In 1511, still smarting from those denials, Selim tried a different tactic. He requested that Suleyman be given one of the provinces in the Balkans—some of the most prized governorships in the empire. As Bayezit aged and Ahmed and Korkud openly declared their intentions to claim the throne, Selim knew he would need a power base closer to Istanbul. Though Selim confidently expected rejection, he persisted, for two reasons. First, the request was a negotiating strategy; it maintained pressure on Bayezit. Second, it served to expose his father’s biased support for Ahmed.
