Selimus, or The Tragedy of Selimus, Sometime Emperor of the Turks, is a dramatic tragedy generally attributed to the authors Robert Greene and Thomas Lodge. It is an early example of a "Turk play", which became a popular dramatic subject during the English Renaissance. Published in 1594, the play is loosely – and historically inaccurately – based on Selim I, a real Emperor of the Ottoman Empire in the 1500s. The play centres on Selimus, who is the youngest son of Bajazet, the current Emperor of Turkey, and how he plans to take the crown away from his father. The play follows the family turmoil that ensues as Selimus, Acomat, and Corcut, all sons of Bajazet, war and murder in an attempt to control the crown. Nearly all of Bajazet's line of descent is eradicated by the end of the play, and Selimus is left to rule as Emperor of Turkey. Genre This play is clearly a tragedy: throughout the course of this play, twelve named characters die, either by the hand of Acomat, Selimus, or self-imbibed poison. Most of these characters are part of Bajazet's family tree, and the only family members left at the end of the play are Selimus and Acomat's two sons Alladin and Amurath. In addition to this family tragedy, Acomat is said to have killed 6,000 citizens of Natolia. Selimus is also remnant of a history play. The character of Selimus is based on the Ottoman Sultan named Selim I, who ruled the Empire between 1512 and 1520 and conquered North Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula during his reign. According to the Database of Early English Playbooks (DEEP), the genre of the play is "heroical romance." Performance and Publication Performance The acting company Queen Elizabeth's Men was the first to perform Selimus in 1592. Little is known about the venue where the play was performed, how it was received by its audience, or any subsequent productions of the play. Publication The first print edition of the play was published anonymously in 1594. The text from the original title page is shown below: As it was played by the Queenes Maiesties Players. It was not until a second edition was issued in 1638 that the title page's information was heavily reworked and the play's authorship was attributed to a writer by the initials T.G. These initials suggested that the play's author was Thomas