#esma sultan daughter of ahmed iii

[ottomanladies]

The granddaughters of Sultan Ahmed III of the Ottoman empire who reached adulthood -- requested by anon

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Ottoman Princesses named: Esma

Esma is the Turkish variation of the Arabic name Asma, meaning exalted, supreme or sublime. Sometimes it is written as Ismi, especially in compounds like Ismihan.

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

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𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 | insp by @winterhalters

[ottomanladies]

On this day in Ottoman history - 13 August - Esma Sultan the Elder died:

daughter of Ahmed III and Hanife Kadın (in Sicill-i Osmani her mother is indicated as Zeyneb Kadın), Esma Sultan was born on 14 March 1726.

In 1743, her cousin Mahmud I married her to Silâhdâr Yâ'qûb Paşa, but her husband died just a year later. She therefore married Pir Mustafâ Paşa in the same year and, after his death in 1751, Muhşin-zâde Mehmed Paşa, who would serve as Grand Vizier of the Empire twice. With him, she had her only child: Zeyneb Hanım-Sultân(1759?-?). After Muhşin-zâde Mehmed Paşa died in 1774, Esma Sultan did not marry anymore even though she lived for 14 more years.

During the reigns of her brothers Mustafa III and Abdülhamîd I, Esma Sultan acquired properties and riches to the point that she was known as the wealthiest woman in Istanbul. Because she lived in her old palace in Kadırga and because she had influence over her brothers, Esma Sultan was considered a new Ismihan Sultan (daughter of Selim II). Indeed, it was her who warned her Abdülhamîd I when Halil Hamid Paşa planned to depose him in favour of Şehzade Selim.

Esma Sultan died on 13 August 1788 and was buried next to her third and final husband, Grand Vizier Muhşin-zâde Mehmed Paşa. As she was reportedly very wealthy, ottoman statesmen hoped to retrieve a lot of money to fix the treasury, but when her palace was searched nothing was found. Her properties were divided between her nieces Emine and Esma (known as the younger so as not to mistake her with her aunt) // Sibel Taşçioğlu as Esma Sultan

sources: Yılmaz Öztuna - Devletler ve Hanedanlar, M. Çağatay Uluçay - Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları, Necdet Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları

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Princesses who were politically active?

Nefise Melek Hatun: daughter of Murad I, she married Karamânoğlu Alâeddîn Alî Bey and acted as mediator between her father and her husband during the Ottoman-Karaman conflict.

Selçuk Hatun: daughter of Mehmed I, she had a long life in which she acted as ambassador in the conflict between the future Bayezid II and his half-brother Cem

Mihrimah Sultan: daughter of Suleyman I and Hurrem Sultan, she was married to the Grand Vizier but exerted political influence in her own right as well. As a widow, she helped her brother Selim II both politically and economically (lending him money to pay the troops). She also managed the harem for him. Her daughter Ayşe Hümâ-Şâh was influential as well, being married to her father's successor.

Ismihan Sultan: daughter of Selim II, she was married to the Grand Vizier and as such was the most influential among her sisters. She also wrote to Catherine de Medici about some Turkish ladies who had been captured by Frenchmen at sea.

Hatice Sultan: daughter of Mehmed IV, she became her brother Ahmed III's advisor during his reign and she was one of the people who stayed with him until the end.

Fatma Sultan: daughter of Ahmed III, she was regarded as the true power in the Tulip Era. She was married to the Grand Vizier and even entertained foreign ambassadors who wanted to speak with him or with her father.

Esma Sultan the elder: daughter of Ahmed III, she became influential during the reigns of her brothers Mustafa III and Abdülhamid I to the point she was called a new Ismihan Sultan. She also was married to the Grand Vizier. Esma Sultan prevented a coup d’état against Abdülhamid I by warning him that Halil Hamid Paşa planned to depose him in favour of Şehzade Selim

Beyhan and Hatice Sultan: daughters of Mustafa III, they were behind the process of modernization in palace life and were very influential during their half-brother Selim III's reign.

Esma Sultan the younger: daughter of Abdülhamid I, she was Mahmud II's favourite sister even though they had different mothers. She was selected by dissidents as a possible replacement for  Mahmud II on the throne.

Seniha Sultan and Fatma Sultan: daughters of Abdülmecid I, they were against Abdülhamid II's rule and tried to free Murad V from Çırağan Palace to put him back on the throne. In this they were helped by their brothers Ahmed Kemaleddin and Selim Süleyman.

Fehime Sultan: daughter of Murad V, she was a supporter of the constitution and composed a piano sonata titled "Pour La Constitution"

 I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. If I did, I’m sorry.

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Ahmed III of the Ottoman Empire + daughters who reached adulthood

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Royal women’s palaces were stylish residences, where sometimes before there had been no significant housing of any kind. Beginning with the way they dressed their own male and female attendants and decorated their palaces, royal women were also style-setters for the nascent consumerism of the eighteenth century. Theirs was a social world validated by visits from the sultan and others of the royal household. Princesses’ houses, with or without husbands in evidence, extended the imperial presence. Princesses Hadice, daughter of Mustafa III, and the two Esmas – the elder the daughter of Ahmed III and sister of Mustafa III and Abdülhamid I, while the younger was the daughter of Abdülhamid I – presided not only over their households but effectively over the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Suraiya N. Faroqhi, The Cambridge History of Turkey: Volume 3 - The Late Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839

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On this day, 13 August, in Ottoman history

13 August 1788 - death of Esma Sultan "the Elder": daughter of Ahmed III and Hanife Kadın, she was called "the Elder" to distinguish her from her niece, Esma Sultan "the Younger", daughter of Abdülhamid I. Esma Sultan married thrice: to Yakub Paşa (1743 - 1744), to Adana governor Yusuf Paşa (1744 - soon after), and to Grand Vizier Muhsinzade Mehmed Paşa (1758 - 1774). She lived in Kadırga Palace, the mansion that Sokollu Mehmed Paşa had built during his grand vizierate, and indeed she was considered a new Ismihan Sultan (who was also called Esmehan), for her influence on her brothers Mustafa III and Abdülhamid I, and for her wealth. Esma Sultan was very interested in Europe and Europeans and even invited European women in her palace, where she would organise entertainments and they would tell her everything she wanted to know. She was particularly surprised to find out that a European young woman actually met her future husband before getting married. To the wife of Baron de Tott, she "complained of the Barbarity which, at thirteen years of age, united her to a decrepit old man, who treating her like a child, had inspired her with nothing but Disgust. Death has at last delivered me from him, continued she; but I have not much mended my condition: after having been married ten years to a Pacha who, as report says, is both young and amiable, I have not yet so much as seen him". It was Esma who informed her brother Abdülhamid I that there was a plot going on to replace him with the future Selim III. It is not known whether Esma Sultan had children or what the cause of her death was, but she died on 13 August 1788 and was buried in the mausoleum of her third husband in Eyüp. 

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On this day, 24 June, in Ottoman history

24 June 1758 - wedding of Esma Sultan the elder and Vezir Muhsinzade Mehmed Paşa: her husband was chosen by her brother Mustafa III and the ceremony was held in Kadırga Palace.

24 June 1839 - battle of Nizip: battle between the Ottoman army and Egypt Governor Mehmed Ali (who wanted independence for Egypt from the empire)’s son, Ibrahim Pasha; the Pasha obtained a decisive victory despite Mahmud II’s numerous innovations in the imperial army. “[W]ithin a week Mahmud was dead and his son Abdülmecid was sultan. The Grand Admiral chose this moment to defect to Mehmed Ali, sailing to Alexandria and taking the imperial fleet with him. The new sultan’s government prepared to come to terms.” – Caroline Finkel, Osman’s Dream: the History of the Ottoman Empire

24 June 1918 - Mehmed V’s last Procession to the Noble Mantle: “On the fifteenth of Ramadan the Sultan would proceed in state to Topkapı Palace in order to undertake a ceremonial visit to the Noble Mantle of the Prophet. The Imperial Consorts, adult princesses, princes, ministers of state, and the gentlemen of the Palace Secretariat along with some of their consorts would also attend. As a rule the ladies wore the yaşmak when participating in this state occasion. During the visit to the Noble Mantle, hâfızes of pleasing voice chanted the Holy Quran while incense burners dispensed delightful scents throughout the rooms. The Padishah took up his position beside a rather high table upon which rested the Noble Mantle, wrapped inside a cloth. Then all present filed past Sultan Reşad one at a time, in order of rank, beginning with the Heir to the Throne, followed by the princes, the great men of the ulema, the ministers of state, the gentlemen of the Palace Secretariat, and the gentlemen of the imperial court. After this the ladies filed past the monarch, beginning with the Imperial Consorts, followed by the adult princesses, the consorts of the princes, the high-ranking ustas and kalfas of the palace, the wives of invited ministers of state, and the wives of some of the gentlemen of the Palace Secretariat. As they passed him the monarch touched the blessed wrapped bundle on the table with a section of muslin cloth inscribed along its edges, then personally handed the section of muslin to each person.” – Douglas Scott Brookes, The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

[ottomanladies]

Was it possible for a princess to be powerful even if she was the step sister of the sultan? Is there a notable example of this? I always wondered if Mihrimah could have held some power even in Mustafa became sultan, what do you think?

Mmh, it was not uncommon for half-sisters to be influential:

Esma Sultan was not Mahmud II’s sister but she was his favourite nonetheless

Murad V had no sisters but Fatma Sultan and Seniha Sultan were still his closest (it’s interesting to note that Fatma was, on the contrary, Mehmed V’s full sister)

Beyhan Sultan and Hatice Sultan had different mothers, yet they were prominent during the reign of Selim III

Cemile Sultan was Abdülhamid II’s half-sister but she figured right after the valide sultan in official ceremonies.

Another interesting case is Ahmed III’s:, it was not his eldest sister Hatice (though alive) who was the power broker in Istanbul but his daughter Fatma. 

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On this day, 4 June, in Ottoman history

4 June 1756 - death of Zübeyde Sultan: daughter of Ahmed III and Musli Kadın, she was two when her father was deposed and so she grew up in the Old Palace. On 6 January 1748 she married Karaalizade Süleyman Paşa, governor of Anatolia, but her husband died only six months later. On 6 January 1749 she married Numan Paşa, who was appointed governor of Thessaloniki and Kavala. The princess lived in Edirne, in the property that her father Ahmed III had bestowed upon her, while her husband travelled around the empire between his provinces and the divan. Zübeyde Sultan fell sick and died at only 28 years old, on 4 June 1756. She was buried in the Yeni Mosque.

4 June 1848 - death of Esma Sultan “the younger”: daughter of Abdulhamid I and Ayşe Sineperver, she was the elder sister of Mustafa IV. She was 11 years old when her father died so it fell upon her cousin Selim III to find her a husband. He chose Küçük Hüseyin Paşa, whom she married on 15 December 1792. After her marriage she was known as “Kapudanpaşa Sultanı” (Kapudanpaşa being the title of her husband). Her palace became the centre of Istanbul society and the daughters of Mustafa III Şah, Beyhan, and Hatice Sultan were regulars. Esma Sultan was widowed at the age of 25 but chose not to remarry agian. She was extremely influential in the enthronement of her brother Mustafa IV and the deposition of their uncle Selim III. Nevertheless, she became close to her half-brother Mahmud II too, who cherished her as his favourite sister and basically granted her total freedom in her life. It is said that even the son of King Louis-Philippe of France was attracted to the dazzling princess, whose clothes and jewels were always sought-after by rich women in the capital. Esma Sultan survived her brother Mahmud II and saw the reign of her nephew Abdülmecid. When she died, at 70 years old, she was not buried with her father but with her favourite brother, Mahmud II.

4 June 1876 - death of Abdülaziz: after the coup that put Murad V on the throne, the former sultan and his family had been moved from Topkapi Palace to Çırağan Palace on June 1st. On the evening of June 4th, he asked for a pair of scissors to adjust his beard. The following morning a servant found him dead in the room, his wrists slashed with the little scissors used for his beard. Even though his death seemed suspicious, both foreign and Ottoman physicians examined his body and they all concluded that he had committed suicide.

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On this day, 21 March, in Ottoman history

21 March 1715 - Hatem Kadın gives birth to twins; concubine of Ahmed III, she gave birth to twins Saliha Sultan and Şehzade Selim. Unfortunately, the prince died at the age of three.

21 March 1715 - birth of Saliha Sultan; daughter of Ahmed III and Hatem Kadın, she had a twin brother who died young. In 1728, she married Sarı Mustafa Paşa, son of Deli Hüseyin Paşa. With him, she had Sultanzade Ahmed, Fatma Hanım Sultan and Hatice Hanım Sultan.  Mustafa Paşa died in 1731, and in 1740, Saliha Sultan married Abdi Paşazade Ali Paşa but he died in 1744. She stayed a widow for 14 years, until Mustafa III married her to Grand Vizier Koca Ragıb Mehmed Paşa. The Grand Vizier died in 1763 and in 1764 she married her last husband, Captain of the Janissaries Mehmed Paşa. She became a widow for the last time in 1770 and did not marry again. Her children included Ayşe Hanım Sultan (who died young) and Emine Hanım Sultan as well, with no information about the fathers.

21 March 1873 - birth of Esma Sultan; daughter of Abdülaziz and his Baş Ikbal Gevheri Hanım, she was born in Beşiktaş Palace. After the death of her father, she was given to the care of her brother Prince Yusuf İzzeddin and raised in his household. She married Çerkes Mehmed Paşa on 20 April 1889. With him she had Sultanzade Hayreddin Bey, Sultanzade Saadeddin Bey, Sultanzade Hasan Bedreddin Bey, and Mihrihan Hanım Sultan; she died at 26 years old, giving birth to her fourth child, on 7 May 1899. She was buried in the Mausoleum of the Imperial Ladies in the Yeni Mosque.

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Why is that some concubines share names with imperial Princesses such as Ayse, Fatma, Safiye but there are no Princesses (Sultanas) with names like Hurrem, Kosem, Nurbanu, Gulbahar, etc?

Because the latter are “slave” names: they’re of Persian origins and mostly about physical characteristics or flowers or the moon. You did not name a baby girl with a slave name. This can be seen in the Imperial family as well: Mehmed IV honoured his mother when he became a father for the first time: he named his eldest daughter Hatice. He didn’t name her Turhan. Hatice has a Muslim tradition (Khadija was the Prophet's first wife), Turhan doesn’t. Again, when Mehmed IV named one of his daughters “Emetullah”, after his favourite consort, he didn’t choose Gülnûş among her names because that was the most concubine-like name she owned. Emetullah and Rabia are “free women” names. [Ahmed III had several daughters named Emetullah and Rabia, clearly after his mother]

This is the reason why a sultan so close to his mother like Murad III was to Nurbanu never named one of his numerous daughters after her. Nurbanu is not a free woman’s name. Maybe she had another that we don’t know? A more “traditional” one and he used that to honour her? 

Of course, there are also names that are used both for concubines and for free women: Hümâ-Şâh, for example. Typical concubine name but it is used for princesses as well. Mihr-i Şâh too. Mihrimah too doesn’t have a particular religious meaning but it’s still used for princesses and only princesses; we don’t have - so far - consorts named Mihrimah. 

“In the naming rite that slaveholders arrogated to themselves, male and female owners often played the poet. They chose to confer - to impose - on their female slaves the names of flowers, precious stones, and other “pleasures of life,” as Faroqhi terms them. For imperial concubines, endless variations of “rose,” “grace,” and “delicacy” were always in vogue. Over the course of the empire’s six hundred years, even when at war with Iran, the Ottoman dynasty and the palace-connected never abandoned their taste for Persian - the language of poetry and high culture - in female nomenclature. The Persian-derived Mihrimah or Mihrümah (“the light of the moon” or “sun and moon”) and Mihrişah (“the light” or “sun of the shah”) were perennial favorites for both royal daughters and concubines. In general, though, the names of palace concubines inclined toward rarer concoctions, with flowery Arabic names competing with the customary Persian in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. […] Referring to the tastes of the palace, Faroqhi points to the emergence of new patterns by the eighteenth century. Increasingly, imperial consorts bore Arabic-derived, historically Islamic names - like Aisha (T., Ayşe), Fatima, Zeyneb, Esma, Rabia, and Emine, all associated with the family of the Prophet Muhammad - in tandem with prettified nicknames. The slave mother of Ahmed III, for example, was Rabia Gülnûş, “Rose-Elixir” Rabia, while Ahmed’s consorts included Emine Mihrişah and Fatima Hümaşah (literally “imperial bird of paradise”).”  — Madeline C. Zilfi, Women and Slavery in the late Ottoman Empire

I’m leaving this quote by Madeline Zilfi because she clearly explained this better than I did LOL

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Was it mandatory for widowed princess to stay at old palace? What if they want to stay at their own purchased palace? Is it possible?

No, it wasn't, but I guess it depended on the degree of closeness the widowed princess had with the sultan and whether she was asked to marry again or not.

Esma Sultan the younger was widowed in her twenties, decided to never remarry, and lived the rest of her life in her palace. Her cousin Hatice Sultan did the same (I think she built her new palace when she was already a widow). Sisters Fatma and Seniha (daughters of Abdülmecid I) lived in their villas after the former's husband was exiled and executed and the latter's fled the empire. But those were different times and the Old Palace wasn't used anymore.

I tried to find an earlier example but I couldn't come with much. Hatice Sultan (Mehmed IV's daughter) outlived her second husband of 30 years, and she was certainly in Istanbul during Ahmed III's reign because she advised him to sacrifice statesmen during the Patrona revolt to save his life. I think she lived in her own palace, the Hatice Sultan Palace, located just outside the Ayvansaray Gate, but I couldn't find hard proof of this. She died in Edirne, though, and Sakaoğlu says that she died "in her own palace" so it's possible that she had moved for health problems or because she wasn't well-accepted in the new regime (though she was Mahmud I's aunt too so...)