Sultani - Mehmed III

Mehmed III ascended in 1595 following the death of Murad III, and his accession was marked by the execution of nineteen brothers — the largest recorded instance of the Ottoman fratricide practice codified under Mehmed II's law of succession. The sultani issued in his accession year circulated against a backdrop of simultaneous war on two fronts: the Long Turkish War against the Habsburgs to the northwest and ongoing conflict with Safavid Persia to the east.

Mehmed III remains the last Ottoman sultan to personally command his army in the field, leading at the Battle of Keresztes in 1596.