This Ottoman Sultan Personally Executed Coffee Drinkers With His Sword

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Did you know an Ottoman Sultan once beheaded people just for drinking coffee? Murad the fourth ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640 with terrifying brutality. He banned coffee, tobacco, and alcohol completely. But here's the twisted He would disguise himself and walk through Istanbul's streets at night personally executing anyone he caught breaking these rules with his own sword. Murad believed coffee houses were breeding grounds for rebellion against his rule. His paranoia drove him to extreme [music] violence.

[00:00:33]He would throw dinner guests from palace windows for the smallest mistakes. One night, he executed 17 people just for smoking tobacco. The irony, Murad was secretly an alcoholic himself while banning alcohol for everyone else.

[00:00:47][music] Despite his cruelty, his military campaigns did restore Ottoman power after years of weakness. But his reign of terror ended abruptly when he died from excessive drinking at just 27 years old. The moment news of his death spread, people rushed to reopen coffee houses across [music] the empire. His cruel laws died with him proving that even the most feared dictators can't [music] control human nature forever.