Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Süleyman dies while on a military campaign in Hungary; his son Selim II assumes the throne and becomes known as ‘The Sot’ for obvious reasons. 1574 Selim II drowns after falling into his bath while drunk and is succeeded by his son Murat III, who orders the murder of his five younger brothers to ensure his succession. 1729 A huge fire sweeps through the city, destroying 400 houses and 140 mosques, and causing 1000 deaths. 1826 The Vakayı Hayriye, or ‘Auspicious Event’, is decreed, under which the corrupt and powerful imperial bodyguard known as the Janissary Corps is abolished. 1839 Mahmut II implements the Tanzimat reforms, which integrate non-Muslims and non-Turks into Ottoman society through civil liberties and regulations. 1853–56 The Ottoman empire fights in the Crimean War against Russia; Florence Nightingale arrives at the Selimiye Army Barracks near Üsküdar to nurse the wounded. 1914 The government allies itself with the Central Powers and joins WWI; the Bosphorus and Dardenelles are closed to shipping, leading to the Allies’ decision to attack Gallipoli. 1915 Many prominent members of the city’s 164,000-strong Armenian population have their property confiscated and are deported from the city. 1922