Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Islam Arastirmalari Dergisi, sa.55, ss.245-266, 2026 (Scopus, TRDizin)
The rebellion of Şehzade Bayezid (d. 1562) constituted a major succession crisis in the later years of Sultan Süleyman’s reign (1520-1566). The immediate cause of the conflict was the rivalry between Bayezid and his brother Selim over succession to the throne. Convinced that Selim had secured their father’s favor, Bayezid began to challenge imperial directives and gradually gathered a substantial military following. Although Sultan Süleyman initially pursued a strategy of extended correspondence and cautious engagement, these efforts ultimately failed to prevent the prince from initiating armed confrontation. In the battle of 1559, Bayezid’s forces were defeated by Selim’s army, backed by the Sultan, prompting him to seek refuge in the Safavid dynasty. His eventual extradition and execution concluded the political crisis. This study analyzes a body of fatwas issued during the height of Bayezid’s activities, which illuminate the often-overlooked legal dimensions of the rebellion. These fatwas, some providing detailed rulings and others endorsing earlier opinions, uniformly situate Bayezid’s actions within the Islamic legal concept of baghy (rebellion), thereby demonstrating a remarkable juristic consensus across the empire. The study examines the nuances of this juridical discourse and how Ottoman scholars, most notably Ebussuud Efendi, navigated the doctrinal stipulations to construct a coherent and complementary framework to address Bayezid’s rebellion.