so i’m launching a more personal blog directly on my website: http://blog.alaili.com/
it’ll be more personal and professional, all the other subjects will be still be discussed on this blog though.
Month: March 2013
Cyprus Grim Future
The future of Cyprus is uncertain, and most probably would be filled with depression,
The island have been living way way above it’s standards for years, by joining the EU and the financial help that comes with it, and by being a haven for Russian oligarch money and being a money laundering center, the island have experienced growth and a high quality of living.
But the time for a reality check came, the banking system and the schemes collapsed and the naked truth was out in the open, Cyprus Production and services are negligible, the country GDP of $24 billion is mainly due to it’s banking/services sector.
With the latest crisis, and Money fleeing Cyprus, it would not be an exaggeration to predict the GDP sliced by half.
Cyprus plans to impose capital control that means you can not move your money out of Cyprus, Restricting capital transfers – movements of money or securities – to other countries but not payments out of Cyprus. But Cyprus currency is Euro … so will it be feasible? is Cyprus exiting the Euro as-well?
“What you’ve got is a monetary and banking system which is not supposed to impose capital controls. What they are doing is creating a sub-set of rules to create a new economic area, which is unprecedented,” said David Brown at New View Economics.
One could be to buy goods in another eurozone country, shifting funds out of the island to pay for them.
To counter it, the Cypriot government could introduce limits on such payments > that will impede business and slow turnover.
“The longer this lasts the more it will hurt the economy, the more likely it is that businesses run out of liquidity and have to default. Then we really get into trouble,” said Berenberg bank economist Christian Schulz.
So basically not only the skeleton of the Cypriot economy crumbled, but it seams the Cypriot politicians will put the mercy bullet in the head of Cyprus economy, killing the businesses and destabilizing the currency.
A message to my Atheist friends who attack believers!
Disclosure: I am not an atheist , i was in some periods of my life, but at this moment i am not.
Like other religions (ironically), you can easily find Atheist extremists or the Atheists that want to shove their believes down other people’s throats.
I have a simple message for these people:
Let people have dreams, and hope for happy endings,
the shear thought of oblivion makes every human realize that the sum of their existence is irrelevant,
my friend let believers believe and hope you one day would to,
not to right the failures of this life but to simply feel that you are more than a drop in a sea of forgotten memories!
Very cheap – Whiteboard animation, speed drawing, explainer video
So it’s the hottest thing in town, if you have a website the best way to explain to your visitors what it’s all about is to simply have an explainer video, or a whiteboard animation / speed drawing video.
why?
More engagement from your visitors, More reach for your website, and more credibility for you.
How much does it cost?
The market price is around 1500$ but luckily we are offering some basic packages for as low as 30$ and 60$. more professional packages are at 150$, 350$, 550$ and 1100$. It’s the best price on the market you can’t find cheaper, and quality wise our basic packages are even more professional than many of the competitors services.
How to order an explainer video? > just visit our site and find the animation video style you prefer: http://www.animationvids.com/
Here’s an example of explainer video:
Cyprus wants to steal Russian Money!
let’s call things as they are,
Earlier there was a proposal to take 6-10% of bank deposits in Cyprus, it was refused by the parliament,
then Cyprus went running to Russia to ask for help at the same time cutting communications with the EU representative and the IMF.
Russia didn’t want to get into this mess, so refused to help ….
As a result Cyprus went back to negotiating with the EU and IMF aiming to secure a bailout, but now Cyprus is considering a 25% levy on deposits of more than 100,000 euros.
in simple words most big money is Russian, and Cyprus don’t give a F* about it.
What a nice way for a country to behave, turning it’s back on the foreign investors!
what should have been done in my opinion is liquidating the scam banking system they have,
sell everything they have and nationalize these dishonest -gambling banks!
eventually make everyone pay, force the 6-9% levy that was decided before, after-all it’s Cyprus mess and Cypriots should pay for it not Russians!
2 Popes meeting Photos – Pope Francis & Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI together both in white robes
the 2 popes met today, both were wearing the white papal robe, so i took some pictures that were shown on CNN,
previous i reported about the photo that contained the 3 popes
but these photos are much more interesting because both popes are in white dress (1st time in history such a meeting occur).
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Francis 1 meeting
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Francis face to face
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Francis praying together
Giselle Arellano does she really speaks 5 languages?
Giselle Arellano a Mexican Politician pretends she speaks 5 languages, to prove that she said : in the 5 languages : “i speak ___”
but it was the way she said it in French and Arabic what caught my attention,
her Arabic phrase was wrong, her French phrase was very badly pronounced,
i understand that she might have some limited understanding of these languages, but it seams it is a very basic knowledge of Arabic and i think the same for French,
I understand and can talk a little bit of Spanish too, but it’s so little that i never consider it a language i can speak. When i say i can speak 4 languages, that means that i can manage to understand and communicate in 4 languages , it is not the case for my Spanish.
Well Mrs Arellano is no exception, politicians have been lying to populations for centuries, thank god for the internet, at least now we can debunk some lies from time to time.
anyway … good-luck
Cyprus banks mess! will Russia or the EU help?
The financial problem of Cyprus, this small island, is basically that it’s heavily exposed to Greece’s banks, in other words, the Cypriot banks bought Greek bonds.
When Greece banks were no longer able to pay and defaulted on their bonds (some say with EU blessing), this pushed Cyprus to bankruptcy!
Russians have $30-40 billion in Cyprus banks, but would that motivate Russia, to throw a couple more, for now the answer is no, but we’ll see.
the EU proposal to get 10% tax on deposits was rejected, and it even worsened the situation because it further destabilized unstable banks, now every sane person will try to take his cash from the bank.
Getting married ? know this : half marriages end in divorce
I was really chocked to discover these data, i wouldn’t have imagined it, I know marriage requires a lot of sacrifices, compromises, love and communication, and as a married guy i had my share of fights with my wife, but i would never have guessed that the percentage of failed marriages was that high!
Why is this happening ? no idea …
Getting married for a Belgium citizen should probably be banned, 71% of marriages end up in divorce!
So if you are getting married, before starting to prepare for your wedding, check the chances you have have .
here’s the Data and stats i found:
More data
| Population | |||||||||
| Marriage and divorce | |||||||||
| Table 1: Crude marriage rate, seleted years, 1960-2011 | |||||||||
| (per 1 000 inhabitants) | |||||||||
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | ||
| EU-27 | : | 7,9 | 6,8 | 6,3 | 5,2 | 4,5 | 4,4 | : | |
| Belgium | 7,1 | 7,6 | 6,7 | 6,5 | 4,4 | 4,0 | 3,9 | 4,1 | |
| Bulgaria | 8,8 | 8,6 | 7,9 | 6,9 | 4,3 | 3,4 | 3,2 | 2,9 | |
| Czech Republic | 7,7 | 9,2 | 7,6 | 8,8 | 5,4 | 4,6 | 4,4 | 4,3 | |
| Denmark | 7,8 | 7,4 | 5,2 | 6,1 | 7,2 | 6,0 | 5,6 | 4,9 | |
| Germany | 9,5 | 7,4 | 6,3 | 6,5 | 5,1 | 4,6 | 4,7 | 4,6 | |
| Estonia | 10,0 | 9,1 | 8,8 | 7,5 | 4,0 | 4,0 | 3,8 | 4,1 | |
| Ireland | 5,5 | 7,0 | 6,4 | 5,1 | 5,0 | 4,9 | 4,6 | 4,3 | |
| Greece | 7,0 | 7,7 | 6,5 | 5,8 | 4,5 | 5,2 | 5,0 | 4,9 | |
| Spain | 7,8 | 7,3 | 5,9 | 5,7 | 5,4 | 3,8 | 3,6 | 3,4 | |
| France (1) | 7,0 | 7,8 | 6,2 | 5,1 | 5,0 | 3,9 | 3,9 | 3,7 | |
| Italy | 7,7 | 7,3 | 5,7 | 5,6 | 5,0 | 3,8 | 3,6 | 3,4 | |
| Cyprus (2) | : | 8,6 | 7,7 | 9,7 | 13,4 | 7,9 | 7,3 | 7,3 | |
| Latvia | 11,0 | 10,2 | 9,8 | 8,9 | 3,9 | 4,4 | 4,1 | 5,2 | |
| Lithuania | 10,1 | 9,5 | 9,2 | 9,8 | 4,8 | 6,2 | 5,7 | 6,3 | |
| Luxembourg | 7,1 | 6,4 | 5,9 | 6,1 | 4,9 | 3,5 | 3,5 | 3,3 | |
| Hungary | 8,9 | 9,3 | 7,5 | 6,4 | 4,7 | 3,7 | 3,6 | 3,6 | |
| Malta | 6,0 | 7,9 | 8,8 | 7,1 | 6,7 | 5,7 | 6,2 | 6,2 | |
| Netherlands | 7,7 | 9,5 | 6,4 | 6,5 | 5,5 | 4,4 | 4,5 | 4,3 | |
| Austria | 8,3 | 7,1 | 6,2 | 5,9 | 4,9 | 4,2 | 4,5 | 4,3 | |
| Poland | 8,2 | 8,6 | 8,6 | 6,7 | 5,5 | 6,6 | 6,0 | 5,4 | |
| Portugal | 7,8 | 9,4 | 7,4 | 7,2 | 6,2 | 3,8 | 3,8 | 3,4 | |
| Romania | 10,7 | 7,2 | 8,2 | 8,3 | 6,1 | 6,3 | 5,4 | 4,9 | |
| Slovenia | 8,8 | 8,3 | 6,5 | 4,3 | 3,6 | 3,2 | 3,2 | 3,2 | |
| Slovakia | 7,9 | 7,9 | 7,9 | 7,6 | 4,8 | 4,9 | 4,7 | 4,7 | |
| Finland | 7,4 | 8,8 | 6,1 | 5,0 | 5,1 | 5,6 | 5,6 | 5,3 | |
| Sweden | 6,7 | 5,4 | 4,5 | 4,7 | 4,5 | 5,1 | 5,3 | 5,0 | |
| United Kingdom | 7,5 | 8,5 | 7,4 | 6,6 | 5,2 | 4,3 | 4,5 | : | |
| Iceland | 7,5 | 7,8 | 5,7 | 4,5 | 6,3 | 4,6 | 4,9 | 4,6 | |
| Liechtenstein | 5,7 | 5,9 | 7,1 | 5,6 | 7,2 | 4,3 | 5,0 | 4,5 | |
| Norway | 6,6 | 7,6 | 5,4 | 5,2 | 5,0 | 5,0 | 4,8 | 4,6 | |
| Switzerland | 7,8 | 7,6 | 5,7 | 6,9 | 5,5 | 5,4 | 5,5 | 5,3 | |
| Montenegro | : | : | : | : | : | 6,1 | 6,0 | : | |
| Croatia | 8,9 | 8,5 | 7,2 | 5,8 | 4,9 | 5,1 | 4,8 | 4,6 | |
| FYR of Macedonia | 8,6 | 9,0 | 8,5 | 8,3 | 7,0 | 7,3 | 6,9 | 7,2 | |
| Turkey | : | : | 8,2 | : | : | 8,2 | 8,0 | 8,0 | |
| (1) Excluding French overseas departments for 1960 to 1990. | |||||||||
| (2) Up to and including 2002, data refer to total marriages contracted in the country, including marriages between non-residents; from 2003 onwards, data refer to marriages in which at least one spouse was resident in the country | |||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
| Marriage and divorce | |||||||||
| Table 2: Crude divorce rate, selected years, 1960-2011 (1) | |||||||||
| (per 1 000 inhabitants) | |||||||||
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | ||
| EU-27 (2) | : | 1,0 | 1,5 | 1,6 | 1,8 | 1,9 | : | : | |
| Belgium | 0,5 | 0,7 | 1,5 | 2,0 | 2,6 | 3,0 | 2,7 | 2,9 | |
| Bulgaria | : | 1,2 | 1,5 | 1,3 | 1,3 | 1,5 | 1,5 | 1,4 | |
| Czech Republic | 1,4 | 2,2 | 2,6 | 3,1 | 2,9 | 2,8 | 2,9 | 2,7 | |
| Denmark | 1,5 | 1,9 | 2,7 | 2,7 | 2,7 | 2,7 | 2,6 | 2,6 | |
| Germany | 1,0 | 1,3 | 1,8 | 1,9 | 2,4 | 2,3 | 2,3 | 2,3 | |
| Estonia | 2,1 | 3,2 | 4,1 | 3,7 | 3,1 | 2,4 | 2,2 | 2,3 | |
| Ireland | – | – | – | – | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,7 | |
| Greece | 0,3 | 0,4 | 0,7 | 0,6 | 1,0 | 1,2 | : | : | |
| Spain | – | – | – | 0,6 | 0,9 | 2,1 | 2,2 | 2,2 | |
| France (3) | 0,7 | 0,8 | 1,5 | 1,9 | 1,9 | 2,0 | 2,1 | 2,0 | |
| Italy (2) | – | 0,3 | 0,2 | 0,5 | 0,7 | 0,9 | 0,9 | : | |
| Cyprus | : | 0,2 | 0,3 | 0,6 | 1,7 | 2,2 | 2,3 | 2,3 | |
| Latvia | 2,4 | 4,6 | 5,0 | 4,0 | 2,6 | 2,3 | 2,2 | 4,0 | |
| Lithuania | 0,9 | 2,2 | 3,2 | 3,4 | 3,1 | 2,8 | 3,0 | 3,4 | |
| Luxembourg | 0,5 | 0,6 | 1,6 | 2,0 | 2,4 | 2,1 | 2,1 | : | |
| Hungary | 1,7 | 2,2 | 2,6 | 2,4 | 2,3 | 2,4 | 2,4 | 2,3 | |
| Malta | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0,1 | |
| Netherlands | 0,5 | 0,8 | 1,8 | 1,9 | 2,2 | 1,9 | 2,0 | 2,0 | |
| Austria | 1,1 | 1,4 | 1,8 | 2,1 | 2,4 | 2,2 | 2,1 | 2,1 | |
| Poland | 0,5 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,7 | 1,6 | 1,7 | |
| Portugal | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,6 | 0,9 | 1,9 | 2,5 | 2,6 | 2,5 | |
| Romania | 2,0 | 0,4 | 1,5 | 1,4 | 1,4 | 1,5 | 1,5 | 1,7 | |
| Slovenia | 1,0 | 1,1 | 1,2 | 0,9 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,2 | 1,1 | |
| Slovakia | 0,6 | 0,8 | 1,3 | 1,7 | 1,7 | 2,3 | 2,2 | 2,1 | |
| Finland | 0,8 | 1,3 | 2,0 | 2,6 | 2,7 | 2,5 | 2,5 | 2,5 | |
| Sweden | 1,2 | 1,6 | 2,4 | 2,3 | 2,4 | 2,4 | 2,5 | 2,5 | |
| United Kingdom | : | 1,0 | 2,6 | 2,7 | 2,6 | 2,0 | 2,1 | : | |
| Iceland | 0,7 | 1,2 | 1,9 | 1,9 | 1,9 | 1,7 | 1,8 | 1,6 | |
| Liechtenstein | – | – | : | : | 3,9 | 2,7 | 2,4 | 2,5 | |
| Norway | 0,7 | 0,9 | 1,6 | 2,4 | 2,2 | 2,1 | 2,1 | 2,1 | |
| Switzerland | 0,9 | 1,0 | 1,7 | 2,0 | 1,5 | 2,5 | 2,8 | 2,2 | |
| Montenegro | : | : | : | : | : | 0,7 | 0,8 | : | |
| Croatia | 1,2 | 1,2 | 1,2 | 1,1 | 1,0 | 1,1 | 1,1 | 1,3 | |
| FYR of Macedonia | 0,7 | 0,3 | 0,5 | 0,4 | 0,7 | 0,6 | 0,8 | 0,9 | |
| Turkey | : | : | : | : | : | 1,6 | 1,6 | 1,6 | |
| (1) Divorce was not possible by law in Italy until 1970, in Spain until 1981, in Ireland until 1995 and in Malta until 2011. | |||||||||
| (2) 1971 instead of 1970. | |||||||||
| (3) Excluding French overseas departments for 1960 to 1990. | |||||||||
| Source: Eurostat (online data code: demo_ndivind) | |||||||||
last table:
| Population | ||||||||
| Marriage and divorce | ||||||||
| Table 3: Live births outside marriage, selected years, 1960-2011 | ||||||||
| (% share of total live births) | ||||||||
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| EU-27 (1) | : | : | : | 17,4 | 27,4 | 37,3 | 38,3 | : |
| Belgium | 2,1 | 2,8 | 4,1 | 11,6 | 28,0 | 45,5 | 46,2 | 49,2 |
| Bulgaria | 8,0 | 8,5 | 10,9 | 12,4 | 38,4 | 53,4 | 54,1 | 56,1 |
| Czech Republic | 4,9 | 5,4 | 5,6 | 8,6 | 21,8 | 38,8 | 40,3 | 41,8 |
| Denmark | 7,8 | 11,0 | 33,2 | 46,4 | 44,6 | 46,8 | 47,3 | 49,0 |
| Germany | 7,6 | 7,2 | 11,9 | 15,3 | 23,4 | 32,7 | 33,3 | 33,9 |
| Estonia | : | : | : | 27,2 | 54,5 | 59,2 | 59,1 | 59,7 |
| Ireland | 1,6 | 2,7 | 5,9 | 14,6 | 31,5 | 33,3 | 33,8 | 33,7 |
| Greece | 1,2 | 1,1 | 1,5 | 2,2 | 4,0 | 6,6 | 7,3 | 7,4 |
| Spain | 2,3 | 1,4 | 3,9 | 9,6 | 17,7 | 34,5 | 35,5 | 33,8 |
| France (2) | 6,1 | 6,8 | 11,4 | 30,1 | 43,6 | 53,7 | 55,0 | : |
| Italy | 2,4 | 2,2 | 4,3 | 6,5 | 9,7 | 19,8 | 21,5 | 26,3 |
| Cyprus | : | 0,2 | 0,6 | 0,7 | 2,3 | 11,7 | 15,2 | 16,9 |
| Latvia | 11,9 | 11,4 | 12,5 | 16,9 | 40,3 | 43,5 | 44,1 | 44,6 |
| Lithuania | : | 3,7 | 6,3 | 7,0 | 22,6 | 27,9 | 28,7 | 30,0 |
| Luxembourg | 3,2 | 4,0 | 6,0 | 12,8 | 21,9 | 32,1 | 34,0 | 34,1 |
| Hungary | 5,5 | 5,4 | 7,1 | 13,1 | 29,0 | 40,8 | 40,8 | 42,3 |
| Malta | 0,7 | 1,5 | 1,1 | 1,8 | 10,6 | 27,4 | 25,2 | 22,7 |
| Netherlands | 1,4 | 2,1 | 4,1 | 11,4 | 24,9 | 43,3 | 44,3 | 45,3 |
| Austria | 13,0 | 12,8 | 17,8 | 23,6 | 31,3 | 39,3 | 40,1 | 40,4 |
| Poland | : | 5,0 | 4,8 | 6,2 | 12,1 | 20,2 | 20,6 | 21,2 |
| Portugal | 9,5 | 7,3 | 9,2 | 14,7 | 22,2 | 38,1 | 41,3 | 42,8 |
| Romania | : | : | : | : | 25,5 | 28,0 | 27,7 | 30,0 |
| Slovenia | 9,1 | 8,5 | 13,1 | 24,5 | 37,1 | 53,6 | 55,7 | 56,8 |
| Slovakia | 4,7 | 6,2 | 5,7 | 7,6 | 18,3 | 31,6 | 33,0 | 34,0 |
| Finland | 4,0 | 5,8 | 13,1 | 25,2 | 39,2 | 40,9 | 41,1 | 40,9 |
| Sweden | 11,3 | 18,6 | 39,7 | 47,0 | 55,3 | 54,4 | 54,2 | 54,3 |
| United Kingdom | 5,2 | 8,0 | 11,5 | 27,9 | 39,5 | 46,3 | 46,9 | 47,3 |
| Iceland | 25,3 | 29,9 | 39,7 | 55,2 | 65,2 | 64,4 | 64,3 | 65,0 |
| Liechtenstein | 3,7 | 4,5 | 5,3 | 6,9 | 15,7 | 18,5 | 21,3 | 23,5 |
| Norway | 3,7 | 6,9 | 14,5 | 38,6 | 49,6 | 55,1 | 54,8 | 55,0 |
| Switzerland | 3,8 | 3,8 | 4,7 | 6,1 | 10,7 | 17,9 | 18,6 | 19,3 |
| Montenegro | : | : | : | : | : | 15,7 | : | : |
| Croatia | 7,4 | 5,4 | 5,1 | 7,0 | 9,0 | 12,9 | 13,3 | 14,0 |
| FYR of Macedonia | 5,1 | 6,2 | 6,1 | 7,1 | 9,8 | 12,2 | 12,2 | 11,6 |
| Turkey | : | : | : | : | : | : | 2,6 | : |
| (1) Excluding French overseas departments and Romania for 1990. | ||||||||
| (2) Excluding French overseas departments for 1960 to 1990. | ||||||||
| Source: Eurostat (online data code: demo_find) | ||||||||
0
the Woman behind the fall of the Othman Empire.
And they say women are the weaker kind :P, a single women can do what hundreds of men fail to, and it’s a fact known by most secret services, so instead of James Bond you should expect Jane Bond!
Historically i stumbled upon an interesting role played by a slave concubine that led to the demise of the Ottoman Empire.
In big corporations you will notice that the leadership is very important, companies will grow if they have good leadership, it seams that the Ottomans figured this out, the elder prince was always formed to become sultan, given responsibilities and tested to make sure he gives good results, each new sultan started his reign by expanding the Empire and proving himself.
Roxelana known as Hürrem Haseki Sultan was the daughter of a a Ruthenian Orthodox priest born in Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (today in western Ukraine), she was captures by Tatars, then sold to slave trade, to eventually land in the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent harem.
Roxelana actions are probably behind the fall and demise of the Ottoman empire, by conspiring with the vizir (who happens to be her son in law) and manipulating the sultan leading him to kill his son Mustapha who was prepared to become the next sultan, she did so to protect her own sons, and secure their place as Sulatns. But by doing so, Mustapha the well loved and trained and prepared prince that was prepared to succeed Suleiman was dead and her son Selim II a drunk became sultan, not only failing to be a ruler similar to any of the previous Sultans but also failing to prepare the successions.
When Selim 2 became sultan, the actual ruler was Mehmed Pasha; Selim 2 died after having a drunk accident, his son Murat III succeeded him but Mehmed Pasha remained the real ruler till his death in 1579. That’s why According to Turkish historians, Mehmet Pasha’s death in 1579 during the reign of Murat III marked the end of the Ottoman Empire growth era.
So how did this women bought as a slave succeed where huge armies failed?
1- She managed to get Suleiman’s favorite, Mahidevran together with her son, “Mustafa” to the provincial capital of Manisa.2- Manipulating Sultan Suleiman to marry her: She started by manipulating the Sultan to set her Free by planing the building of a royal mosque, pretending to become a devoted follower of Islam, she refused to go to the Sultan’s bed as she used to because that would be refused by Islam, so she succeeded to get the Sultan to marry her.
3- With her son in law she successfully manipulated Suleiman to kill Mustafa.
4- Her sons were not Sultan material, and obviously they were raised in the mother’s mentality, that can be visible clearly with her son Selim II who had a big love for alcohol (not an Ottoman mentality but rather a Slavic/Polish one).
With no doubt Roxelana had a big role in history, many historians do not realize that it was her descendents that led to stop the growth of the Ottoman Empire.
I personally think her story would make a great movie material.
I quote these details i found on another website concerning the relation between the Sultan and Roxalana:
The Story of Roxalana and Mustapha
Ferdinand’s attention was turned so entirely towards the affairs of Germany, and his treasures so much exhausted by his late efforts in Hungary, that he made no attempt to recover that valuable province, although a favorable opportunity for that purpose presented itself, as Solyman was then engaged in a war with Persia, and involved besides in domestic calamities which engrossed and disturbed his mind. Solyman, though distinguished by many accomplishments, from the other Ottoman princes, had all the passions peculiar to that violent and haughty race. He was jealous of his authority, sudden as well as furious in his anger, and susceptible of all that rage of love, which reigns in the East, and often produces the wildest and most tragical effects. His favorite mistress was a Circassian slave of exquisite beauty, who bore him a son called Mustapha, whom, both on account of his birthright and merit, he destined to be the heir of his crown. Roxalana, a Russian captive, soon supplanted the Circassian, and gained the sultan’s heart. Haying the address to retain the conquest which she had made, she kept possession of his love without any rival for many years, during which she brought him several sons and one daughter. All the happiness, however, which she derived from the unbounded sway that she had acquired over the mind of a monarch whom one half of the world revered or dreaded, was embittered by perpetual reflections on Mustapha’s accession to the throne, and the certain death of her sons, who, she foresaw, would be immediately sacrificed, according to the barbarous jealousy of Turkish policy, to the safety of the new emperor. By dwelling continually on this melancholy idea, she came gradually to view Mustapha as the enemy of her children, and to hate him with more than a stepmother’s ill-will. This prompted her to wish his destruction, in order to secure for one of her own sons the throne which was destined for him. Nor did she want either ambition to attempt such a high enterprise, or the arts requisite for carrying it into execution. Having prevailed on the sultan to give her only daughter in marriage to Rustan the grand vizier, she disclosed her scheme to that crafty minister, who, perceiving that it was his own interest to co-operate with her, readily promised his assistance towards aggrandizing that branch of the royal line to which he was so nearly allied.
As soon as Roxalana had concerted her measures with this able confidant, she began to affect a wonderful zeal for the Mahometan religion, to which Solyman was superstitiously attached, and proposed to found and endow a royal mosque, a work of great expense, but deemed by the Turks meritorious in the highest degree. The mufti whom she consulted, approved much of her pious intention; but having been gained and instructed by Rustan, told her, that she being a slave could derive no benefit herself from that holy deed, for all the merit of it would accrue to Solyman, the master whose property she was. Upon this she seemed to be overwhelmed with sorrow, and to sink into the deepest melancholy, as it she had been disgusted with life and all its enjoyments. Solyman, who was absent with the army, being informed of this dejection of mind, and of the cause from which it proceeded, discovered all the solicitude of a lover to remove it, and by a writing under his hand declared her a free woman. Roxalana having gained this point, proceeded to build the mosque, and reassumed her usual gayety of spirit.
But when Solyman, on his return to Constantinople, sent a eunuch, according to the custom of the seraglio, to bring her to partake of his bed, she seemingly with deep regret, but in the most peremptory manner, declined to follow the eunuch, declaring that what had been an honor to her while a slave, became a crime as she was now a free woman, and that she would not involve either the sultan or herself in the guilt that must be contracted by such an open violation of the law of their prophet. Solyman, whose passion this difficulty, as well as the affected delicacy which gave rise to it, heightened and inflamed, had recourse immediately to the mufti for his direction. He replied, agreeably to the koran, the Roxalana’s scruples were well founded; but added, artfully, in words which Rustan had taught him to use, that it was in the sultan’s power to remove these difficulties, by espousing her as his lawful wife.
The amorous monarch closed eagerly with the proposal, end solemnly married her, according to the form of the Mahometan ritual; though, by doing so, he disregarded a maxim of policy which the pride of the Ottoman blood had taught all the sultans since Bajazet I to consider as inviolable. From his time, none of the Turkish monarchs had married, because, when he was vanquished and taken prisoner by Tamerlane, his wife had been abused with barbarous insolence by the tartars. That no similar calamity might again subject the Ottoman family to the same disgrace, the sultans admitted none to their beds but slaves, whose dishonor could not bring any such stain upon their house.
But the more uncommon the step was, the more it convinced Roxalana of the unbounded influence which she had acquired over the sultan’s heart; and emboldened her to prosecute, with greater hope of success, the scheme that she had formed in order to destroy Mustapha. This young prince having been entrusted by his father, according to the practice of the sultans in that age, with the government of several different provinces, was at that time invested with the administration in Diarbequir, the ancient Mesopotamia, which Solyman had wrested from the Persians, and added to his empire. In all these different commands, Mustapha had conducted himself with such cautious prudence as could give no offence to his father, though, at the same time, he governed with so much moderation as well as justice, and displayed such valor and generosity, as rendered him equally the favorite of the people and the darling of the soldiery.
There was no room to lay any folly or vice to his charge, that could impair the high opinion which his father entertained of him. Roxalana’s malevolence was more refined; she turned his virtues against him, and made use of these as engines for his destruction. She often mentioned, in Solyman’s presence, the splendid qualities of his son; she celebrated his courage, his liberality, his popular arts, with malicious and exaggerated praise. As soon as she perceived that the sultan heard these encomiums, which were often repeated, with uneasiness that suspicion of his son began to mingle itself with his former esteem and that by degrees he came to view him with jealousy and fear she introduced, as by accident, some discourse concerning the rebellion of his father Selim against Bajazet his grandfather: she took notice of the bravery of the veteran troops under Mustapha’s command, and of the neighborhood of Diarbequir to the territories of the Persian sophi, Solyman’s mortal enemy. By these arts, whatever remained of paternal tenderness was gradually extinguished, and such passions were kindled in the breast of the sultan, as gave all Roxalana’s malignant suggestions the color not only of probability but of truth. His suspicions and fear of Mustapha settled into deep-rooted hatred. He appointed spies to observe and report all his words and actions; he watched and stood on his guard against him as his most dangerous enemy.
Having thus alienated the sultan’s heart from Mustapha, Roxalana ventured upon another step. She entreated Solyman to allow her own sons the liberty of appearing at court, hoping that by gaining access to their father, they might, by their good qualities and dutiful deportment, insinuate themselves into that place in his affections which Mustapha had formerly held; and though what she demanded was contrary to the practice of the Ottoman family in that age, the uxorious monarch granted her request. To all these female intrigues Rustan added an artifice still more subtle, which completed the sultans delusion, and heightened his jealousy and fear. He wrote to the bashaws of the provinces adjacent to Diarbequir, instructing them to send him regular intelligence of Mustapha’s proceedings in his government, and to each of them he gave a private hint, flowing in appearance from his zeal for their interest, that nothing would be more acceptable to the sultan than to receive favorable accounts of a son whom he destined to sustain the glory of the Ottoman name. The bashaws, ignorant of his fraudulent intention, and eager to pay court to their sovereign at such an easy price, filled their letters with studied but fatal panegyrics of Mustapha, representing him as a prince worthy to succeed such an illustrious father, and as endowed with talents which might enable him to emulate, perhaps to equal, his fame. These letters were industriously shown to Solyman, at the seasons when it was known that they would make the deepest impression. Every expression in recommendation of his son wounded him to the heart; he suspected his principal officers of being ready to favor the most desperate attempts of a prince whom they were so fond of praising; and fancying that he saw them already assaulting his throne with rebellious arms, he determined, while it was yet in his power, to anticipate the blow, and to secure his own safety by his son’s death.
For this purpose, though under pretence of renewing the war against Persia, he ordered Rustan to march towards Diarbequir at the head of a numerous army, and to rid him of a son whose life he deemed inconsistent with his own safety. But that crafty minister did not choose to be loaded with the odium of having executed this cruel order. As soon as he arrived in Syria he wrote to Solyman, that the danger was so imminent as called for his immediate presence; that the camp was full of Mustapha’s emissaries; that many of the soldiers were corrupted; that the affections of all leaned towards him; that he had discovered a negotiation which had been carried on with the sophi of Persia in order to marry Mustapha with one of his daughters; that he already felt his own talents as well as authority to be inadequate to the exigencies of such an arduous conjuncture; that the sultan alone had sagacity to discern what resolution should be taken in those circumstances, and power to carry that resolution into execution.
This charge of courting the friendship of the sophi, Roxalana and Rustan had reserved as the last and most envenomed of all their calumnies. It operated with the violence which they expected from Solyman’s inveterate abhorrence of the Persians, and threw him into the wildest transports of rage. He set out instantly for Syria, and hastened thither with all the precipitation and impatience of fear and revenge. As soon as he joined his army near Aleppo, and had concerted measures with Rustan, he sent a chiaus, or messenger of the court, to his son, requiring him to repair immediately to his presence. Mustapha, though no stranger to his stepmother’s machinations, or to Rustan’s malice, or to his father’s violent temper, yet relying on his own innocence, and hoping to discredit the accusations of his enemies by the promptitude of his obedience, followed the messenger without delay to Aleppo. The moment he arrived in the camp, he was introduced into the sultan’s tent. As he entered it, he observed nothing that could give him any alarm; no additional crowd of attendants, no body of armed guards, but the same order and silence which always reign in the sultan’s apartments. In a few minutes, however, several mutes appeared, at the sight of whom Mustapha, knowing what was his doom, cried with a loud voice, “Lo, my death!” and attempted to fly. The mutes rushed forward to seize him; he resisted and struggled, demanding with the utmost earnestness to see the sultan; and despair, together with the hope of finding protection from the soldiers, if he could escape out of the tent, animated him with such extraordinary strength, that for some time, he baffled all the efforts of the executioners. Solyman was within hearing of his son’s cries, as well as of the noise which the struggle occasioned. Impatient of this delay of his revenge, and struck with terror at the thoughts of Mustapha’s escaping, he drew aside the curtain which divided the tent, and thrusting in his head, darted a fierce look towards the mutes, and with wild and threatening gestures, seemed to condemn their sloth and timidity. At sight of his father’s furious and unrelenting countenance, Mustapha’s strength failed, and his courage forsook him; the mutes fastened the bow-string about his neck, and in a moment put an end to his life.
The dead body was exposed before the sultan’s tent. The soldiers gathered round it, and contemplating that mournful object with astonishment, and sorrow, and indignation, were ready, if a leader had not been wanting, to have broke out into the wildest excesses of rage. After giving vent to the first expressions of their grief, they retired each man to his tent, and shutting themselves up, bewailed in secret the cruel fate of their favorite; nor was there one of them who tasted food or even water, during the remainder of that day. Next morning the same solitude and silence reigned in the camp; and Solyman, being afraid that some dreadful storm would follow this sullen calm, in order to appease the enraged soldiers, deprived Rustan of the seals, ordered him to leave the camp, and raised Achmet, a gallant officer much beloved in the army, to the dignity of vizier. This change, however, was made in concert with Rustan himself; that malty minister suggesting it as the only expedient which could save himself or his master. But within a few months, when the resentment of the soldiers began to subside, and the name of Mustapha to be forgotten, Achmet was strangled by the sultan’s command, and Rustan reinstated in the office of vizier. Together with his former power, he reassumed the plan for exterminating the race of Mustapha which he had concerted with Roxalana; and as they were afraid that an only son whom Mustapha had left, might grow up to avenge his death, they redoubled their activity, and by employing the same arts against him which they had practised against his father, they inspired Solyman with the same fears, and prevailed on him to issue orders for putting to death that young innocent prince. These orders were executed with barbarous zeal, by an eunuch, who was despatched to Bursa, the place where the prince resided; and no rival was left to dispute the Ottoman throne with the sons of Roxalana.
Such tragical scenes, productive of so deep distress, seldom occur but in the history of the great monarchies of the East, where the warmth of the climate seems to give every emotion of the heart its greatest force, and the absolute power of sovereigns accustoms and enables them to gratify all their passions without control. While this interesting transaction in the court of Solyman engaged his whole attention, Charles was pursuing, with the utmost ardor, a new scheme for aggrandizing his family.
Contrarian blog 