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Brought to power by a palace conspiracy in 1623, Murad was for a long time under the control of his relatives. During his early years as sultan, his mother, Kosem Sultana essentially ruled through him. Murad would however shake off the influences of his family in 1630. Murad asserted his own control by beheading the Grand Vizier and taking government into his own hands. He tried to quell the corruption that had grown during the previous sultans, and that had not been checked while his mother was ruling through proxy. This was achieved through numerous ways, such as limiting wasteful spending. Ironically he also banned alcohol and tobacco.

Militarily Murad's reign is most notable for a war against Persia in which Ottoman forces conquered Azerbaijan, occupied Tabriz and — in the last great feat of Imperial Turkish arms — captured Baghdad in 1638. Murad himself commanded the invasion of Mesopotamia and proved to be an outstanding field commander. Unfortunately for the empire he was also an alcoholic, and it was from his passion for liquor that he died prematurely in 1640. On his deathbed he ordered the execution of his brother, Ibrahim, which would have meant the end of the Ottoman line, but the order was not carried out. Not until 1808 would there be another Sultan of his calibre.