Murad III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 to 1595. He was the eldest son of Sultan Selim II and Nurbanu Sultana. During his entire reign, he did not venture out of Istanbul. In his later years, he did not even leave his palace. His reign, however, saw his forces conquer a lot of neighboring kingdoms. His army fought lengthy battles against Austria and the Safavid Dynasty of Iran. He even tried to create an alliance with England to form a joint army against Spain. His kingdom was dominated by his mother and the women of his harem. He was initially rumored to be impotent but, after the intervention of court physicians, his sexual prowess increased markedly. By the end of his life, he had reportedly fathered more than 100 children by his multiple concubines. However, history can name only 22 sons and 28 daughters. He was a connoisseur of the arts and loved spending time reading and writing. He supported the ‘Society of Miniaturists’ and also contributed to the ‘Kitabü’l-Menamat.’ He died of apoplexy at the age of 48 and was succeeded by Mehmed III.