What did the sultans of the Ottoman Empire eat? Female Sultanate

Nurbanu Sultan

The full-fledged founder of the female sultanate can be considered Nurbana Sultan (a representative of a noble Venetian family), the wife of Sultan Selim II (1566-1574) and the mother (that is, valid Sultan) of Sultan Murad III.

It is characteristic that it is impossible to attribute the beginning of the period of special female influence to the reign of Selim II - under him, Nurbanu was simply the Sultan’s wife, albeit the main one. Her influence increased after the accession of her son Murad III, who, although he ascended the throne at the age of 28, showed no interest in governing the country, spending his time in entertainment and pleasure in the harem. Nurbana Sultan can generally be called the shadow manager of the empire until her death in 1583.

Safiye Sultan

After Nurbanu Sultan, the role of “guardian” under Murad III was taken over by his main concubine, who never received the status of the official wife of Safiye Sultan. She was also Venetian, moreover, from the same family as her mother-in-law. She did not prevent the Sultan from spending time in entertainment, largely deciding state affairs for him. Her influence increased even more after the death of her husband in 1595 and the ascension of her son, Mehmed III, to the throne.

The new sultan immediately executed 19 of his brothers and even all of his father's pregnant concubines and subsequently showed himself to be a bloody and incompetent ruler. However, under him, Safiye Sultan was very close to being a real ruler. She died in 1604, Mehmed III survived her by a couple of months.

Kösem Sultan

Then, for some time, there was a break in the female sultanate and women lost their influence - but only to be replaced by a real “sultana”, Kösem Sultan, the wife of Sultan Ahmed I (1603-1617). Under her husband, however, Kösem had no influence. She received it already in the status of valid sultan, when in 1523, at the age of 11, her son Murad IV became ruler. In 1540, he died and was replaced by his brother, another son of Kösem, Ibrahim I, who went down in history under the nickname Mad.

Under her sons, Kösem Sultan was almost the full-fledged ruler of the Porte. After the assassination of Ibrahim I in 1648, he was succeeded by his son Mehmed IV. Initially Kösem kept a good relationship with her grandson, but quickly quarreled with him and was killed in 1651.

Turhan Sultan

The death of Kösem Sultan is often attributed to the last female representative of the sultanate, the wife of Ibrahim I and the mother of Mehmed IV, known as Turhan Sultan. She was Ukrainian by origin, her name was Nadezhda, and as a child she was kidnapped by the Crimean Tatars. At the age of 12, she became Ibrahim’s concubine, given to him by Kösem Sultan herself. At the age of 15, Turhan had already given birth to an heir, the future Mehmed IV. After her son came to power, Turhan now received the title Valide Sultan and did not want to put up with her ambitious mother-in-law, whom, according to assumptions, she eliminated.

Mehmed IV was not very attentive to government duties, preferring to spend most of his time in hunting and outdoor sports. In the period from 1648 to 1656, it was Turhan Sultan who served as regent for her young son. However, when he was 14 years old, the Valide Sultan appointed Mehmed Köprülü as the grand vizier, who became the founder of the dynasty of great viziers, who concentrated real power in their hands for almost 60 years. Thus, the era of the female sultanate ended, and Turhan Sultan died in the summer of 1683, two months before the fatal defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the battle of Vienna.

Alexander Babitsky

Any Hollywood script pales in comparison with the life path of Roksolana, who became the most influential woman in history. great empire. Her powers, contrary to Turkish laws and Islamic canons, could only be compared with the capabilities of the Sultan himself. Roksolana became not just a wife, she was a co-ruler; They didn’t listen to her opinion; it was the only one that was correct and legal.
Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya (born c. 1506 - d. c. 1562) was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn, a small town in Western Ukraine, located southwest of Ternopil. In the 16th century, this territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was constantly subject to devastating raids by the Crimean Tatars. During one of them, in the summer of 1522, the young daughter of a clergyman was caught by a detachment of robbers. Legend has it that the misfortune happened just before Anastasia’s wedding.
First, the captive ended up in Crimea - this is the usual route for all slaves. The Tatars did not drive valuable “live goods” on foot across the steppe, but carried them on horseback under vigilant guard, without even tying their hands, so as not to spoil the delicate girl’s skin with ropes. Most sources say that the Crimeans, struck by the beauty of Polonyanka, decided to send the girl to Istanbul, hoping to sell her profitably at one of the largest slave markets in the Muslim East.

“Giovane, ma non bella” (“young, but ugly”), Venetian nobles said about her in 1526, but “graceful and short in stature.” None of her contemporaries, contrary to legend, called Roksolana a beauty.
The captive was sent to the capital of the sultans on a large felucca, and the owner himself took her to sell her - history has not preserved his name. On the very first day, when the Horde took the captive to the market, she accidentally caught the eye of the all-powerful vizier of the young Sultan Suleiman I, the noble Rustem, who happened to be there - Pasha. Again, the legend says that the Turk was struck by the dazzling beauty of the girl, and he decided to buy her to give a gift to the Sultan.
As can be seen from the portraits and confirmations of contemporaries, beauty clearly has nothing to do with it - I can call this coincidence of circumstances with only one word - Fate.
During this era, the sultan was Suleiman I the Magnificent (Luxurious), who ruled from 1520 to 1566, considered the greatest sultan of the Ottoman dynasty. During the years of his rule, the empire reached the apogee of its development, including all of Serbia with Belgrade, most of Hungary, the island of Rhodes, significant territories in North Africa to the borders of Morocco and the Middle East. Europe gave the Sultan the nickname Magnificent, while in the Muslim world he is more often called Kanuni, which translated from Turkish means Lawgiver. “Such greatness and nobility,” the report of the 16th-century Venetian ambassador Marini Sanuto wrote about Suleiman, “was also adorned by the fact that he, unlike his father and many other sultans, had no inclination towards pederasty.” An honest ruler and uncompromising fighter against bribery, he encouraged the development of the arts and philosophy, and was also considered a skilled poet and blacksmith - few European monarchs could compete with Suleiman I.
According to the laws of faith, the padishah could have four legal wives. The children of the first of them became heirs to the throne. Or rather, one firstborn inherited the throne, and the rest often faced a sad fate: all possible contenders for supreme power were subject to destruction.
In addition to wives, the Commander of the Faithful had any number of concubines that his soul desired and his flesh required. IN different time under different sultans, from several hundred to a thousand or more women lived in the harem, each of whom was certainly an amazing beauty. In addition to women, the harem consisted of a whole staff of castrati eunuchs and maids of different ages, chiropractors, midwives, masseuses, doctors and the like. But no one except the padishah himself could encroach on the beauties belonging to him. All this complex and hectic economy was supervised by the “chief of the girls” - the eunuch of Kyzlyaragassy.
However, amazing beauty alone was not enough: the girls destined for the padishah’s harem mandatory taught music, dance, Muslim poetry and, of course, the art of love. Naturally, the course of love sciences was theoretical, and the practice was taught by experienced old women and women experienced in all the intricacies of sex.
Now let’s return to Roksolana, so Rustem Pasha decided to buy the Slavic beauty. But her Krymchak owner refused to sell Anastasia and presented her as a gift to the all-powerful courtier, rightly expecting to receive for this not only an expensive return gift, as is customary in the East, but also considerable benefits.
Rustem Pasha ordered it to be fully prepared as a gift to the Sultan, in turn hoping to achieve even greater favor with him. The padishah was young; he ascended the throne only in 1520 and greatly appreciated female beauty, and not just as a contemplator.
In the harem, Anastasia receives the name Khurrem (laughing). And for the Sultan, she always remained only Khurrem. Roksolana, the name under which she went down in history, is just the name of the Sarmatian tribes in the 2nd-4th centuries AD, who roamed the steppes between the Dnieper and Don, translated from Latin as “Russian”. Roksolana will often be called, both during her life and after her death, nothing more than “Rusynka” - a native of Rus' or Roxolanii, as Ukraine was previously called.

The mystery of the birth of love between the Sultan and a fifteen-year-old unknown captive will remain unsolved. After all, there was a strict hierarchy in the harem, and anyone who violated it would face severe punishment. Often - death. The female recruits - adzhemi, step by step, first became jariye, then shagird, gedikli and usta. No one except the mouth had the right to be in the Sultan's chambers. Only the mother of the ruling sultan, Valide Sultan, had absolute power inside the harem, and decided who and when to share a bed with the Sultan from her mouth. How Roksolana managed to occupy the Sultan’s monastery almost immediately will forever remain a mystery.
There is a legend about how Hurrem came to the attention of the Sultan. When new slaves (more beautiful and expensive than she) were introduced to the Sultan, a small figure suddenly flew into the circle of dancing odalisques and, pushing away the “soloist,” laughed. And then she sang her song. The harem lived according to cruel laws. And the eunuchs were waiting for only one sign - what to prepare for the girl - clothes for the Sultan’s bedroom or a cord used to strangle the slaves. The Sultan was intrigued and surprised. And that same evening, Khurrem received the Sultan’s scarf - a sign that in the evening he was waiting for her in his bedroom. Having interested the Sultan with her silence, she asked for only one thing - the right to visit the Sultan’s library. The Sultan was shocked, but allowed it. When he returned from a military campaign some time later, Khurrem already spoke several languages. She dedicated poems to her Sultan and even wrote books. This was unprecedented at that time, and instead of respect it aroused fear. Her learning, plus the fact that the Sultan spent all his nights with her, created Khurrem's lasting fame as a witch. They said about Roksolana that she bewitched the Sultan with the help of evil spirits. And in fact he was bewitched.
“Finally, let us unite with soul, thoughts, imagination, will, heart, everything that I left mine in you and took with me yours, oh my only love!”, the Sultan wrote in a letter to Roksolana. “My lord, your absence has kindled a fire in me that does not go out. Have pity on this suffering soul and hurry up your letter so that I can find at least a little consolation in it,” answered Khurrem.
Roksolana greedily absorbed everything that she was taught in the palace, took everything that life gave her. Historians testify that after some time she actually mastered the Turkish, Arabic and Persian languages, learned to dance perfectly, recite her contemporaries, and also play according to the rules of the foreign, cruel country in which she lived. Following the rules of her new homeland, Roksolana converted to Islam.
Her main trump card was that Rustem Pasha, thanks to whom she got to the palace of the padishah, received her as a gift, and did not buy her. In turn, he did not sell it to the kyzlyaragassa, who replenished the harem, but gave it to Suleiman. This means that Roxalana remained a free woman and could lay claim to the role of the padishah’s wife. According to the laws Ottoman Empire a slave could never, under any circumstances, become the wife of the Commander of the Faithful.
A few years later, Suleiman enters into an official marriage with her according to Muslim rites, elevates her to the rank of bash-kadyna - the main (and in fact, the only) wife and addresses her “Haseki,” which means “dear to the heart.”
Roksolana’s incredible position at the Sultan’s court amazed both Asia and Europe. Her education made scientists bow down, she received foreign ambassadors, responded to messages from foreign sovereigns, influential nobles and artists. She not only came to terms with the new faith, but also gained fame as a zealous orthodox Muslim, which earned her considerable respect at court.
One day, the Florentines placed a ceremonial portrait of Hurrem, for which she posed for a Venetian artist, in an art gallery. It was the only female portrait among the images of hook-nosed, bearded sultans in huge turbans. “There was never another woman in the Ottoman palace who had such power” - Venetian ambassador Navajero, 1533.
Lisovskaya gives birth to the Sultan four sons (Mohammed, Bayazet, Selim, Jehangir) and a daughter, Khamerie. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, Circassian Gulbekhar, was still officially considered the heir to the throne. She and her children became mortal enemies of the power-hungry and treacherous Roxalana.

Lisovskaya understood perfectly well: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order the execution of one of the old wives: in the harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat was thrown into it and poisonous snake, they tied the bag and lowered it with a tied stone along a special stone chute into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord.
Therefore, Roxalana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years!
Her daughter turned twelve years old, and she decided to marry her to... Rustem Pasha, who was already over fifty. But he was in great favor at court, close to the throne of the padishah and, most importantly, was something of a mentor and “godfather” to the heir to the throne, Mustafa, the son of the Circassian Gulbehar, Suleiman’s first wife.
Roxalana's daughter grew up with a similar face and chiseled figure to her beautiful mother, and Rustem Pasha with great pleasure became related to the Sultan - this is a very high honor for a courtier. Women were not forbidden to see each other, and the sultana deftly found out from her daughter about everything that was going on in the house of Rustem Pasha, literally collecting the information she needed bit by bit. Finally, Lisovskaya decided it was time to strike the fatal blow!
During a meeting with her husband, Roxalana secretly informed the Commander of the Faithful about the “terrible conspiracy.” Merciful Allah granted her time to learn about the secret plans of the conspirators and allowed her to warn her adored husband about the danger that threatened him: Rustem Pasha and the sons of Gulbehar planned to take the life of the padishah and take possession of the throne, placing Mustafa on it!
The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. In addition, Roxalana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other “conspirators” that the daughter of Anastasia and the Sultan heard. Therefore, the seeds of evil fell on fertile soil!
Rustem Pasha was immediately taken into custody, and an investigation began: Pasha was terribly tortured. Perhaps he incriminated himself and others under torture. But even if he was silent, this only confirmed the padishah in the actual existence of a “conspiracy.” After torture, Rustem Pasha was beheaded.
Only Mustafa and his brothers were spared - they were an obstacle to the throne of Roxalana’s first-born, red-haired Selim, and for this reason they simply had to die! Constantly instigated by his wife, Suleiman agreed and gave the order to kill his children! The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, so Mustafa and his brothers were strangled with a green silk twisted cord. Gulbehar went crazy with grief and soon died.
The cruelty and injustice of her son struck Valide Khamse, the mother of Padishah Suleiman, who came from a family Crimean khans Gireev. At the meeting, she told her son everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” the execution, and her son’s beloved wife Roxalana. It is not surprising that after this Valide Khamse, the Sultan’s mother, lived for less than a month: the East knows a lot about poisons!
The Sultana went even further: she ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country other sons of Suleiman, whom wives and concubines gave birth to, and to take the lives of all of them! As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons - all of them, some secretly, some openly, were killed by order of Lisovskaya.
Thus, over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found.
She was no longer able to see her son ascend the throne, becoming Sultan Selim II. He reigned after the death of his father for only eight years - from 1566 to 1574 - and, although the Koran forbids drinking wine, he was a terrible alcoholic! His heart once simply could not withstand the constant excessive libations, and in the memory of the people he remained as Sultan Selim the drunkard!
No one will ever know what the true feelings of the famous Roksolana were. What is it like for a young girl to find herself in slavery, in a foreign country, with a foreign faith imposed on her. Not only not to break, but also to grow into the mistress of the empire, gaining glory throughout Asia and Europe. Trying to erase shame and humiliation from her memory, Roksolana ordered the slave market to be hidden and a mosque, madrasah and almshouse to be erected in its place. That mosque and hospital in the almshouse building still bear the name of Haseki, as well as the surrounding area of ​​the city.
Her name, shrouded in myths and legends, sung by her contemporaries and covered in black glory, remains forever in history. Nastasia Lisovskaya, whose fate could be similar to hundreds of thousands of the same Nastya, Khristin, Oles, Mari. But life decreed otherwise. No one knows how much grief, tears and misfortunes Nastasya endured on the way to Roksolana. However, for the Muslim world she will remain Hurrem - LAUGHING.
Roksolana died either in 1558 or 1561. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which Roksolana’s ashes rest in an octagonal stone tomb, next to the also octagonal tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has stood for more than four hundred years. Inside, under the high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana’s favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that his favorite stone was ruby.

Sultanas of the Ottoman Empire Among the undisputed figures of the period of the female sultanate are four representatives of the Sultan’s harem.

Afife Nurbanu-Sultan (Turkish: Afife Nûr-Banû Sultan, Ottoman: نور بانو سلطان‎; c. 1525 - December 7, 1583) - concubine, then wife Ottoman Sultan Selima II (who bore the title Haseki), mother of Murad III; the first valide sultan of the female sultanate period. The full-fledged founder of the female sultanate can be considered Nurbana Sultan (a representative of a noble Venetian family), the wife of Sultan Selim II (1566-1574) and the mother (that is, valide sultan) of Sultan Murad III. It is characteristic that the beginning is attributed to There is no period of special female influence for the reign of Selim II - under him, Nurbanu was simply the Sultan’s wife, albeit the main one. Her influence increased after the accession of her son Murad III, who, although he ascended the throne at the age of 28, showed no interest in governing the country, spending his time in entertainment and pleasure in the harem. Nurbana Sultan can generally be called the shadow manager of the empire until her death in 1583.

Safiye Sultan (Turkish Safiye Sultan; c. 1550-1618 / 1619) - concubine of the Ottoman Sultan Murad III and mother of Mehmed III. During the reign of Mehmed, she bore the title Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan) and was one of the most important figures in the Ottoman Empire. After Nurbanu Sultan, the role of “guardian” under Murad III was taken on by his main concubine, who never received the status of an official wife, Safiye Sultan. She was also Venetian, moreover, from the same family as her mother-in-law. She did not prevent the Sultan from spending time in entertainment, largely deciding state affairs for him. Her influence increased even more after the death of her husband in 1595 and the ascension of her son, Mehmed III, to the throne. The new sultan immediately executed 19 of his brothers and even all of his father's pregnant concubines and subsequently showed himself to be a bloody and incompetent ruler. However, under him, Safiye Sultan was very close to being a real ruler. She died in 1604, Mehmed III survived her by a couple of months.

Kösem Sultan, also known as Mahpeyker Sultan (Turkish: Mâh-Peyker Kösem; c. 1590 - September 2, 1651) - the second or third wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I (who bore the title Haseki) and the mother of Sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim I. During the reign of her sons, she bore the title Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan) and was one of the most influential women in the Ottoman Empire. Then, for some time, there was a break in the female sultanate and women lost their influence - but only to be replaced by the real “ Sultana”, Kösem Sultan, wife of Sultan Ahmed I (1603-1617). Under her husband, however, Kösem had no influence. She received it already in the status of valid sultan, when in 1523, at the age of 11, her son Murad IV became ruler. In 1540, he died and was replaced by his brother, another son of Kösem, Ibrahim I, who went down in history under the nickname Mad. Under her sons, Kösem Sultan was almost the full-fledged ruler of the Porte. After the assassination of Ibrahim I in 1648, he was succeeded by his son Mehmed IV. Initially, Kösem maintained a good relationship with her grandson, but quickly quarreled with him and was killed in 1651.

Turhan Hatice Sultan (Turhan Hatice Sultan; ca. 1628 - July 5, 1683) - wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim I with the title Haseki, mother of Sultan Mehmed IV, Valide Sultan and regent of the Ottoman Empire in the first years of his reign; the last representative of the Sultanate period of women. The death of Kösem Sultan is often attributed to the last female representative of the sultanate, the wife of Ibrahim I and the mother of Mehmed IV, known as Turhan Sultan. She was Ukrainian by origin, her name was Nadezhda, and as a child she was kidnapped by the Crimean Tatars. At the age of 12, she became Ibrahim’s concubine, given to him by Kösem Sultan herself. At the age of 15, Turhan had already given birth to an heir, the future Mehmed IV. After her son came to power, Turhan now received the title Valide Sultan and did not want to put up with her ambitious mother-in-law, whom, according to assumptions, she eliminated. Mehmed IV was not very attentive to government duties, preferring to spend most of his time in hunting and sports competitions in fresh air. In the period from 1648 to 1656, it was Turhan Sultan who served as regent for her young son. However, when he was 14 years old, the Valide Sultan appointed Mehmed Köprülü as the grand vizier, who became the founder of the dynasty of great viziers, who concentrated real power in their hands for almost 60 years. Thus, the era of the female sultanate ended, and Turhan Sultan died in the summer of 1683, two months before the fatal defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Vienna.

Ending history of women's rule in the Ottoman Empire, Women's Sultanate (1541-1687)

Start here:
First part - Sultana unwillingly. Roksolana;
Second part - Women's Sultanate. Roksolana's daughter-in-law;
The third part - Women's Sultanate. Queen of the Ottoman Empire;
Fourth part - Women's Sultanate. Thrice Valide Sultan (mother of the reigning Sultan)

Turhan Sultan (1627 or 1628 - 1683) . The last great valide sultan (mother of the reigning sultan).

1.About the origin of this concubine of the Sultan Ibrahim I All that is known for sure is that she was Ukrainian, and until the age of 12 she bore the name Hope. She was captured at about the same age by the Crimean Tatars and sold by them to a certain Kör Süleyman Pasha, and he already gave it to the powerful Valida Sultan Kösem, mother of a feeble-minded Ibrahim, which ruled Ottoman Empire instead of his mentally incapable son.

2.Ibrahim I, ascending the throne Osmanov in 1640, at the age of 25, after the death of his older brother, the Sultan Murad IV(for whom at the beginning of the reign their common mother also ruled Kösem Sultan), was the last representative of the male line of the dynasty Osmanov. Therefore, the problem of continuing the ruling dynasty Kösem Sultan(her idiot son didn't care) had to be decided as soon as possible. It would seem that in conditions of polygamy, with a huge selection of concubines in the Sultan’s harem, this problem (and many times at once) could be solved over the next 9 months. However, the weak-minded Sultan had rather peculiar ideas regarding female beauty. He only liked fat women. And not just fat, but very fat - in the chronicles there is a mention of one of his favorites, nicknamed Sugar Loaf, whose weight reached 150 kilograms. So Turhan, given by the Sultana to her son around 1640, she could not help but be a very large girl. Otherwise, she simply would not have ended up in this pervert's harem. I would not have passed, as they say now, the casting.

3.How many children did she give birth to? Turhan in total, unknown. But there is no doubt that it was she who was the first of his other concubines to give birth Ibrahim I son Mehmed- January 2, 1642. This boy became, from birth, first the official heir to the Sultan, and in 1648, after a coup d'etat, as a result of which IbrahimI was deposed and killed - by the ruler Ottoman Empire.

4. To my son Turhan Sultan was only 6 years old when he became Sultan Sublime Porte. It would seem that for his mother, who, according to the laws and traditions of the state, was supposed to receive the highest female tutul - valide sultan (mother of the ruling sultan), and become a regent, or at least co-ruler of her young son, the time had come finest hour. But it was not there! Her experienced and powerful mother-in-law Kösem Sultan She did not help eliminate (according to some rumors) her idiot son in order to give unlimited power to a 21-year-old girl. Having easily outplayed her “green” daughter-in-law at first, she for the third time (for the first time in Ottoman Empire) became a valid sultan under her grandson (which never happened before or after her).

5. Three years, from 1648 to 1651, palace Topkala rocked by endless scandals and intrigues of the opposing sultanas. Ultimately Kösem Sultan decided to replace her reigning grandson on the throne with one of his younger brothers, with a more accommodating mother. However, becoming valid Sultan for the fourth time Kösem Sultan did not make it - her hated daughter-in-law, having learned about the conspiracy against her son, in which the dear grandmother relied on the Janissaries, stirred up her intrigue with the help of the harem eunuchs, who, by the way, were in Ottoman Empire great political force. The eunuchs turned out to be more agile than the Janissaries, and on September 3, 1651, at the age of approximately 62 years, the Valide Sultan was strangled three times in her sleep.

6.So, the Ukrainian won and received unlimited regent power in the empire Osmanov at the age of only 23-24 years. An unprecedented case, such young Valide Sultan Sublime Porte I haven't seen it yet. Turhan Sultan not only accompanied her son during all important meetings, but also spoke on his behalf during negotiations with envoys (from behind the curtain). At the same time, aware of his own inexperience in government affairs, the young Valide Sultan never hesitated to seek advice from members of the government, which cemented her authority among the highest officials of the empire.

8.Actually, with the appearance at the head Ottoman Empire dynasties Köprülü Women's Sultanate could have ended during the lifetime of its last representative. However, Turhan Sultan, voluntarily refusing to participate in foreign and domestic policy, switched her energies to other government affairs. And in the line of work that she chose, she remained the only woman in Sublime Porte. The Sultana started construction.

9. It was under her leadership that two powerful military fortresses were built at the entrance to the strait Dardanelles, one is on the Asian side of the strait, the other is on the European side. In addition, she completed the construction of one of the five most beautiful mosques in Istanbul in 1663, Yeni Cami (New Mosque), started under the Valid Sultan Safiye, her son's great-great-grandmother, in 1597.

10.Turhan Sultan died in 1683, at the age of 55-56, and was buried in a tomb completed by her New mosque. However Female Sultanate continued after the death of the last one in history Ottoman Empire female regent. The date of its end is considered to be 1687, when the son Turhan(who was her co-ruler), Sultan Mehmed IV(at the age of 45) was deposed as a result of a conspiracy by the son of the Grand Vizier, Mustafa Köprülü. Myself Mehmed lived after the overthrow of the throne for another five years, and died in prison in 1693. But to the story Women's Sultanate this has nothing to do with it anymore.

11. But to Mehmed IV the most direct and immediate relation is the famous "Letter from the Zaporozhye Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan." The addressee of this, to put it mildly, obscene letter, was the Sultan Mehmed IV, who was genetically more than half Ukrainian!

In the article we will describe in detail the Women's Sultanate. We will talk about its representatives and their rule, about assessments of this period in history.

Before examining the Women's Sultanate in detail, let's say a few words about the state itself in which it was observed. This is necessary to fit the period of interest to us into the context of history.

The Ottoman Empire is otherwise called the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299. It was then that Osman I Ghazi, who became the first Sultan, declared the territory of a small state independent from the Seljuks. However, some sources report that the title of Sultan was first officially accepted only by Murad I, his grandson.

Rise of the Ottoman Empire

The reign of Suleiman I the Magnificent (from 1521 to 1566) is considered the heyday of the Ottoman Empire. A portrait of this sultan is presented above. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman state was one of the most powerful in the world. The territory of the empire by 1566 included lands located from the Persian city of Baghdad in the east and Hungarian Budapest in the north to Mecca in the south and Algeria in the west. The influence of this state in the region began to gradually increase from the 17th century. The Empire finally collapsed after losing the First World War.

The role of women in government

For 623 years, the Ottoman dynasty ruled the country's lands, from 1299 to 1922, when the monarchy ceased to exist. Women in the empire we are interested in, unlike the monarchies of Europe, were not allowed to govern the state. However, this situation existed in all Islamic countries.

However, in the history of the Ottoman Empire there is a period called the Women's Sultanate. At this time, representatives of the fair sex actively participated in government. Many famous historians have tried to understand what the Sultanate of Women is and to comprehend its role. We invite you to take a closer look at this interesting period in history.

The term "Female Sultanate"

This term was first proposed to be used in 1916 by Ahmet Refik Altynay, a Turkish historian. It appears in the book of this scientist. His work is called “Women’s Sultanate”. And in our time, debates continue about the impact this period had on the development of the Ottoman Empire. There is disagreement as to what is the main reason for this phenomenon, which is so unusual in the Islamic world. Scientists also argue about who should be considered the first representative of the Women's Sultanate.

Causes

Some historians believe that this period was generated by the end of the campaigns. It is known that the system of conquering lands and obtaining military spoils was based precisely on them. Other scholars believe that the Sultanate of Women in the Ottoman Empire arose due to the struggle to repeal the Law of Succession issued by Fatih. According to this law, all the Sultan's brothers must be executed after ascending to the throne. It didn't matter what their intentions were. Historians who adhere to this opinion consider Hurrem Sultan to be the first representative of the Women's Sultanate.

Khurem Sultan

This woman (her portrait is presented above) was the wife of Suleiman I. It was she who in 1521, for the first time in the history of the state, began to bear the title “Haseki Sultan”. Translated, this phrase means “most beloved wife.”

Let's tell you more about Hurrem Sultan, with whose name the Women's Sultanate in Turkey is often associated. Her real name is Lisovskaya Alexandra (Anastasia). In Europe, this woman is known as Roksolana. She was born in 1505 in Western Ukraine (Rohatina). In 1520, Hurrem Sultan came to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Here Suleiman I, the Turkish Sultan, gave Alexandra a new name - Hurrem. This is the word with Arabic can be translated as “bringing joy.” Suleiman I, as we have already said, bestowed on this woman the title “Haseki Sultan.” Alexandra Lisovskaya received great power. It became even stronger in 1534, when the Sultan's mother died. From that time on, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska began to manage the harem.

It should be noted that this woman was very educated for her time. She owned several foreign languages, so she responded to letters from influential nobles, foreign rulers and artists. In addition, Hurrem Haseki Sultan received foreign ambassadors. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was actually a political adviser to Suleiman I. Her husband spent a significant part of his time on campaigns, so she often had to take on his responsibilities.

Ambiguity in assessing the role of Hurrem Sultan

Not all scholars agree that this woman should be considered a representative of the Women's Sultanate. One of the main arguments they present is that each of the representatives of this period in history was characterized by the following two points: the short reign of the sultans and the presence of the title “valide” (mother of the sultan). None of them refer to Hurrem. She did not live eight years to receive the title "valide". Moreover, it would be simply absurd to believe that the reign of Sultan Suleiman I was short, because he ruled for 46 years. However, it would be wrong to call his reign a “decline.” But the period we are interested in is considered to be a consequence of precisely the “decline” of the empire. It was the poor state of affairs in the state that gave birth to the Women's Sultanate in the Ottoman Empire.

Mihrimah replaced the deceased Hurrem (her grave is pictured above), becoming the leader of the Topkapi harem. It is also believed that this woman influenced her brother. However, she cannot be called a representative of the Women's Sultanate.

And who can rightfully be included among them? We present to your attention a list of rulers.

Women's Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire: list of representatives

For the reasons mentioned above, the majority of historians believe that there were only four representatives.

• The first of them is Nurbanu Sultan (years of life - 1525-1583). She was Venetian by origin, the name of this woman was Cecilia Venier-Baffo.
• The second representative is Safiye Sultan (about 1550 - 1603). She is also a Venetian whose real name is Sofia Baffo.
• The third representative is Kesem Sultan (years of life - 1589 - 1651). Her origins are not known for sure, but she was presumably a Greek woman, Anastasia.
• And the last, fourth representative is Turkhan Sultan (years of life - 1627-1683). This woman is a Ukrainian named Nadezhda.

Turhan Sultan and Kesem Sultan

When the Ukrainian Nadezhda turned 12 years old, Crimean Tatars captured her. They sold it to Ker Suleiman Pasha. He, in turn, resold the woman to Valide Kesem, the mother of Ibrahim I, a mentally disabled ruler. There is a film called "Mahpaker", which tells about the life of this sultan and his mother, who was actually at the head of the empire. She had to manage all the affairs as Ibrahim I was mentally retarded and therefore could not perform his duties properly.

This ruler ascended the throne in 1640, at the age of 25. Such an important event for the state occurred after the death of Murad IV, his elder brother (for whom Kesem Sultan also ruled the country in the early years). Murad IV was the last sultan of the Ottoman dynasty. Therefore, Kesem was forced to solve the problems of further rule.

Question of succession to the throne

It would seem that getting an heir if you have a large harem is not at all difficult. However, there was one catch. It was that the weak-minded Sultan had an unusual taste and his own ideas about female beauty. Ibrahim I (his portrait is presented above) preferred very fat women. Chronicle records of those years have been preserved, which mention one concubine he liked. Her weight was about 150 kg. From this we can assume that Turhan, which his mother gave to her son, also had considerable weight. Perhaps that's why Kesem bought it.

Fight of two Valides

It is unknown how many children were born to Ukrainian Nadezhda. But it is known that it was she who was the first of the other concubines to give him a son, Mehmed. This happened in January 1642. Mehmed was recognized as the heir to the throne. After the death of Ibrahim I, who died as a result of the coup, he became the new sultan. However, by this time he was only 6 years old. Turhan, his mother, was legally required to receive the title "valide", which would have elevated her to the pinnacle of power. However, everything did not turn out in her favor. Her mother-in-law, Kesem Sultan, did not want to give in to her. She achieved what no other woman could do. She became Valide Sultan for the third time. This woman was the only one in history who had this title under the reigning grandson.

But the fact of her reign haunted Turkhan. In the palace for three years (from 1648 to 1651), scandals flared up and intrigues were woven. In September 1651, 62-year-old Kesem was found strangled. She gave her place to Turhan.

End of the Women's Sultanate

So, according to most historians, the start date of the Women's Sultanate is 1574. It was then that Nurban Sultan was given the title of Valida. The period of interest to us ended in 1687, after the accession to the throne of Sultan Suleiman II. Already in adulthood, he received supreme power, 4 years after Turhan Sultan, who became the last influential Valide, died.

This woman died in 1683, at the age of 55-56 years. Her remains were buried in a tomb in a mosque that she had completed. However, not 1683, but 1687 is considered the official end date of the period of the Women's Sultanate. It was then that at the age of 45 he was overthrown from the throne. This happened as a result of a conspiracy that was organized by Köprülü, the son of the Grand Vizier. Thus ended the sultanate of women. Mehmed spent another 5 years in prison and died in 1693.

Why has the role of women in governing the country increased?

Among the main reasons why the role of women in government has increased, several can be identified. One of them is the love of the sultans for the fair sex. Another is the influence that their mother had on the sons. Another reason is that the sultans were incapacitated at the time of their accession to the throne. One can also note the deceit and intrigue of women and the usual coincidence of circumstances. Another important factor is that the grand viziers changed frequently. Their duration of office in the early 17th century averaged just over a year. This naturally contributed to chaos and political fragmentation in the empire.

Beginning in the 18th century, sultans began to ascend the throne at a fairly mature age. The mothers of many of them died before their children became rulers. Others were so old that they were no longer able to fight for power and participate in solving important state issues. We can say that by the middle of the 18th century, valides no longer played a special role at court. They did not participate in government.

Estimates of the Women's Sultanate period

The female sultanate in the Ottoman Empire is assessed very ambiguously. Representatives of the fair sex, who were once slaves and were able to rise to the status of valide, were often not prepared to conduct political affairs. In their selection of candidates and their appointment to important positions, they relied mainly on the advice of those close to them. The choice was often based not on the abilities of certain individuals or their loyalty to the ruling dynasty, but on their ethnic loyalty.

On the other hand, the Women's Sultanate in the Ottoman Empire had both positive sides. Thanks to him, it was possible to maintain the monarchical order characteristic of this state. It was based on the fact that all sultans should be from the same dynasty. The incompetence or personal shortcomings of rulers (such as the cruel Sultan Murad IV, whose portrait is shown above, or the mentally ill Ibrahim I) were compensated by the influence and power of their mothers or women. However, one cannot fail to take into account that the actions of women carried out during this period contributed to the stagnation of the empire. This applies to a greater extent to Turhan Sultan. Mehmed IV, her son, lost the Battle of Vienna on September 11, 1683.

Finally

In general, we can say that in our time there is no clear and generally accepted historical assessment the influence that the Women's Sultanate had on the development of the empire. Some scholars believe that the rule of the fair sex pushed the state to its death. Others believe that it was more a consequence than a cause of the country's decline. However, one thing is clear: the women of the Ottoman Empire had much less influence and were much further from absolutism than their modern rulers in Europe (for example, Elizabeth I and Catherine II).