..... When Murat IV took the throne, the state was in political and financial anarchy. Most of Anatolia and Rumeli had fallen under the control of provincial rebels. Foreign enemies were preparing to take advantage of Ottoman weakness. In the end Murat was able to restore the state and military power and provide the leadership needed to save the empire, but it took him nine years to assert himself. During the first part of his reign, until he reached poverty in 1632, he was under the domination of the political leaders who had brought him to power. After he took personal charge, he was...