Overview
Mustafa III, son of Ahmed III, saw the need for reform but was overtaken by a disastrous war with Catherine the Great's Russia.
Rise to Power
He succeeded his cousin Osman III in 1757.
Rule and Achievements
- Worked with the able grand vizier Koca Ragıp Pasha until 1763
- Went to war with Russia in 1768; the Russian navy destroyed the Ottoman fleet at Çeşme in July 1770, and Russian armies overran Moldavia, Wallachia and Crimea
- Built the Laleli Mosque in Istanbul
Legacy
He died in January 1774, before the war ended, and was succeeded by his brother Abdülhamid I.