Members of the Ottoman royal family were expected to be on their best behavior. This included acting piously, honorably, and justly. Yet not all Ottoman sultans and princes cared to live up to this image. Some shirked their responsibilities due to drug and alcohol addictions. Others abused the harem system and spent most of their time with concubines.Ottoman Sultans and AlcoholIntoxicated man drinking wine, miniature by Levni, ca. 1732. Source: LiteraTurk CatalogueAmongst the Ottoman rulers, there were both those who shunned alcohol and those who drank it to excess. Islamic law, one of many types of Ottoman law, banned alcohol consumption. While this was enforced on Muslims, non-Muslim populations were free to consume the substance. These laws did not prevent ordinary people, least of all the Ottoman ruling class, from enjoying a sneaky glass of wine. Bayezid I (d. 1402) enjoyed having poetry gatherings where wine was drunk. Mehmet II (d. 1476), known as the conqueror of Constantinople, was also said to have enjoyed the drink.Some princes, like the sons of Bayezid II, went to extremes that worried their parents. Bayezid received word of his sons alcohol and opium addiction which, according to his mother, was the outcome of corrupted courtiers and advisors. This could cause serious damage to not only a princes reputation but also that of the Sultan, who was supposed to have provided him with discipline and training.Perhaps the most famous of the alcohol-drinking sultans was Selim II (d. 1574), also known as Selim the Sot due to his love of drink. Although Selims father, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, had outlawed alcohol and placed hefty fines on those who broke the law, his son was a heavy drinker. Selim allowed taverns to sell alcohol, contrary to previous laws. He died in 1574 afterin a drunken stateslipping on wet marble in the bathroom and hitting his head.DrugsImaginary depiction of an Ottoman opium seller, by Francis William Topham, ca. 1850. Source: Wikimedia CommonsSince time immemorial, human beings have consumed substances that alter brain chemistry. The Ottomans were no exception to this rule. Afyon, or opium, was the most accessible drug in medieval Turkey, although hashish, a powdered form of Cannabis, was also used. These drugs were written about in different kinds of literary works, including Sufi poetry, biographies, and medical treatises.The poppy flowers that produced opium were grown primarily in the Western Anatolian city of Afyon, which translates to opium. They were used in salves, balms, and other medicines for pain relief, especially before the development of morphine in the 19th century. However, many, including Prince Bayezid II, enjoyed the substance for recreational purposes. Bayezids addiction to the substance was the source of hostility between the prince and his stricter father, Mehmed II.The use of drugs carried a negative image that the sultans often wanted to shed after they came to power. Murad IV (d. 1640), for instance, took a hardline stance against opium use later in his life, although some sources say that he used it as a prince. It was also said that upon finding out that his chief physician Emir Celebi used the substance, Sultan Murad forced the latter to ingest all the opium he carried on him. Emir Celebi went into a coma and died later that night.Women and WomanizingMiniature of an erotic scene between a man and woman, painted by Abdullah Bukhari, ca. 1740. Source: Fine Art AmericaThe harem was an institution harkening back to both Islamic and Byzantine royal palaces. It was in essence the womens quarters of the palace, a place where queens, daughters, concubines, and other female servants lived and/or worked. The Ottoman harem emerged around the 15th century, a time when decreased visibility in the public sphere began to be equated with high status.Enslaved girls who were brought to the Ottoman court were generally taught in the palace school. They continued their servant duties unless they were particularly beautiful and caught the eye of the sultan. She would then become his concubine or even his wife. Concubines were subject to the whims of the sultan, who could ignore, banish or even sentence them to death at his will. However, some concubines rose to become the most powerful women in the empire.A life-size portrait of Sultan Murad III (1574-1595), attributed to a Spanish artist, 17th century. Source: Wikimedia CommonsMany sultans abused the harem system. Murad III (d. 1595) purportedly had 100 children. He initially took Safiye Sultan (who would become the powerful queen mother) as his only concubine. Over a decade later, his mother and sister attempted to decrease Safiyes influence by gifting him other concubines. On his death, Murad left seven pregnant concubines. Although concubines were a normal part of the royal court, the sheer number of Murads women raised eyebrows.Likewise, Ibrahim the Mad (d. 1648) spent many hours in the imperial harem. He was particularly fond of obese women. He was said to have searched for the most overweight woman in all of Istanbul. Things took a turn for the worse when Ibrahim desired Perihan Hanim, wife of Grand Vizier Ipsir Mustafa Pasa. Ibrahim ordered a statesman, named Varvari Ali Pasa, to bring the viziers wife to the capital city. Naturally, Varvar Ali Pasa was outraged and began a rebellion. He was ultimately killed for his rebellion, although (luckily) Perihan Hanim was safe from the mad sultan.Unruly and Rebellious Ottoman PrincesSehzade, or heir to the throne, ca. 1809. Source: Victoria and Albert MuseumThe Ottoman political system was in many ways influenced by its Turkic heritage. One example is through the rules of succession. Unlike in contemporary European courts, every male member of the Ottoman royal family had a right to the throne, similar to the medieval Mongol system. Primogeniture, or the transferral of power from father to eldest son, was unheard of in medieval Turkey. Instead, the most charismatic, skillful candidate gained the backing of powerful viziers and soldiers and was expected to win power against his rivals, be they his brothers or uncles.Princes, who were often given administrative and military duties around the empire, often clashed with their fathers. In the 1370s, Sultan Murads son Savci Bey rebelled against his fathers rule. The Byzantine prince Andronikos and Savci planned to oust their own fathers from the throne and vowed to support each other in this endeavor. Unluckily for the princes, their fathers caught wind of the plan and horrifically punished their sons. Both princes were blinded and thus lost all support for their kingship. Murad eventually had Savci executed for his rebellion.Another unruly prince was Selim the Grim who consistently disobeyed his father Sultan Bayezids orders. Selim, who believed his father was too lenient towards their Safavid Persian foes, marched with his army and decimated Persian troops in eastern Turkey. By securing the border, he won the support of the janissaries, the elite soldiers loyal only to the sultan. Due to this, Selim was able to remove his father from power and declare himself sultan in 1512.