Ahmed I was born in Manisa on 28th of April 1590. He became the 14th ruler of the Ottoman Empire at the age of 14 after the death of his father Mehmed III in 1603, and reigned for 14 years until he died of the typhus disease at the age of 27 in 1617. He was buried in his mausoleum next to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
During his reign, sultan Ahmed I changed the dynastic succession system and abolished the fratricide law. Instead, he brought the system of becoming the sultan of the biggest sane member of the family. With this new system, three of his sons became next sultan after his death; Young Osman, Murad IV, and Ibrahim, in chronological order.
When Ahmed I ascended to the throne, the Austrian War was still going on. Peace was achieved with the Treaty of Zitvatorok in 1605. With this treaty, the Ottoman Empire's superiority over Austria ended, and the political balances began to deteriorate against the Ottomans. On the other hand at the Eastern front, the Ottoman-Safavid War, which lasted for 9 years, ended with losses with the Treaty of Nasuh Pasha in 1612. Internally, he had to deal with rebellions and disturbances in Anatolia.
Ahmed I had the Sultanahmet Mosque built by the architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga between 1609 and 1616.