13. Suleiman the Magnificent, in seeking to avoid a succession crisis, murdered two of his three living sons to ensure a clear path for the survivor to his crown
Suleiman I, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Ruling from 1520 until his death in 1566, Suleiman presided over the climax of Ottoman military, political, and economic might. Personally leading his armies in the conquest of Hungary, before being finally rebuffed in the Siege of Vienna in 1529, Suleiman’s reign saw the annexation of large portions of the Middle East. The years of Suleiman’s rule also experienced a cultural golden age, with architectural and artistic wonders representing the greatest works of the Islamic world abundant during this period.
Seeking to avoid the classic Ottoman succession crisis following his own death, whereupon all remaining sons would divide into factions and wage civil war, Suleiman sought to prepare a clear path to the throne for his chosen heir. In 1553, upon the orders of the Sultan, his eldest son, Mustafa, was strangled to death with a bowstring. Following up on this filicide, in 1661 Suleiman ordered the death of another son, Bayezid, along with his four sons. In so doing, Suleiman was left with just one living son, Selim, who successfully succeeded his father as Sultan and ended the anarchic practice of enthronement that had plagued the nation.