MAHMUD I  . (1696—1754),

sultan of Turkey, was the son of Mustafa II., and succeeded his uncle Ahmed III. in 1730 . After the suppression of a military revolt the war with Persia was continued with varying success, and terminated in 1736 by a treaty of peace restoring the status quo ante bellum . The next enemy whom Turkey was called upon to face was kussia, later joined by Austria . War went on for four years; thesuccesses gained by Russia were outweighed by Austria's various reverses, terminating by the defeat of Wallis at Krotzka, and the peace concluded at Belgrade was a triumph for Turkish diplomacy . The sultan, throughout desirous for peace, is said to have been much under the influence of the chief eunuch, Haji Beshir Aga . In 1754 Mahmud died of heart-disease when returning from the Friday service at the mosque . He had a passion for building, to which are due numberless kiosques, where nocturnal orgies were carried on by him and his boon companions . In this reign the system of appointing Phanariote Greeks to the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia was instituted .