In our study, first the concept of inheritance, the understanding of inheritance in the Ottoman Empire, the institution of the harem and the institution of princes in the Ottoman Empire, the "Ekber and Erşed" practice that started with the reign of Ahmed I, and in the last section, the lives of the princes between the reigns of III. Murad and II. Mustafa were explained. I believe that my study will be useful for historical research.