# The Ottoman Interregnum: When the Sultanate Collapsed

An episode of [The Story of Turkey: From Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire to Today — Fexingo History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1895450461), 25 Jul 2026, 5:12.

Audio: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-turkey/episode-0180.mp3

After Sultan Bayezid I's crushing defeat by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402, the Ottoman Empire plunged into a brutal eleven-year civil war among his sons: İsa, Süleyman, Musa, and Mehmed. This episode unpacks the bloody struggle for the throne, from the Thracian plains to the hills of Anatolia, featuring betrayals, shifting alliances, and the ultimate triumph of Mehmed Çelebi, who would reunite the empire as Mehmed I. We explore how this interregnum nearly destroyed the Ottoman state and how it emerged stronger, setting the stage for the conquests of Murat II and the eventual fall of Constantinople. #OttomanInterregnum #BayezidI #BattleOfAnkara #Timur #MehmedI #MusaCelebi #SuleymanCelebi #IsaCelebi #OttomanCivilWar #1402 #Ankara #Edirne #Bursa #Karamania #Byzantium #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

## Transcript

Lucas: We've talked a lot about the rise of the Ottoman Empire, but there was a moment early on when it almost completely fell apart. I'm thinking of the Ottoman Interregnum — the civil war that erupted after Bayezid I's devastating defeat at the Battle of Ankara in 1402.
Luna: That's the one where Timur captured Bayezid, right?
Lucas: Exactly. Bayezid the Thunderbolt had built an empire from the Danube to the Euphrates, but Timur shattered it in a single day. Bayezid died in captivity, and his four surviving sons — İsa, Süleyman, Musa, and Mehmed — immediately started fighting over what was left.
Lucas: Each of them controlled a different region. Süleyman set himself up in Edirne, ruling the Balkans. İsa took Bursa, the old capital in Anatolia. Mehmed held the central Anatolian territories around Amasya. And Musa was a wildcard — he'd been captured by Timur but later released.
Luna: So it was basically a free-for-all.
Lucas: Exactly. The first phase was between İsa and Mehmed. İsa had the initial advantage because he controlled Bursa and was recognized by the viziers who fled Ankara. But Mehmed was more capable, and by 1403 he defeated İsa and took Bursa.
Lucas: Meanwhile, Süleyman in Edirne was the most powerful. He controlled the Balkans, had the Janissaries on his side, and even allied with the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos — a strange alliance, considering the Ottomans had been besieging Constantinople just a few years earlier.
Luna: What did the Byzantines get out of it?
Lucas: Manuel played the princes against each other. He supported Süleyman in exchange for keeping Constantinople safe and even regaining some territory in Thrace. But Süleyman was arrogant and unpopular; he taxed heavily and alienated his own beys.
Lucas: In 1410, Musa entered the fray. He crossed from Anatolia into the Balkans with support from the Beylik of Karaman — a rival Turkish state. Musa turned out to be a brilliant commander. He defeated Süleyman's forces at the Battle of Kosmidion near Constantinople in 1410.
Luna: Wait, so Musa killed Süleyman?
Lucas: Süleyman fled but was captured and executed by villagers — or maybe by Musa's men. Either way, by 1411, Musa controlled most of the Balkans and declared himself sultan in Edirne. But he made a crucial mistake: he alienated the Byzantine emperor by besieging Constantinople again.
Lucas: Manuel then switched sides and supported Mehmed. Mehmed and Musa spent a couple of years maneuvering, and finally in 1413, Mehmed crossed into the Balkans with a huge army. They met at the Battle of Çamurlu, near the Bulgarian border.
Luna: And that decided everything?
Lucas: It did. Musa was killed in battle — sources say he fell off his horse and was beheaded. Mehmed Çelebi became the sole sultan, taking the name Mehmed I. But the empire he inherited was shattered. It took him nearly ten years to rebuild — reasserting control over the beyliks, restoring the treasury, and repairing the army.
Lucas: You know, this period is a good moment to talk about something else. This show exists because listeners like you support it. It's ad-free and independent, and we keep it going because some folks chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's not a big thing — just a way for the few who can to help cover production costs.
Luna: Yeah, and it really makes a difference. We're grateful to everyone who does.
Lucas: Anyway, back to Mehmed. He died in 1421 after a stroke, but his son Murat II would take the throne and resume expansion. The Interregnum taught the Ottomans a harsh lesson: without a secure succession, everything could crumble.
Luna: So did they fix the succession problem?
Lucas: Not really — later sultans like Mehmed the Conqueror would introduce fratricide, killing brothers to avoid civil wars. But that's another story. The Interregnum remains a crucial turning point: the moment when the Ottoman Empire nearly died before it truly became an empire.
Lucas: Mehmed I is often called the 'second founder' because of the way he pulled the pieces back together. And without him, there might never have been a Mehmed the Conqueror or a Suleiman the Magnificent.
Luna: It's amazing how much hinged on one generation.
Lucas: Absolutely. The interregnum also reshaped the balance of power in the region. The Byzantines got a brief breather, but the Ottomans came back stronger. By the time Murat II took over, they were ready to resume their advance into Europe.
Lucas: So next time we'll look at that resurgence, especially the long reign of Murat II and his campaigns in the Balkans. But for now, I think this shows how fragile empire-building can be.

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