Mehmet 2(the conqueror of Istanbul) created this rule.What motivated him was most likelly the civil war between 1402 and 1413.In 1402 the mongols defeated the ottoman army.Their ruler Timur splitted the ottoman territory between the 4 sons of the padishah.They battled each other and in 1413 Mehmet 1(grandfather of Mehmet 2) defeated the others.Originally Posted by tristuskhan
Not all padishahs choose to have their brothers killed.Some were imprisoned for life in the palace.
But I think it is wrong to say that this practice allowed a stable kingdom.Ottoman rulers(with the exception of a few of the the earlier ones) did not have proper marriages.They had a harem and concubines.All these women fought for their sons succession between themselves.For example, the intrigues of Suleyman 1's wife, Hurrem Sultan(Roxanne) are very famous.
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