Osman II
Osman II (November 3, 1604 – May 20, 1622) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his death.
Osman was the son of Ahmed I. He ascended the throne at the early age of 14 as the result of a coup d'état against his uncle Mustafa I. Despite his youth, Osman soon sought to assert himself as a ruler and personally led the Ottoman invasion of Poland. Heavily defeated at the Battle of Chotin by the Polish hetman Jan Chodikiewicz in 1619, Osman returned to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries for his humiliation.
Probably the first Sultan to identify and attempt to tackle the Janissaries as a praetorian institution doing more harm than good to the modern empire, Osman closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and drafted loyal troops into the capital. The result was a palace uprising under the leadership of Mustafa I's mother. Osman was taken prisoner and strangled with a bowstring.
Osman was certainly hotheaded, known to be vindictive and at times sadistic. However, as a ruler he was perceptive and energetic. In contrast to most of his successors he compares favourably. His worst fault as a politician was probably that he tried too much too soon.
The Osmanli Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1281 to 1923, beginning with Osman I (not counting his father, Ertuğrul), though the dynasty was not proclaimed until 1383 when Murad I declared himself sultan. Before that the tribe/dynasty might have been known as Söğüt but was renamed Osmanli in honour of Osman.
The sultan was the sole regent and government of the empire, at least officially. The sultan enjoyed many titles such as Sovereign of the House of Osman, Sultan of Sultans, Khan of Khans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe. Note that the first rulers never called themselves sultans, but rather beys. See the article on state organisation of the Ottoman Empire for further information on the sultan and the structure of power.
Hereditiary heads of the House of Osman since 1926:
When Mehmed II (the Conquerer) took over Constantinople on May 29, 1453, he committed a coup d'état by replacing the
Emperor of the Roman empire (a.k.a. the Eastern Roman Empire a.k.a. Byzantine Empire) with himself. He took the title Emperor (imparator)and protector of Orthodox Christianity.
He let himself be crowned Emperor by the Patriarch of Constantinople Gennadius Scholarius, whom he protected and whose stature he elevated into leader of all the Eastern Orthodox Christians.
So in addition to being Sultan of the Muslim citisens and Khan of the Turks, he was now also styled Emperor of the Romans.
As emperor of the Romans he laid claim to all the Roman territories and succesfully managed to put most of the Roman territories (except Rome and Italy) under his own control.
