Osman II

This replica from the 16th century exhibited in your room is of
one of the 87 talismanic shirts from the Collection of Sultan’s Clothing at
Topkapi Palace and it is considered to have belonged to Osman II according to
the prayers, motives and meanings of the talisman on the shirt and therefore
was adorned with one of his poems…

May
this talisman make your dreams come true, life long and paths
clear…

He was the 16th Sultan of
Ottoman Empire; son of Sultan Ahmed I and Mahrifuz Hatice Sultan. He was born
in 1604 in Istanbul. He was very-well educated in literature, history,
geography and mathematics; he learned both eastern and western languages like
Arabic, Persian, Latin, Greek and Italian. He was handsomely tall with a
bright face, very respectable sultan who was extremely talented horseback
rider and warrior… He was also kind mannered. He succeeded to the throne at
the brightest time of his youth.

It was a cold gloomy
winter day; it was dawn when the unfortunate news of the death of Sultan
Ahmed I roamed the country. The grief had not passed yet the future of the
empire had to come first. Therefore Mustafa I ascended to the throne. He was,
however, so sick to adequately reign the huge Ottoman Empire. Osman II
followed the steps to the throne after him and became the Sultan of Ottoman
Empire on February 26, 1618.

He had so many goals; an
idealist Sultan who wanted to rule like his grandfathers. He wished to span
the borders, double the power of the Empire… He wanted to pass across the
Atlantic Ocean… He planned for days, months to make it happen. However,
unfortunate variety of troubles would never leave him at peace during and after
the days of ascending to the throne…

He was very thoughtful
that day when he was wandering around the gardens of the palace. He was
thinking of consulting the most trusted reverends. After seeing the men of
religion, they agreed on tailoring a talismanic shirt for the Sultan. The
Head Augur was informed right away; a shirt was to be prepared. The prayers
on the shirt would bring him victory, protect him from the evil like a secret
shield under his clothes. The preparations had started but Osman II had to
leave for an expedition before the shirt could be completed. But the shirt
would be sent to him as soon as it was finally ready. The richly gold
coloured shirt of high quality handicraft was going to protect him from all
kinds of evil with the prayers embedded on it and the other colours was going
to strengthen the power of talisman. This shirt was going to clear the paths
Osman II walks and prolong his life. Troubles would never cross his
ways.

However the misfortune he encountered during the
expedition was extraordinary and eventually led him to failure. He,
unfortunately, died at a very young age even before he had a chance to touch
the shirt tailored for him only…