The Ottoman "Man for All Seasons" Akşemseddin, Visionary & Mystic of Sultan Mehmed II, EXTRA 08

[00:00:36] Welcome to Empires Podcast The Ottomans. I am Frank your host. I urge you to check out the show's website at www.ottomanempirespodcast.com and you can shoot me an email in the show notes.

[00:00:51] Oh boy, what a year we've got ahead of us. We still need to get Sultan Mehmed II up and over the Theodosian walls of Constantinople.

[00:01:02] And then we're going to do a good purging of the Ottoman Old Guard. A new world is dawning for Europe in the Middle East. What history would go on to call the Ottoman centuries? I am really excited.

[00:01:17] Before all of that, a few housekeeping items though. First I know it's been months but I am a family man and this is a side project. Sometimes the commitment of family eat into my time working on this podcast.

[00:01:32] With all that being said, here's what to watch out for coming up. I will be dallying back episodes to about two a month as opposed to the one episode a week I was doing before.

[00:01:46] This will enable me to dive a bit deeper into the source material. As we roll on Ottoman history, it is increasingly becoming ever more complex and multifaceted.

[00:01:58] And has taken me longer to tease out a common narrative like I have been. You can expect an extra episode like this one and yes, I plan on finishing our Dracula special episodes as well.

[00:02:12] If you would like to support the podcast, I am putting a link in the show notes that goes straight to my Amazon wish list. On this list you will find books on the Ottoman Empire.

[00:02:24] This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of every single book I would love to get but it's going to be a good starting point.

[00:02:32] And if you're feeling generous and you want to make a purchase, please shoot me an email after you've purchased a book and I'll be happy to give you credit in future episodes.

[00:02:44] Also, I will be putting a link on Patreon but please don't feel obliged to join just yet. I'm working on the logistics of offering good premium content on that platform.

[00:02:57] And of course, if you don't want to support me through the wish list or a Patreon, if you could, leave me a 5 star review and sharing the podcast with your favorite friend.

[00:03:09] Well, that's the best way to help out at the end of the day.

[00:03:13] I'd like to give a show shout out to listener John Demolayek.

[00:03:19] John was gracious and he helped me with some of the Turkish word pronunciations.

[00:03:24] So John, I thank you sir.

[00:03:27] And now let's get on with it.

[00:03:29] The Ottoman, a man for all seasons.

[00:03:45] Aksham Seden, visionary and mystic of Sultan Mehmed II, Extra Episode 8.

[00:03:55] For those of you picking up in episode 25, Parts 1 through 3, in which we are detailing the conquest of Constantinople, you will have no doubt of heard the name Aksham Seden.

[00:04:08] In episode 25 part 3, I mentioned how Aksham Seden was instrumental in instilling within the young Sultan Mehmed II a sense of mystic and religious purpose to his campaign against the Byzantines.

[00:04:23] He would also pop up for a few seconds, way back in episode 22, in which I covered Sultan Muran's campaign and what history would call the second battle of Kosovo.

[00:04:35] But just who was Aksham Seden?

[00:04:39] Well, he was born in Damascus in 1389 and was of Arab descent.

[00:04:45] He is known today as a Sunni scholar, poet and mystic saint of sorts.

[00:04:50] During his day he was tutored to the young Mehmed II.

[00:04:54] He traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and parts of Europe and Persia.

[00:04:59] He was highly educated in what we'd consider the classics, languages such as Persian, Greek, Arab, Turkish and even some Latin.

[00:05:09] And if you're a physician listening to this podcast, he advanced germ theory two centuries before it was invented.

[00:05:18] The whole germ theory thing isn't just some history or nationalistic urban legend either.

[00:05:25] In a direct quote, as well as a direct quote from Arabic Persian as you can get, he said in his book, the material of life,

[00:05:35] quote, it is incorrect to assume that diseases appear one by one in humans, disease in fact by spreading from one person to another.

[00:05:45] This infection occurs through seeds that are so small they cannot be seen but are alive, end quote.

[00:05:52] Wow, I didn't know that.

[00:05:54] It was this basic mastery of medical sciences which earns him his most well-known contemporaneous reputation, that of healer.

[00:06:03] At a time when microbes were unknown, sanitation lacking, it's easy to see how an individual didn't need to nail down the science behind it all,

[00:06:13] 100% if he was going to set himself apart from the crowd.

[00:06:19] He was summoned to the court of Murad II to treat top officials and the sultan's family members.

[00:06:26] After the Second Battle of Kosovo, Akshom Seden treated the wounded and never left the Ottoman court.

[00:06:34] In addition to treating top Ottoman families and officials, Akshom Seden's advanced knowledge of philosophy, math, religion, and languages

[00:06:44] drew him close to a certain young headstrong youth named Mehmed, our aforementioned future sultan.

[00:06:52] Mehmed, which I've covered in previous episodes, was a rebellious teenager when he was a young adult.

[00:07:00] In the early years, the only teacher who seemed capable of putting up with the crazy lad was Akshom Seden.

[00:07:08] It is said that he never directly confronted or berated Mehmed.

[00:07:13] Instead, he'd back off when the youth was in a fighting mood and reappeared to help patch up and repair

[00:07:20] whatever damages were done by Mehmed's often violent mood swings and rage.

[00:07:27] Over time, Mehmed grew to trust this older wise adult, who seemed to want absolutely nothing from him, yet was chock full of wisdom.

[00:07:38] Well, it wasn't just wisdom, it was above all stories.

[00:07:50] During Mehmed's virtual lockdown when he was governor of Monsia, Akshom Seden was there in his corner.

[00:07:57] Not only did the wise sage advise the young ruler in the finer arts of rulership and administration,

[00:08:05] but by night around the campfire, he'd regale Mehmed what tells of Islamic mystic visionaries

[00:08:12] of the future great Muslim leader who would lead the navies and armies of Islam up against the mightiest Christian stronghold in the world,

[00:08:21] Constantinople. The red apple of the west would fall to the conqueror's eager fingers,

[00:08:28] but only if Mehmed started to get his head straight and began playing his cards right.

[00:08:35] All through these lonely and uncertain times, from when Mehmed was forced by his father to step down as Sultan,

[00:08:43] which you can learn about in episode 22, to when he made the fateful and wise decision to support his father at the Second Battle of Kosovo,

[00:08:53] Mehmed listened to the advice from Akshom Seden.

[00:08:57] It were as though the old sage had a crystal ball and could tell the future. It must have seemed from the vantage point of Mehmed.

[00:09:07] Eventually, in episode 25 parts 1 through 3, we see Moral falling a little bit in the Sultan's camp,

[00:09:15] but it was Akshom Seden in the background working the morale of the soldiers at night

[00:09:21] and by day he would remind Mehmed that he had God's favor and he was not the falter in his mission.

[00:09:30] There is much more one could say about their ever great Akshom Seden, however I want to get back into the main script

[00:09:47] and bring our Mehmed over the walls sooner rather than later.

[00:09:53] In closing, I'd like to read out the latest Apple Podcast review. This one is a 3 star review left by TJ Whealy.

[00:10:02] I'd like to point out up front that I plan on reading all of my reviews left to me by my listeners, both the good and the bad.

[00:10:11] And while TJ's review isn't bad so to say, I'd like to read his words and then add a few thoughts.

[00:10:19] TJ, if you're listening thank you and I appreciate your review and this isn't me offering any excuses on my part.

[00:10:27] Every view from TJ quote, great history but host is so laid back.

[00:10:34] This is one of the most interesting podcasts I've come across, especially as this amount of detail just isn't taught in school.

[00:10:41] But the host's voice is so pleasant and soothing, it's so easy to fall asleep to.

[00:10:47] But I want the information, history and podcast form should be interesting.

[00:10:54] First as I said TJ thank you. As for my voice, well what can I say?

[00:10:59] I was born and raised in South Carolina which is in the deep American south.

[00:11:04] Layed back is for better or worse in my DNA at this point and there's no changing it.

[00:11:10] Although I have been told that I would make a great villain in some fiction podcast.

[00:11:16] So TJ, thanks for listening. You guys can expect part 4 of the conquest of Constantinople to drop the second week of June.

[00:11:25] And thereafter we'll be back on our new schedule. Thank you.