2020-11-03 Tue

Osman II commonly known in Turkey as Genc Osman (meaning "Osman the Young"), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. He came to the throne as an active and intelligent boy of 14 and who during his short rule (1618–22) understood the need for reform within the empire.

Born on 3rd November in the year 1604, Osman II has mastered many languages including Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Italian. According to foreign observers, he was one of the most cultured of Ottoman princes.

Ambitious and courageous, Osman undertook a military campaign against Poland, which had interfered in the Ottoman vassal principalities of Moldavia and Walachia. Seeking a counterweight to Janissary influence, Osman II closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and started planning to create a new and more loyal army consisting of Anatolian seek bans.

The Janissaries revolted, deposed Osman on May 19, 1622, and strangled him the next day. Depicted here is a gold Sultani issued from Jaza’ir (Cezayir) mint in AH1027. The obverse of a coin depicts “Sultan Usman Bin Ahmad Khan Az Nasrah Zarb Jazair”. The reverse legend reads “Darib al-nadr wa sahib al-'izz al-Nasr fi'l birr wa'l-bahr”.