Shahzade Mustafa was the eldest son of the sovereign and it was he who had more chances to sit on the throne after the death of the padishah.
But Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska - the Sultan had their own plans in this regard. She understood that if the reins of government fell into the hands of Mustafa, then her sons would face a tragic fate. And like any mother, she tried to prevent this.
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska - the sultan for a long time incited the sovereign against Shahzade Mustafa and tried in every possible way to denigrate him. In this matter, she had a wonderful ally - Rustem - Pasha, who supported his mistress in everything.
Rustem Pasha, knowing that the people of Amasya extol Shahzadeh and see him as a future ruler, decided to send an inquiry to the Sanjak to find out whether the people were pleased with the Shahzadeh.
Rustem's calculation was accurate. A lot of letters came from Amasya from the elite and nobility, in which there was an obvious praise of Shahzade.
In many letters, Shahzad Mustafa was spoken of as the future sultan.
Here is some of them...
We think we are lucky. Because our future sultan Shahzade Mustafa rules us. When he leaves us forever, having moved to the capital, we will be very saddened.
***
Shahzade is the future of our great state. He is as brave and fair as his late grandfather Sultan Selim - a ham. He is like him to everyone.
The sovereign, having read these letters, was very upset, but most of all hurt that Mustafa was compared to his father Sultan Selim Khan. After all, he, his grandfather Sultan Bayazed, once overthrew the throne.
Of course, a person cannot be blamed for the epithets with which others have characterized him.
But the sovereign believes that people themselves assign such epithets to themselves, and if Mustafa did not evaluate himself so, no one would dare to award him with such epithets. And to sit on the throne should not be the one who is older, but the one who will bring more benefit to the state.
After a little thought, the sovereign gave the order to make a magnificent caftan for Shahzade Mustafa.
When Suleiman was still shahzadeh, he received a rich caftan, however, at the last moment Valide realized that the caftan was poisoned and did not allow Suleiman to wear it.
Of course, the sultan was not going to poison his own son, but simply decided to reason with him, and together with the caftan he sent a letter with the following content:
My son! The news reached me that the beys and ages call you "The Future Sultan". I don’t want to think that this is how you evaluate yourself. For you are experienced enough to understand what consequences this can entail.
Be careful how your subjects address you. There must be boundaries of love and respect. Otherwise, if it goes beyond the boundaries, then such empty words instill unnecessary courage in a person.
Never forget that I trust you and that you hold a special place in my heart. Remember these words firmly and do not deviate from the right path. For only such a path can truly elevate you.
