Şehzade Mehmed

Born in September 1522 to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan, Mehmed entered a court where lineage determined everything. He was appointed governor of Manisa, the traditional proving ground for heirs to the throne. On November 7, 1543, he died suddenly at twenty-one. The loss altered the dynasty's future: younger brothers now stood in line, and the circumstances of his death became a shadow over the palace for generations.