In the Ottoman Empire, which ruled all over the world for hundreds of years, the princes received rigorous training before ascending the throne and gained experience by ascending to the starboard with the prince’s trainer, Lala. So it was for a while. With the arrival of the cage system, what happened and history rewrote how important it is to gain experience with education.
When we look at the monarchy systems in the western states, we see that the kings who are on the throne are not always very competent, which brings many problems together. When we look at the Turkish states in history, we see that the sons of the rulers received education and gained experience. The Ottoman Empire also trained the princes by keeping this tradition alive. and sent them to the sanjaks, enabling them to gain experience.
Unfortunately, the period when the princes were educated and gained experience came to an end and the cage method was introduced. Whatever happened then happened. The princes who could not gain experience by going to the starboard with the prince’s trainer lala When they came to the throne, they turned into fish out of water and when we look at the historical process, they brought the end of the Ottoman Empire. Let’s take a closer look at the historical journey of prince education in the Ottoman Empire.
The education of the Ottoman prince started in swaddling:
The son of an Ottoman sultan, regardless of whom he was born, was called a shahzade and this birth was celebrated in all the borders of the empire. A foster mother is found for the born prince and one of the most intelligent and experienced concubines of the harem was chosen as a nanny. When the baby was weaned at the age of one, the prince’s trainer was appointed lala. This lala would be responsible for her everything.
The first years of a prince would pass by receiving basic education from his mother, nanny and lala. In this process, he was taught more about palace life, customs and traditions. As a result of the circumcision ceremonies held in his name, the people who treated him with respect, and the traditions, even in his infancy, a prince would slowly begin to take on the air of a sultan.
Everything a state administrator should know was taught:
If you think that princes are only trained in boring state duties and fighting, you are wrong. To a prince who is 5 – 6 years old enderunda by many teachers A detailed education was given in mathematics, science, history, literature, astronomy, Arabic, western languages, Quran, fiqh and hadiths.
Of course, war training in accordance with Turkish traditions such as horse riding, using swords and shooting arrows was also given in this period. In this process, some devshirme children were also educated with him. and then these people were given duties in important levels of the state. In order to consolidate this theoretical education, which started at a young age, with practice and gain experience, when he reached the age of adolescence, the prince’s trainer was sent to the starboard with Lala.
The prince who ascended to the sanjak would learn what it is to run a state:
The prince, who completed his theoretical education in the palace, lived in the Anatolian lands of Manisa, Amasya, Konya, Trabzon, Kütahya, Sinop, Sivas, Bursa, İzmit, Eskişehir, Balıkesir. He was appointed as a manager to one of the sancaks. Even though the prince was subordinate to the sultan, he had a kind of self-government.
The prince who went to the sanjak knew that he was not a sultan, but he made decisions like the sultan of that region. Everything that happened in the area was his responsibility. Since he was also the commander of the soldiers in the region, he would lead his own soldiers by joining the main army and joining the main army in times of war.
It is necessary to understand the banner issue well. Because the process in which the theoretical education is cooked and really useful, It is the period when the prince was the ruler in the sanjak. Here, the prince understood what it means to run a state, its difficulties and responsibilities in the best way. When the time came and he ascended to the throne, he would be able to rule the empire thanks to this experience.
The sanjak system was abolished, the sultanate was broken:
The sanjak system was an important legacy from the Turkish state tradition and left to the Ottomans. Unfortunately, this legacy was abolished in the 17th century. III. Murad, the last sultan to send his son to the sanjak, III. Mehmed is also the last name to become a sultan after ascending to the starboard. III. Mehmed’s son became Ahmed I.
In the Fatih Code, which was issued by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, it was stated that fratricide is obligatory for the survival of the state. For this reason, there was no end to the throne fights in an environment where everyone had a chance to ascend to the throne. With the akbar and ershed system introduced by Ahmed I The method of ascending the throne of the eldest prince prevented the fights for the throne and eliminated the fratricide.
Of course, the princes should not be killed, they can also eat candy, but when the greatest prince was guaranteed to ascend to the throne I mean, why should anyone improve themselves when there is no competition? On top of that, when the sanjak system was abolished by Ahmed I, what happened and the princes who did not know the world became sultans.
The cage system brought the end of the great empire:
The princes continued to receive rigorous education until they reached adolescence, just like in the old system. Princes who came to this age because the sanjak system was abolished They began to be locked in a room called a boxwood. Education continued in these rooms, but the prince could not leave; He hardly saw anyone except a few teachers, his concubines and his mother.
Of course, what happened, most of the princes went crazy. Because They lived in constant fear of being killed. Those who did not go crazy, as they did not even know how to establish human relations, let alone have any state experience, became able to do whatever they were told when they ascended the throne. Of course, let’s not be fair, there are those who came out of the cage and achieved great things, but unfortunately most of them became mediocre managers.
For many years, the princes did not even participate in the feast ceremonies:
This man is a prince, so when his turn comes, he will sit on the throne of the Ottoman Empire. But his treatment was inhumane. So much so that until the 19th century, the princes left the state ceremonies. They could not even attend the festive ceremonies. Fortunately, Abdülmecid was merciful and took a decision in 1839, allowing the princes to attend such ceremonies.
In the same period, the cage system was softened a little and the education system of the princes was rearranged. By 1909, that perverted cage system was abolished. and the princes were treated humanely. In 1922, the education system of the princes was reorganized with the Dynasty Sultanate Decree, but it was too late. The Ottoman Empire was doomed to blend into the dusty pages of history.
Before the throne in the Ottoman Empire How did the princes receive education? By answering the question, we talked about the change that this education process has undergone over the years. One cannot help but wonder, what kind of a world would we live in today if the starboard system had never been abolished?