#hatice hatun daughter of murad ii

[parallellines]

Mehmed II Conqueror + consorts (pictures are for aesthetic)

Emine Gülbahar Hatun — was a favourite consort of Sultan Mehmed II. In most sources she is referred as non-muslim slave who was converted to Islam after her arrival to the harem. There is no agreement on her origins some historians think she was Pontic Greek, Albanian or lowly Slavic. She was the mother of the future Sultan Bayezid II and Gevherhan Hatun. She died circa 1492 and was buried in her mausoleum inside the Fatih Mosque next to her late husband.

Çiçek Yagmur Hatun — was a wife or consort of Sultan Mehmed II. According to some sources she could have been Turkish noblewoman or Serbian, Greek, Venetian, French slave. She entered the harem or married Mehmed at Constantinople and gave birth to her only son Şehzade Cem (Ottoman claimant Sultan) on 22 December 1459. It is not known the degree of influence she had during Mehmed’s reign or if she even was favoured by him. She died on 3 May 1498 of plague and was buried in Cairo.

Hatice Hatun — was a thrid legal wife of Sultan Mehmed II. She was a possible daughter of Zaganos Mehmed Pasha. In 1463 she became Mehmed's third legal wife. After her husband death she remarried with a statesman.

Sitti Mükrime Hatun — was a Turkish Princess and first legal wife of Sultan Mehmed II. Her father was Süleyman Bey the sixth ruler of Dulkadir State. When Mehmed turned seventeen he married her for political purposes. Her possible offspring is unknown. Due to her middle name Sittişah is sometimes confused with Gülbahar Mükrime Hatun another consort of Mehmed. She died in September 1486 and was buried in a mausoleum built inside her mosque.

Helena Palaiologina — was a possible wife of Sultan Mehmed II. Her entering the Sultan's harem is controversial and remain unconfirmed. She was a daughter of the Despot of Morea Demetrios Paleologos the brother of Constantine XI Palaiologos the final Byzantine emperor and Theodora Asanina the daughter of Paul Asan. Some rumors says Mehmed II asked for her after his campaign in Morea having heard of her beauty. Probably he never bedded with her because he was afraid she would poison him. In another case Helena was provided with a pension and large estate at Adrianople by the Sultan though she was forbidden to marry. She died of unknown causes in 1469 or 1470 in Edirne.

Gülşah Hatun — was a second legal wife or consort of Sultan Mehmed II. There is no informations about her origins. She married Mehmed or entered his harem in 1449 when he was still a Prince and the governor of Manisa. Shortly before Murad’s II death she gave a birth to her only son Şehzade Mustafa and followed him to Konya when he became governor of the province. She died circa 1487 and was buried in Bursa in the tomb she had built for herself near that of Mustafa.

Maria Hatun — was a consort of Sultan Mehmed II. Before she entered Mehmed’s harem she was a widow of Alexander Komnenos Asen. According to some sources she was judicated as the most beautiful woman of her age. Some historians claims she could be more likely Murad’s II concubine than Mehmed’s.

Anna Hatun — was a consort of Sultan Mehmed II. Her parents were Trabzon Greek emperor David Komnenos and Helena Kantakuzenos. The marriage was initially proposed by her father, but Mehmed refused. Nontheless when Trabzon was taken in 1461 Anna entered the harem and stayed there for two years after which Mehmed married her off to Zaganos Mehmed Pasha.

[ottomanladies]

Ottoman Princesses named: Hatice

Hatice is the Turkish equivalent of the Arabic name Khadija, the name of the first wife of Prophet Muhammad. As such, it was one of the most popular names in the Ottoman Dynasty both for princesses and consorts.

[reallifesultanas]

The myths around Kösem Sultan's execution / A Köszem szultána halála körüli legendák

One of the most frequently discussed topics about the Sultanate of Women is the brutal execution of Kösem Sultan. Usually, the casual people think that she was assassinated by her son-in-law Turhan Hatice Sultan during a long power struggle. We have plenty of accounts of the events, but there are quite a few of them that are contemporary. In this post, I would like to summarize what we know, who were the characters of the events, and what might have happened that night. In the comments section or in Tellonyme, I look forward to everyone's opinion and comment about the topic so that we can discuss it! :) If you don't know Kösem Sultan, you can read her biography HERE.

What do we know for sure?

- After Ibrahim's dethronement and execution, Kösem Sultan became a regent to her grandson Mehmed IV. - Turhan, Mehmed’s mother, and Kösem Sultan were on different sides during the political games. - Kösem Sultan was killed by her enemies on September 2, 1651. - Turhan Hatice became the new regent, Kösem Sultan's executioners were not punished, but her supporters were soon killed.

Backstory

Kösem Sultan came to power for the second time in February 1640. Along with her crazy son, Ibrahim I, she began to rule the Ottoman Empire as regent. Everyone loved her, she had a huge experience in rule, she did a lot of charity. Everything seemed perfect, but her son, Ibrahim, soon came under the influence of bad advisers. Cinci Hoca was a religious leader in occult sciences who took advantage of the Sultan’s mental problems and seriously influenced him. As a result, the Sultan executed his Grand Vizier in 1644 and exiled his mother. He originally intended to send his mother to the island of Rhodes, but eventually, his concubines persuaded him to send her only to another palace. Kösem Sultan spent the next few years there in exile, but during that time she corresponded regularly with the statesmen and tried to keep everything under control. She probably wrote her well-known letter to Hezarpare Ahmed Pasha here, saying, "In the end, he will not leave you or me alive and we will lose control of the state again, thereby destroying our society." The situation deteriorated to the point that in 1647 Kösem Sultan and the new Grand Vizier, Salih Pasha and Seyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi tried to dethrone Ibrahim but they failed. The next year, both the Janissaries and the Ulema joined the rebellion, and on August 8, 1648, the mad sultan was easily dethroned and imprisoned and his followers were removed from positions.

Ibrahim was succeeded by his son, Mehmed, who was barely 6 years old, andso he needed a regent. The statesmen asked Kösem Sultan for the honorary task. The position of regent was usually held by teachers, pashas, or mothers (in the case of Mehmed II, the Grand Vizier was regent; in Ahmed I, his mother and teacher; in Murad IV, and Ibrahim's case their mother), so Kösem Sultan was the first grandmother to become regent. According to the most accepted opinions, this happened because Mehmed’s mother, Turhan Hatice, was not even 25 years old at the time, too young and inexperienced to run the empire. Anyhow Kösem Sultan started her third regency and she constantly disregarded Mehmed’s mother, Turhan. Because of Turhan’s youth, she might truly would not have been the best regent, yet she had every right to control the harem. Kösem Sultan, however, did not allow this to the young woman either. So Turhan, in vain was the mother of the reigning sultan, all her duties were ruled by Kösem Sultan. Kösem Sultan gained more and more enemies both in the divan and the harem, so both places split into two sides: Kösem Sultan and her supporters and Turhan Sultan and her supporters.

Two opposite sides and characters

Kösem Sultan and her supporters

Kösem Sultan ruled the empire as a regent for decades, and when she was not a regent, she followed events as valide sultan. Earlier in her life, she worked together with most of the pashas. During her first regency, she said that she, as the representative of the ruler, intended to be there at the divan meetings in person. This was not allowed by the pashas and so she was forced to accept. During her third regency, however, she was not bowing before anyone’s will. She had lost all her sons, buried at least one daughter, sacrificed her whole life for the empire, so then she refused to compromise on anything anymore. She wished to rule the empire as an absolute monarch. And in the divan she dismissed everyone who disagreed with her. More and more people began to debate her right for ruling. One of her well-known divan speeches happed around this time. Kösem Sultan accused the Grand Vizier Sofu Ahmed Pasha of wanting to kill her, then she continued: “Thank God I survived four rulers and I ruled for a long time myself. The world will neither collapse nor reform with my death.”

Kösem Sultan went too far. She didn't just change the pashas she did not like but replaced them with Janissary officers. The Janissaries have served her with allegiance since the first regency of Kösem Sultan. Back then, in 1623, she went against everyone and gave the Janissaries a huge amount of money after Murad IV's accession to the throne. Although there were rebellions and disagreements, basically the Janissaries - but at least some of their corps - were loyal to Kösem Sultan. Representation of the Janissaries has been a thing for centuries, but to make Janissaries — or simply soldiers — vizieres was too much. Pashas learnt a lot and bore a lot to reach the highest possible positions and they were aware of how to be good veziers. This was their only aim and Kösem put Janissary officers there instead of educated statesmen. Everyone in the divan felt that Kösem Sultan wanted to build a military rule so that she could lead the empire in a way she liked. Thus, by 1651, only a few corps of Janissaries were actually on the side of Kösem in political terms. Although the people still loved her for her generous charity, in political terms their support did not mean much.

In addition to the growing tension with the pashas, Kösem Sultan had a rival in the harem also. Although most sources treat it as a fact that the relationship of Kösem Sultan and Turhan was terrible, there is no evidence to that effect. The relationship between the two of them only began to deteriorate over time, but in general, it can be said that Kösem Sultan just did not care about Turhan at all. She certainly looked down on her and didn't think much about Turhan. Kösem Sultan, although she had her own harem staff, did not have the most influential eunuch. Moreover, some said most of her servants also found her unworthy after realizing the way she treated Turhan. Perhaps it is no coincidence that so many sources mention a servant named Meleki Hatun, who famously switched sides and betrayed Kösem Sultan and began to strengthen Turhan’s side.

Turhan Hatice Sultan and her supporters

Turhan Hatice had more allies and so was in a better position in the harem than Kösem Sultan. She received help from an influential eunuch, Suleiman Agha. Suleiman aga was the leader of the harem agas, an ambitious eunuch with great power and contact system, with significant political influence. The harem was actually torn in two, thanks to the supporters of Kösem Sultan and Turhan Hatice. Both sides had their own chief eunuchs, which caused immense chaos within the harem, people did not know whose instructions to follow. And although the title of Valide Sultan belonged to Turhan Hatice as the mother of the sultan, the vernacular referred to her only as “small valide,” while Kösem Sultan was called “big valide”. Suleiman Agha's support, however, was worth its weight in gold. The eunuch looked primarily at his own interests throughout his life, and he had a great understanding of how to exploit and influence people. This is precisely why the possibility arises that it was Suleiman who set Turhan up and turned her against Kösem Sultan. Perhaps it was Suleiman who - hoping for his own rise from the young valide - persuaded her to take what was her right. In addition, Suleiman Agha was very liked by the young sultan, becoming a kind of father figure for the boy. Of course, it is not my intention to underestimate the role of Turhan in the events, but at the same time, I feel that the role of Suleiman Agha is actually underrated and I would like to make that clear. I’m not saying Turhan was a naive girl led by the evil Suleiman Agha, I just think that without Suleiman’s support and incitement, Turhan probably wouldn’t have, or much later, confronted Kösem Sultan.

In addition to Suleiman, three other major eunuchs also sided with Turhan: Hoca Reyhan Agha, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Agha, and Ali Agha. Hoca Reyhan Agha was closest to Turhan as his associate and religious leader, but Lala Hajji Aga was also a long-term partner in Turhan’s life. In addition to the eunuchs, we must also mention Meleki Hatun, whose legend is well known. According to this, she was the one who betrayed the plan of Kösem Sultan to Turhan, thus saving the little Sultan Mehmed from death and dethronement. However, the reality is probably less romantic. It is unlikely that a previously insignificant, never-ever mentioned servant like Meleki would have known about Kösem Sultan's plans and so could betray her. Certainly, Meleki was given a bigger role in the legend than she actually had. Maybe Meleki has agreed to be a scapegoat, testifying against Kösem Sultan if she gets goods in return. Given what a huge fortune Meleki gained after Kösem Sultan’s death, we can’t rule out this option either. Even if Meleki brought supporters for Turhan within the harem, she could have had quite a bit of an impact on the whole event. In addition to Turhan, the key figure was Suleiman Agha, who also had a close relationship with the divan, so he could easily connect members of the divan who were dissatisfied with Kösem Sultan. The most influential supporter was none other than the Grand Vizier, Siyavuş Pasha, but practically the entire divan turned against Kösem Sultan so far. It should also be mentioned that although most formations of the Janissaries were impartial or were on Kösem Sultan's side, the Sipahies tended to the group of Turhan and her supporters.

What led to the tragic night?

Before turning to the immediate causes, we need to jump back a bit in time to better understand Kösem Sultan's behavior. As is well known, Ibrahim I was succeeded by his son, Mehmed, barely 6 years old, who needed a regent. The statesmen asked Kösem Sultan for the honorary task. However, the request was rather strange. Why is that? The regent position was usually held by teachers, pashas, or mothers, and Kösem Sultan was none. Moreover, Kösem Sultan rejected the request for the first time on the grounds that she no longer has the strength to rule further.

Why did Kösem Sultan take on the task? Did she really want to retire?

To understand Kösem Sultan's thoughts, we need to jump a little further back in time. Kösem Sultan was in exile for years during Ibrahim's reign. From her exile, she repeatedly attempted a coup against her own son. From one of her surviving letters in exile, it is clear that she was part of the coup that eventually dethroned her son. Outwardly, however, she showed a very different picture. After Ibrahim was shut down, they wanted to put his son, Mehmed, on the throne. Kösem Sultan then met with the statesmen at Topkapi Palace to discuss with them what Ibrahim's fate should be. They negotiated for hours, but Kösem Sultan all along refused to give Ibrahim's eldest son to the statemen. The statesmen had to publicly convince Kösem Sultan for hours. Kösem Sultan who had previously done everything to dethrone her son is now standing by his son. Why? Of course, we will never know exactly what happened in her mind. However, it seems probable, that Kösem Sultan wanted to keep the image of a loving mother in front of the soldiers and the people. If she would just agree to Ibrahim's dethronement and Mehmed's enthronement that would be strange from a loving mother. Therefore, she held a sham debate with the pashas not to lose the sympathy of the people, but at the same time to keep the empire safe. Kösem Sultan was an experienced politician who was able to rule for years, and her loving and caring mother image was essential to that. Thus, with Kösem Sultan's consent, Sultan Ibrahim was eventually closed up and Mehmed has proclaimed their new sultan. Perhaps the first rejection of regency in 1648 was also part of a play like this. Kösem Sultan maybe felt the people expect this of her, so she offered to retire, while maybe in the background she had already agreed with the pashas.

And why did the members of the divan let Kösem Sultan to be the regent? After all, any of the members of the divan or even Mehmed's teacher could have applied for the task. And that would give huge power to them. So why did they give this opportunity to Kösem Sultan?

Ibrahim I was executed on August 18, 1648. Some say Kösem Sultan gave her consent to the execution but it cannot be ruled out that the execution took place behind her back. As I mentioned above, the mother of the dethroned or assassinated sultans has traditionally retreated to the Old Palace, where they lived their remaining years politically inactive. In her case, however, this did not happen. This raises the possibility that Kösem Sultan was unaware of Ibrahim’s execution and the pashas tried to reconcile the shattered woman with this gesture. Maybe Kösem gave her consent, knew what will happen, but still in the end she couldn't bear the pain. Either way, after the execution Kösem Sultan has changed. She turned against the pashas with whom she had always cooperated before. Whichever version is true, we can clearly see that the Kösem Sultan who became a regent to Mehmed IV, was no longer the same woman who had previously been considered the beloved mother of the empire.

But who ordered the execution of Ibrahim? Do we know? No, we do not know. Actually any of the statesmen could do it, but either Suleiman Agha or Turhan Sultan could make the little sultan to sign the fetwa petition and then send it to the Seyhülislam to authorize. Anyhow, the fetwa was authorized with full right, as Ibrahim was very harmful to the empire.

The murder

As can be seen from the above summary, Kösem Sultan was trying to build an absolute monarchy in which no one but a few Janissary corpses supported her, so a huge team gathered against her. According to the well-known version, over time, the strife between Kösem Sultan and the statesmen escalated to the point that, with the support of Turhan Hatice, the statesmen tried to remove her from her position. Kösem Sultan in response to this planned to dethrone Sultan Mehmed and put her other grandson on the throne instead. To do this, she wanted to let the Janissaries into the palace so that they could carry out the coup at night, which is why she left the gate to the harem open for the night. However, Kösem Sultan's plan was revealed to her enemies. According to some it was a servant named Meleki Hatun, who betrayed Kösem and told her plans to Turhan. Thus, as soon as the men of Kösem Sultan opened the gate on September 2, 1651, the men of Turhan Hatice, led by Chief Eunuch Suleiman Agha, closed it and sent an execution squad to the residence of Kösem Sultan. When she heard knocking on her door Kösem Sultan thought that her own allies had come, so she shouted at them, “Have you come?”. However, instead of the voice of the Janissaries, she heard the voice of the eunuch Suleiman Agha, which made her panic and flee. It’s not exactly known if she did get out of her apartment and if yes then how because the descriptions don’t match. Some said she hid in a closet inside her apartment, others said she tried to get to the Janissaries, but she couldn’t get through the closed gate, so she finally hid in the room next to the gate.

The execution squad, which consisted of several eunuchs (Suleiman Agha, Hoca Reyhan Agha, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Agha, and Ali Agha, as well as some unknown eunuchs) continued the search. Kösem Sultan hid in a closet from which the edge of her dress protruded, revealing her hiding place. When they found her, she threw money at her executioners, trying to pay them off, but she had no chance against Turhan's loyal men. Legend has it that while the men tried to capture and strangle the valide sultan they ripped out her diamond earrings - which she had received from Sultan Ahmed - from her ears; torn apart her clothes as they tried to take away the precious ornaments from her. Kösem Sultan beyond her sixties fought very hard but in the end, the eunuchs overcame her. Some say she was strangled with her own hair, others said with a curtain. She survived the first strangulation attempt but did not survive the second.

However, there are several points in the story above that raise doubts:

- Kösem Sultan's problem was not Mehmed but was the pashas, Turhan and Suleiman Agha. Then why didn't she get rid of them? Wouldn’t it have been easier and more logical to kill these people than to dethrone one child sultan for the benefit of another child? Of course, we can justify this with the fact that Kösem Sultan was no longer sane, so let’s not even look for logic in her actions. However, it may also raise the possibility that perhaps Kösem Sultan was completely or at least partially innocent throughout the series of events. She may not have planned anything with the Janissaries, the whole plan was only invented by Turhan and her men to legitimize their own actions. However, it contradicts that the Janissaries were indeed preparing to gather on the tragic night, and it is unlikely that Turhan and her team could successfully cheat the Janissaries without Kösem Sultan realizing it. It is possible that Kösem Sultan was indeed prepared for a minor coup, but it was perhaps not directed against Mehmed. Kösem Sultan had to realize that besides the pashas, Suleiman Aga was behind the "rebellious" behavior of Turhan and Mehmed. I think Kösem Sultan planned a smaller coup in which she would have got rid of the eunuchs and servants she didn’t like and would have scared Mehmed and Turhan. This would have ensured her own power and that neither Turhan nor Mehmed would question her anymore.

- Why was Kösem Sultan killed in such a strange way? After all, the lawful, usual method of execution was by an execution squad with Seyhülislam fetwa and silk/bow string. (It is important to note, however, that female members of the dynasty have not been executed before, women have typically been punished only with exile.) Kösem Sultan in contrast was killed by inexperienced eunuchs, with a kind of fake fetwa, and by her own hair or a curtain. The question arises that perhaps the execution of Kösem Sultan was not even planned. If the execution would be planned, executioners could clearly kill her after a legal fetwa. About the fetwa... There was, of course, a fetwa, but the temporality is somewhat disturbed by the fact that the Seyhülislam was replaced by one of Turhan's trusted men just when the execution took place. Precisely because of this, and because of the unusual brutality of the execution, there is a possibility that perhaps the execution of Kösem Sultan was not originally planned, only things slipped out of control, and in the heat of the moment, the Eunuchs executed Kösem Sultan. In retrospect, to legalize the events, they produced a fetwa with the new Seyhülislam.

- But then who and why did finally decide that Kösem Sultan should die? Turhan was not present at the events, and since the murder was not planned in advance - based on the fetwa and executioners - I would remove her from the list of suspects. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Turhan Hatice Sultan and Suleiman Agha talked about this possibility also. It is more probable, however, that they originally merely wanted to scare Kösem Sultan, to show her that she had been exposed, that time had passed over her. In my opinion, Turhan hoped that Kösem Sultan would admit her defeat and simply retire to the Old Palace. It would have been too risky to kill a venerate and beloved valide, especially knowing that none of the female members of the dynasty had ever been executed before. They probably wanted to resign her, but so far there was nothing to lose for Kösem Sultan. The only thing that still made her vivid was power, so she certainly objected to the idea of ​​forced retreat. When Suleiman Agha realized that Kösem Sultan was not listening to them, perhaps out of fear, he decided they had to kill her. After all, if the enraged Kösem Sultan had come out of the palace, Suleiman and the other eunuchs would have found themselves headless at once. Although there is no evidence of it, my personal opinion is that Suleiman may have wanted this from the first minute, as he knew full well that Kösem Sultan would never retire. Either way, the eunuchs eventually defeated and executed the elderly valide in a way that could not be called professional at all.

- Can we completely rule out that Kösem Sultan was executed with a truly legal fetwa and by an execution squad? Unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out either. The English ambassador, for example, reported that an execution squad had killed Kösem Sultan after a fetwa requested by the young sultan. He said that the execution happened in front of Mehmed eyes. We must admit though that the English ambassador was not among the best-informed ones. It is likely that everyone at the time believed that the fetwa was pre-issued. Only later, after historians’ research, it became very possible that the fetwa was presumably made after the execution of Kösem Sultan. It is not seems reasonable that Kösem Sultan would have been executed before the eyes of her 10-year-old grandson, Mehmed. Turhan tried very hard to protect her son, unlikely to have exposed him to such a trauma. Mustafa Naima agrees with the English ambassador that the execution was planned in advance, but he said it was not the eunuchs but an execution squad that killed Kösem Sultan. However, then why was the execution brutal? Why wasn't there a silk/bow string? Why was it performed by unfit eunuchs?

The aftermath of the murder

To prevent any resistance, during the night, Turhan Hatice and her men removed all statesmen who would have endangered them. The first man to be appointed that night was Ebu Said Efendi, the new Seyhülislam. He was the one who eventually issued the fetwa for the execution of Kösem Sultan (in retrospect). Turhan then sent a message to all statesmen and soldiers to immediately go to an audience where they would take allegiance to Sultan Mehmed. Most, out of fear or out of sincere feelings, immediately approached the Sultan, and those who did not, the new Seyhülislam issued a fetwa for them. Thus it became lawful to execute the supporters of Kösem Sultan, since they did not appear before the Sultan either. And the rebellious Janissaries were thus stigmatized as traitors and were legally executed. For commoners, they became the scapegoat for the death of Kösem Sultan. After the murder, Kösem Sultan was transported to the Old Palace, where her body was prepared for the funeral. She received an imperial funeral, and the people of Istanbul voluntarily held 3-day mourning, closing all shops and stores. Kösem Sultan has always been popular among the people, but interestingly the same people did not turn against Turhan because of the death of Kösem Sultan, in fact, Turhan became as loved and revered valide sultan just as Kösem Sultan was.

What happened to the real culprits? Turhan and Mehmed escaped, of course, but it is questionable whether they had any part in the murder at all. It is true that a rebellion in 1656 seriously shook their power, but in the end, they did not lose it. The main reasons for this were the weak Grand Veziers, the resurgent Celali rebellion, and the war with the Venetians. Due to the war people of the capital did not get enough grain, the soldiers were not properly paid, but ordinary people were also increasingly dissatisfied, especially angered by the extreme wealth of those close to the Sultan. Eventually, under the leadership of the Janissaries and Spahis, the people revolted on the fourth of March 1656. During the rebellion, several of those close to the sultan were brutally executed, the whole capital was ravaged. The mob hung all 31 people on trees next to the Blue Mosque. Among them was Meleki Hatun, whom the sultan especially loved. Although the capital has been shaken by riots in the past, such a rebellion has never happened before. Not only did the soldiers revolt, but the people also stood by the soldiers as one. Everyone closed their shops, a general strike took place during the rebellion.

Suleiman Agha was no longer in power when the rebellion took place and perhaps this held his head on his neck. After the assassination of Kösem Sultan, he became the chief black eunuch, but he could only enjoy the position until July 1652. Suleiman continued to stretch beyond his blanket, trying to change political issues that had nothing to do with him. Turhan Hatice also began to realize that Suleiman was not on their side at all, but only on his own. Of particular interest is that Lala Ibrahim Agha convinced Turhan of this, who himself took part in the execution of Kösem Sultan. Lala Ibrahim Agha was Turhan’s personal eunuch and he never longed (or wisely didn’t show her) for a higher position. Turhan was thus finally dismissed Suleiman Agha in 1652 and exiled him to Egypt. The refined eunuch even invented himself in exile, growing into an influential figure who became one of the main figures in Cairo’s local politics. He died in 1676/7.

Epilogue

We will probably never know exactly what led to the execution and how it took place. Nor was my aim with the post to present a perfect solution in the manner as Hercule Poirot usually does. I merely wished to shed light on the fact that the generally known and accepted theory should be regarded with some healthy doubts. The fact that it is the most generally accepted theory, does not mean it is the most thorough. There are plenty of question marks, dubious information which makes it clear that this whole situation was more complicated than two women fighting for domination over the harem.

Kösem Sultan was the sultana who broke the highest, who could have been at the top for a long time, but from the great heights, she finally fell down and became the only murdered valide sultana ever. Kösem Sultan had several titles during her life: Naib-i Sultanat (regent of the Ottoman Empire), Umin al-Mu'minin (mother of all muslims), Büyük Valide Sultan (great Valide Sultan), Valide-i Sehide (martyred mother), Valide-i Maktule (murdered mother), Valide-i Muazzama (magnificent mother).

Used sources:  M. Kocaaslan - IV. Mehmed Saltanatında Topkapı Sarayı Haremi: İktidar, Sınırlar ve Mimari; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem; Ö. Kumrular - Kösem Sultan: iktidar, hırs, entrika; C. Finkel - Osman’s Dream: the History of the Ottoman Empire; M. P. Pedani - Relazioni inedite; N. Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları; G. Börekçi - Factions and Favorites at the Courts of Sultan Ahmed I and His Immediate Predecessors; F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Ö. Düzbakar - Charitable Women And Their Pious Foundations In The Ottoman; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire, Networks of Power in the Court of the Sultan.

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A Nők szultánátusának egyik legtöbbször tárgyalt témája Köszem szultána brutális kivégzése. Általában a laikusok elintézik annyival, hogy Köszem szultánát menye, Turhan Hatice gyilkoltatta meg hosszas hatalmi harc lezárásaként. Rengeteg beszámoló áll rendelkezésünkre az eseményekről, ám meglehetősen kevés van köztük, mely konkrétan korabeli lenne. Ebben az írásban szeretném összegezni, hogy mit tudunk, kik voltak a szereplők az eseményekben és hogy mi történhetett azon a bizonyos éjjelen. A kommentszekcióban várom mindenki véleményét, megjegyzését a témáról, hogy meg tudjuk vitatni a posztot! :) Aki nem ismerné Köszem szultánát, az ITT tudja elolvasni életrajzát.  

Mit tudunk biztosan?

- Köszem I. Ibrahim trónfosztása és kivégzése után régens lett unokája IV. Mehmed mellett. - Turhan, Mehmed anyja és Köszem külöböző oldalon álltak a politikai játszmák során. - Köszemet 1651. szeptember 2-án meggyilkolták ellenségei. - Turhan Hatice lett az új régens, Köszem gyilkosai nem lettek megbüntetve, támogatóitól azonban rövidesen megszabadultak.

Előzmények

Köszem szultána 1640 februárjában másodjára került hatalomra. Zavart elméjú fia, I. Ibrahim mellett régensként kezdte irányítani az Oszmán Birodalmat. Köszemet mindenki szerette, az uralkodásban hatalmas tapasztalata volt, rengeteget jótékonykodott. Minden tökéletesnek tűnt, azonban fia, Ibrahim hamarosan rossz emberek befolyása alá került. Cinci Hoca okkult tudományokkal foglalkozó vallási vezető volt, aki kihasználta a szultán mentális problémáit és komolyan befolyásolta őt. Ennek az lett az eredménye, hogy a szultán 1644-ben a nagyvezírét kivégeztette, édesanyját pedig száműzte. Eredetileg Rodosz szigetére szándékozta küldeni anyját, de végül ágyasai meggyőzték, hogy csak egy másik palotába küldje. Köszem elkövetkezendő éveit ott töltötte száműzetésben, ám ezalatt az idő alatt is rendszeresen levelezett az államférfiakkal és igyekezett kézben tartani mindent. Valószínűleg itt írta meg jól ismert levelét is Hezarpare Ahmed Pasának, mely így szólt: “Végül sem titeket, sem engem nem hagyna életben és újra elveszítenénk az uralmat az állam felett, ezzel pedig lerombolnánk társadalmunkat.” Odáig fajult a helyzet, hogy 1647-ben Köszem szultána és az új nagyvezír, Salih Pasa és a Seyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi megpróbálták trónfosztani Ibrahimot, azonban lebuktak. A következő évben a janicsárok és az ulema is csatlakozott a lázadáshoz és 1648 augusztus 8-án könnyűszerrel trónfosztották és bebörtönözték az őrült szultánt, követőit pedig eltávolították a pozíciókból.

Ibrahimot a trónon fia, az alig 6 éves Mehmed követte, aki mellett szükség volt egy régensre. Az államférfiak Köszemet kérték fel a megtisztelő feladatra. A régensi pozíciót általában tanítók, pasák vagy édesanyák látták el (II. Mehmed esetében a nagyvezír volt régens, I. Ahmednél anyja és tanítója, IV. Muradnál és I. Ibrahimnál anyjuk), így Köszem volt az első nagymama, akiből régens lehetett. Erre a legelfogadottabb vélemények szerint azért kerülhetett sor, mert Mehmed édesanyja, Turhan Hatice még 25 éves sem volt ekkor, túl fiatal és tapasztalatlan volt a birodalom irányításához. Köszem tehát belekezdett harmadik régensségébe és folyamatosan semmibe vette Mehmed édesanyját, Turhant. Turhan fiatalsága okán talán tényleg nem lett volna jó régens, ugyanakkor a hárem irányításához minden joga megvolt. Köszem viszont ezt sem engedte meg a fiatal nőnek. Turhan tehát hiába volt a regnáló szultán anyja, minden feladatkörét Köszem uralta. Emellett Köszem a divánban is egyre több ellenségre tett szert, így a hárem és a divan is két oldalra szakadt: Köszem támogatóira és Turhan támogatóira.

Két, szemben álló oldal és a szereplők

Köszem oldala

Köszem évtizedeken át uralta régensként a birodalmat, amikor pedig nem régens volt, valideként követte figyelemmel az eseményeket. Életének korábbi szakaszában a legtöbb pasa mellette állt, ami nem volt elmondható harmadik régensségéről. Köszem első régenssége alatt is jelezte, hogy ő, mint az uralkodó reprezentálása ott kíván lenni a divan gyűléseken személyesen. Ezt akkor a pasák nem engedték meg neki, amit ő kénytelen-kelletlen el is fogadott. Harmadik régenssége során azonban szó sem lehetett arról, hogy meghajoljon bárki akarata előtt. Elveszítette összes fiát, legalább egy lányát is eltemette már, egész életét a birodalomnak áldozta, nem volt hajlandó többé bármiben is kompromisszumot kötni. Gyakorlatilag egyeduralkodóként kívánta irányítani a birodalmat. A divanban pedig aki nem értett vele egyet, azt eltiporta és menesztette. Köszem jogát az uralkodáshoz egyre többen kezdték el vitatni, egyik ilyen divan vita során hangzott el a jól ismert beszéde is. Ekkor Köszem megvádolta a nagyvezír Sofu Ahmed Pasát azzal, hogy meg akarta őt öletni, majd így folytatta: “Istennek hála négy uralkodót segítettem és én magam is hosszú ideig uralkodtam. A világ nem fog sem összeomlani sem megreformálódni a halálommal.”

Köszem azonban nem elégedett meg a pasák megalázásával, tanácsaik el nem fogadásával. Még csak nem is neki tetsző más pasákra cserélte le őket, hanem janicsárokat kezdett vezíri rangra emelni. A janicsárok Köszem első régenssége óta hűséggel szolgálták az asszonyt, amiért az mindenkivel szembe menve 1623-ban hatalmas trónralépési jussot adott a janicsároknak IV. Murad trónralépése után. Bár voltak lázadások és egyet nem értések, alapvetően a janicsárok - de legalábbis néhány hadtestük - hűségesek voltak Köszemhez. A janicsárok képviselete évszázadok óta működött, azonban az, hogy janicsárokat - vagy egyszerűen katonákat - tegyenek vezírré a kitanult államférfiak helyett, több volt a soknál. Mindenki úgy érezte a divanban, hogy Köszem egy katonai uralmat kíván kiépíteni, hogy a neki tetsző módon vezethesse a birodalmat. Így Köszem oldalán 1651-re tulajdonképpen csak a janicsárok néhány hadteste állt politikai értelemben. Bár a nép továbbra is szerette őt bőkezű jótékonykodása miatt, politikai értelemben az ő támogatásuk nem jelentett sokat.

Amellett, hogy a pasákkal egyre nőtt a feszültség, Köszem a háremben is riválisra akadt. Bár a legtöbb forrás tényként kezeli, hogy Köszem és menye, Turhan viszonya tragikus volt, nincs erre utaló bizonyíték. Kettejük viszonya csak az idő előrehaladtával kezdett megromlani, általánosan azonban inkább az mondható el, hogy Köszem egyáltalán nem foglalkozott menyével. Mindenbizonnyal lenézte és nem tartotta sokra Turhant, így komolyan sem vette a nőt. Köszemnek bár megvolt a saját hárem személyzete, a legbefolyásosabb eunuch nem volt a kezében. Mindemellett egyesek szerint szolgálói nagyrésze is méltatlannak találta, ahogy Köszem Turhannal bánt. Talán nem véletlen, hogy oly sok forrás említi a Meleki Hatun nevű szolgálót, aki híresen oldalt váltott és Köszemet elárulva Turhan oldalát kezdte erősíteni.

Turhan Hatice oldala

Turhan Hatice a háremben jobban állt, mint Köszem. Segítséget kapott egy befolyásos eunuchtól, Szulejmán agától. Szulejmán aga volt a hárem agák vezetője, aki nagy hatalommal és kapcsolatrendszerrel rendelkező, ambíciózus eunuch volt, jelentős politikai befolyással. A hárem tulajdonképpen két oldalra szakadt, Köszem és Turhan Hatice támogatóira. Mind a két oldalnak megvolt a saját főeunuchja, ami hatalmas káoszt okozott a háremen belül, az emberek nem tudták, kinek az utasításait kövessék. És bár a valide szultána titulus a szultán anyjaként Turhan Haticét illette meg, a köznyelv csak “kis valide”-ként hivatkozott rá, míg Köszem volt a “nagy valide”. Szulejmán Aga támogatása ugyanakkor aranyat ért. Az eunuch első sorban a saját érdekeit nézte egész élete során, azonban remekül értett ahhoz, hogyan használjon ki és vezessen meg embereket. Épp emiatt felmerül annak a lehetősége is, hogy Szulejmán volt az, aki Turhant felbújtotta és Köszem ellen hangolta. Talán Szulejmán volt az, aki saját felemelkedését remélve a fiatal validétől, meggyőzte arról, hogy vegye el ami a saját jussa. Emellett Szulejmán Aga az ifjú szultánnal is megkedveltette magát, egyfajta apafigurává vált a fiú számára. Természetesen nem célom alábecsülni Turhan szerepét az eseményekben, ugyanakkor úgy érzem, hogy Szulejmán Aga szerepe ténylegesen alábecsült és ezt szeretném mindneképpen érzékeltetni. Nem azt mondom, hogy Turhan egy naíva volt, akit megvezetett a csúf, rossz Szulejmán Aga, csupán azt gondolom, hogy Szulejmán támogatása és felbújtása nélkül, Turhan valószínűleg nem, vagy sokkal később szállt volna szembe Köszemmel.

Szulejmán mellett három másik jelentősebb eunuch is Turhan oldalán állt, Hoca Reyhan Aga, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Aga és Ali Aga. Hoca Reyhan Aga állt legközelebb Turhanhoz, mint társalkodója és vallási vezetője, de Lala Hajji Aga is hosszútávú partner volt Turhan életében. Az eunuchok mellett meg kell említenünk Meleki Hatunt is, akinek legendája jól ismert. Eszerint ő volt az, aki Köszem tervét elárulta Turhannak, ezzel megmentve a kis Mehmed szultánt a haláltól és trónfosztástól. A valóság azonban valószínűleg kevésbé romantikus. Valószínűtlen, hogy egy korábban sosem említett, jelentéktelen szolgáló, mint Meleki tudott volna Köszem terveiről és el tudta volna árulni. Minden bizonnyal Melekit csupán oldalváltása miatt ruházták fel nagyobb szereppel, mint ami valójában volt. Talán Meleki elvállalta, hogy lesz bűnbak, tanúskodik Köszem ellen, ha cserébe javakat kap. Legalábbis tekintettel arra, hogy Meleki milyen hatalmas vagyonra tett szert Köszem halála után, nem zárhatjuk ki ezt az opciót sem. Meleki ha a háremen belül hozott is támogatókat Turhan számára, az egész eseményre meglehetősen kevés ráhatása lehetett. A kulcs figura Turhan mellett Szulejmán aga volt, akinek komoly kapcsolata volt a divánnal is, így könnyedén tudta csapatukhoz kapcsolni a divan Köszemmel elégedetlen tagjait is. A legbefolyásosabb támogató nem volt más, mint a Nagyvezír, Siyavuş Pasa, de gyakorlatilag szinte a teljes divan Köszem ellen fordult eddigre. Azt is meg kell említeni, hogy bár a jancsiárok legtöbb alakulata pártatlan vagy Köszem párti volt, a szpáhik inkább húztak a Turhan támogatói csoport felé.

Mi vezetett a tragikus éjszakához?

Mielőtt a közvetlen okokra rátérnék, kicsit vissza kell ugranunk az időben, hogy jobban megérthessük Köszem viselkedését. Mint ismert, trónfosztása után, I. Ibrahimot a trónon fia, az alig 6 éves Mehmed követte, aki mellett szükség volt egy régensre. Az államférfiak Köszemet k��rték fel a megtisztelő feladatra. Ugyanakkor a felkérés meglehetősen furcsa volt. Miért is? A régensi pozíciót általában tanítók, pasák vagy édesanyák látták el, Köszem pedig egyik sem volt. Sőt, Köszem a felkérést először elutasította arra hivatkozva, hogy már nincs ereje tovább uralkodni.

Miért vállalta el Köszem mégis a feladatot? Valóban vissza akart vonulni?

Ahhoz, hogy megértsük Köszem gondolatait, még egy kicsit visszább kell ugranunk az időben. Köszem Ibrahim uralkodása során száműzetésben volt éveken át. Száműzetéséből pedig többször kísérelt meg puccsot saját fia ellen. Egyik száműzetésben írt levele alapján egyértelmű, hogy részese volt a puccsnak, mely végül fiát trónfosztotta. Kifelé azonban egészen más képet mutatott. Miután Ibrahimot elzárták, trónra szerették volna léptetni fiát, Mehmedet. Köszem szultána ekkor találkozott a Topkapi Palotában az államférfiakkal, hogy megvitassa velük mi legyen Ibrahim sorsa. Órákon át tárgyaltak, Köszem azonban végig megtagadta, hogy kiadja Ibrahim legidősebb fiát, Mehmedet. Így pedig nem lehetett őt kikiáltani szultánnak. Az államférfiaknak órákon keresztül kellett nyilvánsoan győzködniük Köszemet. Az a Köszem, aki korábban mindent elkövetett fia trónfosztásáért, most fia mellett állt ki. Miért? Természetesen sosem fogjuk megtudni, hogy Köszem fejében pontosan mi játszódott le. Valószínűnek tűnik azonban, hogy Köszem szerette volna megtartani a katonák és nép előtt a szerető anya képét, melybe nem fért bele saját fiának trónfosztása. Ezért egy álvitát tartott a pasákkal, hogy ne veszítse el a nép szimpátiáját, de ugyanakkor a birodalomnak is jót tegyen. Köszem tapasztalt politikus volt, aki éveken át tudott vezető szerepben maradni, ehhez pedig nélkülözhetetlen volt az imázs is. Így végül Köszem beleegyezésével elzárták Ibrahim szultánt, Mehmedet pedig új szultánjukká kiáltották ki. Talán a régensség első elutasítása is egy ehhez hasonló színjáték része volt. Köszem talán úgy érezte, hogy a nép ezt várja tőle, ezért felajánlotta visszavonulását, miközben talán a háttérben már régen megegyezett a pasákkal.

És a divan tagjai miért hagyták, hogy Köszem legyen a régens? Hiszen a divan tagjai közül akárki vagy akár Mehmed tanítója is jelentkezhetett volna a feladatra. Ez pedig hatalmas befolyást tett volna a férfiak kezébe. Miért engedték hát akkor át ezt a lehetőséget Köszemnek?

I. Ibrahimot 1648. augusztus 18-án kivégezték. Egyesek szerint Köszem szultána beleegyezését adta fia kivégzésébe, ám az sem zárható ki, hogy a kivégzés a háta mögött történt meg. Mint már fentebb említettem a trónfosztott vagy meggyilkolt szultánok édesanyja a tradíció szerint a Régi Palotába vonult vissza, ahol politikamentesen élték hátralévő éveiket. Köszem esetében azonban nem ez történt. Ez felveti annak eshetőségét, hogy Köszem nem tudott Ibrahim kivégzéséről és a pasák ezzel a gesztussal igyekeztek kiengesztelni az összetört nőt. De akkor ki rendelte el Ibrahim kivégzését? Gyakorlatilag bárki megtehette az államférfiak közül, de akár Szulejmán aga vagy Turhan is aláírathatta a fetwa kérvényt a kis szultánnal, melyet aztán a Seyhülislam teljes joggal engedélyezett, hiszen Ibrahim nagyon kártékony volt a birodalomra nézve. Akárhogyan is, Köszem a kivégzés után megváltozott. Vagy azért fordult a pasák ellen - akikkel korábban mindig együttműködő volt -, mert azok átverték őt Ibrahim kivégzésével kapcsolatban; vagy egyszerűen anyai szíve nem bírta elviselni, hogy beleegyezését adta fia kivégzésébe és megbomlott az elméje. Bármelyik verzió is igaz, azt tisztán látjuk, hogy az a Köszem, aki IV. Mehmed mellett régens lett, már nem ugyanaz az ember volt, akit korábban a birodalom imádott anyjának tekintettek.

A gyilkosság

Ahogy a fenti összefoglalásból is kiderül, Köszem egyeduralmat próbált kiépíteni, melyben néhány janicsár hadtesten kívül senki nem támogatta, így hatalmas csapat gyűlt össze ellene. A jól ismert verzió szerint, idővel a viszály Köszem és az államférfiak között odáig fajtult, hogy Turhan Hatice támogatásával az államférfiak megpróbálták Köszemet eltávolítani pozíciójából. Köszem válaszul erre azt tervezte, hogy trónfosztja IV. Mehmed szultánt és helyette másik unokáját ülteti a trónra. Ehhez a janicsárokat be kívánta engedni a palotába, hogy azok az éj leple alatt elvégezzék a puccsot, emiatt nyitva hagyatta éjszakára a hárem bejáratát. Köszem terve azonban ellenségei fülébe jutott, egyesek szerint egy Meleki nevű szolgáló által. Így amint Köszem emberei 1651. szeptember 2-án, kinyitották a kaput, Turhan Hatice emberei, a főeunuch Szulejmán Aga vezetésével bezáratták azt és kivégzőosztagot küldtek Köszem szultána lakrészébe. Mikor emberei Köszem lakrészéhez érve bekopogtak az ajtón, Köszem azt hitte, hogy saját emberei jöttek, ezért kikiabált nekik, hogy “Megjöttetek?”. Erre azonban a janicsárok hangja helyett Köszem az eunuch Szulejmán Aga hangját hallotta meg, amitől bepánikolt és menekülni kezdett. Nem pontosan tudni, hogy hogy jutott ki lakrészéből vagy ki jutott e egyáltalán, mert a leírások nem egyeznek. Egyesek szerint lakrészén belül bújt el egy szekrényben, mások szerint megpróbált kijutni a janicsárokhoz, azonban a zárt kapun keresztül nem tudott, így végül a kapu melletti szobában bújt el. A kivégzőosztag, amely több eunuchból (Szulejmán Aga, Hoca Reyhan Aga, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Aga és Ali Aga, valamint néhány ismeretlen eunuch) állt folytatta a keresést. Köszem egy szekrényben rejtőzött el, melyből ruhájának széle kilógott, ezzel felfedve rejtekhelyét. Amikor megtalálták, kivégzői elé pénzt dobott, ezzel próbálva lefizetni őket, ám esélye sem volt Turhan hű embereivel szemben. A legenda szerint a férfiak próbálták lefogni a validét, miközben füléből kitépték gyémánt fülbevalóit, melyeket Ahmed szultántól kapott; ruháját is megtépkedték, ahogy próbálták leszedni róla az értékes díszeket. Köszem túl a hatvanon is erősen ellenállt kivégzőinek, ám végül felülkerekedtek rajta. Egyesek szerint saját hajával, mások szerint egy függönnyel fojtották meg. Az első fojtogatási kísérlet után még magához tért, a másodikat azonban már nem élte túl.

Van azonban több olyan pont a fenti történetben, ami kétségeket ébreszt:

- Köszem problémája nem Mehmed volt, hanem a pasák, Turhan és Szulejmán Aga. Miért nem tőlük szabadult meg? Nem lett volna egyszerűbb és jogszerűbb meggyilkoltatni ezeket az embereket, mint trónfosztani az egyik gyermek szultánt egy másik gyermek javára? Természetesen megindokolhatjuk annyival a dolgot, hogy Köszem nem volt már épelméjű, így ne is keressünk logikát cselekedeteiben. Ugyanakkor felmerülhet az is, hogy talán Köszem teljesen vagy legalább részben ártatlan volt az egész eseménysorozatban. Elképzelhető, hogy nem tervezett semmit a janicsárokkal, az egész terv csak Turhan és emberei által lett kitalálva, hogy legitimizálják saját tetteiket. Ennek azonban ellent mond, hogy a janicsárok a tragikus éjszakán valóban gyülekezni készültek, az pedig nem valószínű, hogy Turhan és csapata sikerrel vezette meg a janicsárokat úgy, hogy Köszem erről ne szerzett volna tudomást. Lehetséges, hogy Köszem valóban készült egy kisebb puccsra, de az talán nem Mehmed ellen irányult. Köszemnek látnia kellett, hogy a pasák mellett Szulejmán Aga a fő felbújtó Turhan és Mehmed "rebellis" viselkedése mögött. Úgy vélem, Köszem egy kisebb puccsot tervezett, melyben megszabadult volna a neki nem tetsző eunuchoktól, szolgálóktól és ráijesztett volna Mehmedre és Turhanra. Ezzel biztosíthatta volna saját hatalmát és azt, hogy többé se Turhan se Mehmed ne kérdőjelezze őt meg.

- Miért gyilkolták meg Köszemet ilyen furcsa módon? Hiszen a jogszerű, szokásos kivégzési mód kivégző osztag által, Seyhülislami fetwával és selyemzsinórral történt. (Fontos ugyanakkor megjegyezni, hogy a dinasztia nő tagjain nem alkalmaztak korábban kivégzést, a nőket jellemzően száműzetéssel büntették.) Köszemet ezzel szemben képzetlen eunuchokkal, hamis fetwával és a saját hajával vagy egy függönnyel gyilkolták meg. Felmerül a kérdés, hogy talán Köszem kivégzése nem is volt eltervezve. Ha a kivégzés el lett volna tervezve, könnyedén tudtak volna kivégzőket szerezni selyemzsinórral és a fetwa kikérésének körülményei is egyértelműek lennének. Volt természetesen fetwa, de az időbeliséget kissé megzavarja a tény, hogy a régi Seyhülislamot ugyanakkor váltották le Turhan egyik megbízható emberére, mikor a kivégzés zajlott. Épp emiatt, és a kivégzés szokásostól eltérő brutalitása miatt, felmerülhet annak a lehetősége is, hogy talán Köszem kivégzése nem volt eredetileg eltervezve, csupán menet közben csúszott ki az irányítás Turhan kezéből és a pillanat hevében az eunuchok kivégezték Köszemet. Utólag pedig, hogy legalizálják az eseményeket gyártattak egy fetwát az új Seyhülislámmal.

- De akkor ki és miért döntött végül úgy, hogy Köszemnek meg kell halnia? Turhan nem volt jelen az események során, és mivel a gyilkosság nem volt előre eltervezve, őt kihúznám a gyanúsítottak listájáról. Természetesen az nem zárható ki, hogy Szulejmán Agával beszéltek erről az eshetőségről is. Valószínűbb azonban, hogy eredtileg csupán rá akartak ijeszteni Köszemre, megmutatni neki, hogy leleplezték, eljárt felette az idő. Véleményem szerint Turhan azt remélte, hogy Köszem beismeri vereségét és egyszerűen visszavonul a Régi Palotába. Túl kockázatos lett volna megölni egy ennyire tisztelt és szeretett validét, úgy, hogy korábban sosem végezték ki a dinasztia egyik nőtagját sem. Nem vall épelmére szánt szándékkal előrekitervelten, ilyen módon megölni Köszemet. Valószínűleg le akarták mondatni, Köszemnek azonban eddigre már nem volt vesztenivalója. Az egyetlen dolog, ami még éltette az a hatalom volt, így minden bizonnyal ellenkezett a kényszer visszavonulás gondolatától. Mikor Szulejmán Aga felismerte, hogy Köszem nem hallgat rájuk, talán félelemből úgy döntött meg kell őt ölniük. Hiszen ha a felbőszített Köszem kijutott volna a palotából Szulejmán és a többi eunuch azon nyomban fej nélkül találta volna magát. Bár nem utal rá bizonyíték, de személyes véleményem az, hogy Szulejmán talán az első perctől kezdve ezt akarta, hiszen tudta jól, hogy Köszem sosem fog visszavonulni. Akárhogyan is az eunuchok végül professzionálisnak egyáltalán nem mondható módon legyűrték az idős validét és kivégezték.

- Teljesen kizárható, hogy legális fetwa és kivégző osztag végzett Köszemmel? Sajnos ezt sem zárhatjuk ki. Az angol követ például arról számolt be, hogy kivégző osztag ölte meg Köszemet, az ifjú szultán által kért fetwa után, Mehmed szeme láttára. Igaz, hogy az angol követ nem a legjobban informáltak közé tartozott. Valószínű, hogy mindenki úgy hitte akkoriban, hogy a fetwa előre volt kiadva, csak később, a történészek kutatásai világítottak rá arra, hogy a fetwa feltehetőleg Köszem kivégzése után készült el. Azt pedig, hogy Köszemet a 10 éves Mehmed szeme láttára végezték volna ki, nem tartom valószínűnek. Turhan nagyon erősen igyekezett óvni fiát, nem valószínű, hogy kitette volna őt egy ilyen traumának. Mustafa Naima abban egyetért az angol követtel, hogy a kivégzés előre megtervezett volt, ám szerinte nem eunuchok, hanem kivégző osztag végzett a valide szultánával. Azonban akkor miért volt brutális a kivégzés? Miért nem volt selyemzsinór? Miért alkalmatlan eunuchok vitték véghez?

A gyilkosság utóhatása

Hogy megakadályozzanak bármiféle ellenállást, Turhan Hatice és emberei az éjszaka folyamán minden olyan államférfit eltávolítottak posztjáról, aki veszélyeztette volna őket. Az első ember, akit kineveztek akkor éjjel, az Ebu Said Efendi lett, az új Seyhülislam. Ő volt az, aki végül kiadta a fetwát Köszem kivégzésére (utólagosan). Ezekután Turhan megüzente az összes államférfinak és katonának, hogy azonnal menjenek audienciára, ahol hűséget fogadnak Mehmed szultánnak. A legtöbben félelemből vagy őszinte érzések által vezérelve, azonnal a szultán elé járultak, akik pedig nem, azokra az új Seyhülislám fetwat adott ki. Így vált jogszerűvé Köszem támogatóinak kivégzése is, hiszen ők sem jelentek meg a szultán előtt. A lázadó janicsárok pedig így árulóként lettek megbélyegezve és legálisan kivégezték őket. A nép szemében végül ők lettek bűnbaknak kikiáltva Köszem haláláért. Köszemet a gyilkosság után a Régi Palotába szállították, ahol előkészítették testét a temetésre. Birodalmi temetést kapott, Isztambul népe pedig önkéntesen 3 napos gyászt tartott, bezárva minden boltot és üzletet. Köszem mindig népszerű volt az emberek között, ám érdekes módon ugyanaz a nép, nem fordult Turhan ellen Köszem halála miatt, sőt, Turhan hasonlóan szeretett és tisztelt valide szultána lett, mint amilyen Köszem volt.

Mi történt a valódi bűnösökkel? Turhan és Mehmed természetesen megúszták, ugyanakkor kérdéses, hogy a gyilkosságban egyáltalán volt e részük. Igaz egy 1656-os lázadás komolyan megrengette hatalmukat, de végül nem veszítették el azt. A lázadásnak a legnagyobb oka a gyenge nagyvezírek, az újjáéledő Celali lázadás és a velenceiekkel vívott háború voltak. A körülmények miatt nem jutott elég gabona a fővárosba, a katonák nem kaptak rendesen fizetést, de az egyszerű emberek is egyre elégedetlenebbek voltak, különösen dühítette őket a szultánhoz közelállók extrém gazdagsága. Végül a janicsárok és szpáhik vezetésével a nép fellázadt 1656 március negyedikén. A lázadás során a szultánhoz közelállók közül többeket brutálisan kivégeztek, az egész fővárost feldúlták. A csőcselék Mehmed 31 közeli emberét a Kék Mecset mellett akasztotta fel egy egy fára. Köztük volt Meleki Hatun is, akit a szultán különösen szeretett. Bár korábban is rázták meg lázadások a fővárost, ehhez fogható még sosem történt. Nem csak a katonák lázadtak fel, a nép is egy emberként állt ki a katonák mellett és állt be mögéjük. Mindenki bezárta boltjait, általános sztrájk lépett érvénybe a lázadás idejére.

Szulejmán Aga már nem volt hatalmon amikor a lázadás megtörtént és talán ez tartotta helyén a fejét. Szulejmán Köszem meggyilkolása után a fő hárem eunuch lett, ám a pozíciót csupán 1652 júliusáig élvezhette. Szulejmán tovább nyújtózkodott, mint a takarója ért, olyan politikai témákba is igyekezett beleszólni, amihez semmi köze nem volt. Turhan Hatice is kezdte felismerni, hogy Szulejmán egyáltalán nem az ő oldalukon áll, hanem csak a saját magáén. Külön érdekesség, hogy az a Lala Ibrahim Aga győzte meg erről Turhant, aki maga is részt vett Köszem kivégzésében. Lala Ibrahim Aga Turhan személyes eunuchja volt és maga sosem vágyott (vagy bölcsen nem mutatta ki) ennél magasabb pozícióra. Turhan így végül 1652-ben megfosztotta pozíciójától Szulejmán Agát és száműzte Egyiptomba. A rafinált eunuch még a száműzetésben is feltalálta magát, befolyásos személlyé nőtte ki magát, aki Kairó helyi politikájának egyik főszereplője lett. 1676/7-ben halt meg.

Epilógus

Valószínűleg sosem fogjuk pontosan megtudni, hogy mi vezetett a kivégzéshez és hogyan zajlott az le. A poszttal nem is az volt a célom, hogy egy tökéletes megoldást mutassak be Hercule Poirot módjára, csupán szerettem volna rávilágítani arra, hogy az általánosan ismert és elfogadott teória, inkább megszokásból tekintendő a legáltalánosabban elfogadottnak, nem pedig alapossága miatt. Rengeteg a kérdőjel, kétes információ és helyzet a kivégzés körülményei között, ami egyértelműsíti, hogy ez az egész helyzet bonyolultabb volt annál, minthogy két nő harcot vívott a hárem feletti uralomért.

Köszem volt az a szultána, aki a legmagasabbra tört, aki sokáig lehetett a csúcson, azonban a nagy magasságból zuhant végül alá és vált az egyetlen meggyilkolt valide szultánává. Élete során több címet is kapott: Naib-i Sultanat (az Oszmán Birodalom régense), Umin al-Mu'minin (minden muszlimok anyja), Büyük Valide Sultan (nagy valide szultána), Valide-i Sehide (a mártír anya), Valide-i Maktule (a meggyilkolt anya), Valide-i Muazzama (a csodálatos anya).

Felhasznált források: M. Kocaaslan - IV. Mehmed Saltanatında Topkapı Sarayı Haremi: İktidar, Sınırlar ve Mimari; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem; Ö. Kumrular - Kösem Sultan: iktidar, hırs, entrika; C. Finkel - Osman’s Dream: the History of the Ottoman Empire; M. P. Pedani - Relazioni inedite; N. Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları; G. Börekçi - Factions and Favorites at the Courts of Sultan Ahmed I and His Immediate Predecessors; F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Ö. Düzbakar - Charitable Women And Their Pious Foundations In The Ottoman; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire, Networks of Power in the Court of the Sultan.

[fatihdaily]

Did Mehmed have sisters ? Or brothers ?

Yes, he had.

Firstly, Alderson lists 5 (+ one uncertain) brothers and 6 sisters.

He provides only one name for the eldest sister on his list, Fatma, but lists the names of almost all brothers: Ahmed (Elder), Alaeddin Ali, Hasan, Orhan, Ahmed (Younger) and only one unnamed.

Uluçay lists 4 daughters of Murad II and provides the following names: Erhondu, Fatma, Hatice and Şehzade. I will now try to provide some information on the siblings.

Note 1: Even after carrying out extensive research, it is hard to provide a lot of information in cases of women and children who die young in that era. Daughters were often not even recorded and if they were most common information was birth and death dates and marriages. Often even names are lost.

Note 2: Sources are behind the cut

Brothers 

Ahmed (Elder)  [Büyük Ahmed] - He was born in 1420. He was appointed governor of Amasya, where he died unexpectedly in 1437. Mehmed succeeded him as Amasya’s governor.

Alaeddin Ali -  born in 1430. John Freely in his biography of Mehmed II mentions that Ali’s mother was Murad II’s favourite wife, Hatice Halime Hatun. Ali first served as governor of Manisa, then in 1439 Murad II decided to switch Mehmed and Alaeddin, so that Alaeddin got sent to Amasya, and Mehmed to Manisa. Ali was said to be Murad II’s favourite son and was described as “distinguished by courage and astuteness” and “powerful physique that (…) called for admiration” (Babinger). In 1443, Ali was summoned by his father to join him on a campaign. After the campaign ended, he parted with Murad in Bursa, after which a mysterious tragedy took place. Kara Hizir Pasha was sent to Amasya after the prince and strangled Ali in his own bed, together with his two young sons, aged six and eighteen months. Babinger notes that Western and Ottoman sources stress that Murad was in great pain after the loss of Ali. He also requested to be buried next to his favourite son after his death. Alderson lists the deaths of Ali and his sons as possible executions and suggests Murad II might have ordered the death of his son and grandsons. On the other hand, Freely makes a suggestion that Ali’s murder might have been ordered by someone wanting to clear the way to the throne for Mehmed. Nothing is however proven, the only certain thing is that s a result of this mysterious and unresolved tragedy Mehmed became the heir to the throne. 

Hasan - we only know that he was born in 1444.

Orhan - we only know that he died in 1451, the year Mehmed II ascended the throne. However, Alderson lists him as possible execution, not a certain one as in case of Ahmed (the Younger). Alderson makes a note that he should not be confused with Şehzade Orhan, who was a son of Bayezid I and was held as a hostage in Byzantium.

Ahmed (the Younger) [Küçük Ahmed] - he was born in 1450 and was executed upon the order of his brother when Mehmed ascended the throne. Hiis mother was Hatice Halime Hatun. When Mehmed was talking with Hatice Halime Hatun, one of his men was strangling his half-brother in the bath. Mehmed then married Hatice Halime to Ishak Bey, beylerbey of Anatolia. Freely comments that Küçük Ahmed was the last of Mehmed’s brothers, so it can be deduced that Hasan and Orhan had died by the time of Ahmed’s execution. Alderson mentions that the Court was so shocked by what happened to the fifteen-month-old child that Mehmed put the blame on the person who had executed his order and sentenced him to death.

Unnamed - Alderson provides only death date in 1496, but states the existence of this brother is very unlikely, and the person mentioned in documents is likely a son of another member of the dynasty than Murad II.

Sisters

Erhondu - she was married to Yakup Bey. We do not know her date of birth, marriage, death or whether she had children, only that she died before her husband. 

Fatma - again, no death or birth dates provided. Babinger and Alderson state that her husband was Zaganos Mehmed Pasha, but Uluçay states it is wrong and based on archives from Bursa documenting people living there provides that her husband was in fact Çandarlı Ibrahim Pasha and they had a son called Mehmed Celebi.

Hatice - we know nothing about her except name and that she is buried in Bursa next to her father. Possibly one of unnamed sisters listed below.

Şehzade - wife of Sinan Bey. She founded a village in Yenişehir in her husband’s name and a soup kitchen in Edirne in her name. Şehzade also founded a vakf in her village that offered help to people in Holy Cities. Uluçay states she died in 1480 and was buried in Sultan Alâeddin’s tomb. It is possible that she was one of the unnamed daughters of Murad II listed by Alderson, since Alderson has one unnamed daughter married to Koca Sinan Pasha, and Babinger once mentions that a reference to certain Sinan Bey could mean Koca Sinan Pasha, a husband to one of Mehmed’s sisters and the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire for two years. Alderson provides the date of death for this sister as 1486.

Unnamed sister - married in 1440 Emir Kemaleddin Ismail, son of Ibrahim II of Karaman and Selçuk Hatun, daughter of Mehmed I (grandfather of Mehmed II) with whom she had two sons: Hasan and Yahya.

Unnamed sister - married to Kasim Kavameddin, uncle to Emir Kemaleddin Ismail.

Unnamed sister -  married to a certain Mehmed, son of Haran.

Unnamed sister - married Isa Bey in 1470. Angiolello calls her a “mad sadist”. Babinger speculates she could be a full sister of Mehmed, thus Hüma Hatun’s daughter.

- Joanna

Sources:

- Alderson, Anthony Dolphin. The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty. Greenwood Press, 1982.

- Babinger, Franz. Mehmed the Conqueror and his time. Princeton Univ. Press, 1992.

- Freely, John. Grand Turk: Sultan Mehmet II–Conqueror Of Constantinople And Master Of An Empire. Overlook, 2009.

- Uluçay, Mustafa Çağatay. Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. 2011.

[fauzhee10069]

The four Haseki and their relationship with beloved Mothers-in-Law

We'll come closer to the end of Kösem sultan and her magnificent story :,(. Now let me present these four ambitious hasekis in different time but lived below the same sky (don’t ask me why I included Ayşe, just keep reading it! ;-) and why I don’t include Hürrem vs Valide Ayşe Hafsa because mainly I forgot their story XP). Hürrem started this "opposing your mother-in-law" continued with Nurbanu to Turhan sultan (only in MY and MYK dear, not historically), but how their stories differ? Let's see...:

Afife Nurbanu Sultan:

Her mother-in-law was Hürrem sultan, Hürrem wanted her to be a smart but obedient daughter-in-law, she became a gozde (favorite) to sehzade Selim (later Selim II). Iirc, Nurbanu's conflict with Hürrem started when Hürrem refused to protect & defend her after she had fight with Hurichihan (Hatice sultan's daughter) & caused her death. Afraid to the consequence of her deed, she threatened Hürrem to show her letter about ordering Nurbanu to kill Suleyman I's other gozde, Nazenin hatun, from this onwards their conflict began. Other factor that driven Nurbanu is her ambition to support Selim to be the successor, next sultan after Suleyman I, especially after she found that Hürrem was supporting her other son, sehzade Bayezid. Her conflict with Hürrem mainly to prevent and foiled her to support Beyazid. Even after Hurrem's death, Nurbanu was still occupied with Beyazid's remaining supporters (including Mihrimah & Rustem->though Rustem would betray later via Gracia Mendes' seduction (LOL)).

Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan:

Her actual mother-in-law was Handan sultan, but her nemesis (in the show) was Safiye sultan, Handan's mother-in-law & the grandmother of Kosem's spouse Ahmed I. Similar with Hürrem, Safiye intended to present Kösem to Ahmed and use her to influence & control his power. Their conflict started when Safiye, unable to control Kösem anymore, decided to kill her father. Feeling betrayed, Kösem decided to avenge her father's death (while being a heroine too) by leading Safiye's daughter, Fahriye sultan to her death. Safiye repaid it with Yasemin hatun (Kösem's sister)'s death and Kösem paid it back with Iskender/sehzade Yahya (Safiye's missing son)'s death. Also Kösem being heroine wanted to protect Ahmed and the state from her, especially when Safiye did the coup d'etat, causing chaos in the palace. Not long after, Ahmed died, leaving Kösem with her little children fighting Safiye (and later Halime) alone.

Ayşe Sultan:

Her mother-in-law was Kösem sultan and her spouse was sultan Murad IV. Like Hürrem and Safiye, Kösem too expected that Ayşe would be an obedient, helpful & easily controlled by her. I think during the very first episode of season 2, there would be a rivalry and conflict between Ayşe and Kösem, how Ayşe said that she wished to support Murad and keep him away from the influence of his mother in ruling the state. Ayşe also said that she refused to follow every Kosem's orders and be obedient to her. Too bad this rivalry concept got thrown out and replaced with her fake rivalry with Farya as Mahidevran 2.0. Ayse's story here would be mainly fanon:

After Kösem's ten years regency, Murad became the sultan officially (I mean, the time when Murad was able to govern the state independently), but with Kösem's influence in the government, viziers & jannisaries, they were already familiar and support her and the people greatly trust her. Murad was struggling to gain the trust and recognition from his people. Everyone (including viziers and jannisaries) still doubted this young sultan's capability to rule, they always compared him to Kösem. Murad wanted to step out from his mother's shadow, he tried to limit Kosem's power and influence, he wanted his mother as valide sultan back to her initial duty, managing the harem. As loyal spouse and his most beloved woman, Ayşe supported Murad and helped him to be able to rule independently by trying to dispel and keep him away from his mother's influence, she also managed to seek the support from the people including some viziers. Ayşe chose to be a good wife and queen/haseki who supported her spouse the sultan in government rather than being used and controlled by his mother. Thus her conflict with Kösem sultan began. Besides her conflict with Kösem, Ayşe also had her own problem, she was struggling to provide Murad a healthy sehzade who would have his chance to survive adulthood and become the heir for Murad's throne. Murad's relationship with his mother was gradually strained. Seeing her son's insubordination to her, Kösem decided to get rid of Ayşe as the mastermind of the destruction of their family relationships. Their rivalry was fierce until Murad's death came. Ayşe who had lost her greatest support (and love) Murad and lost her sehzade who could be made an heir, lost her power, influence and purpose completely. She was immediately removed by Kösem and sent away to live in the Old Palace.

Turhan Hatice Sultan:

Her mother-in-law was also Kösem sultan and she was the spouse of Ibrahim I. Turhan had learned all the tales of the powerful sultana in Ottoman and had her own ambition. She saw Kösem as her role model and at the same time she wanted to be like her. Kösem still expected her to be easily controlled and obedient to her but Turhan thought that being obedient and passive won't make her a powerful figure. She found that to fight her mother-in-law, she had to get her sultan's support. Observing her situation and circumstance, getting the support from her spouse seemed difficult since Ibrahim had numerous gozde that he loved, he even appointed his eight gozde (including her) as his haseki. Turhan could become the Baş Haseki had been a lucky one for her since she had Ibrahim's oldest sehzade Mehmed. The odds of getting support from her spouse are getting smaller as he brought new gozde again and this gozde became his legal wife (Telli Humaşah). Thus, rather than wage an open war to Kösem, she decided to gain the trust for her. By being the closest person to Kösem, she could observe everything, from how Kösem gains her supports to find a chance to overthrow her. During this time, Turhan managed to gain the trust of viziers, but Kösem still had the most influence in jannisaries. Turhan also tried her best to secure her son and protect him as the next heir after Ibrahim's death. When Ibrahim died, Mehmed the oldest sehzade succeeded him. But as long as Kösem still alive, her struggle was not over yet. Kösem who had many experience as regent thought that inexperienced Turhan wasn't competent enough to rule the state, Kösem was preventing her to be in charge of state affairs. Turhan disagreed since she felt entitled as the mother of Mehmed IV. Kösem later went to far by attempting to remove Mehmed and replaced him with sehzade Suleyman (the son of supposedly more obedient haseki Saliha Dilasub). Driven by her will to protect her son's life, Turhan decided to get rid Kösem completely and her men successfully murdered her. Eventually, Turhan became regent and rule the state together with her son. My fanon is that the previous haseki sultan Ayşe wanted have her revenge with Kösem, so she temporarily helped Turhan behind the scene.

Summary:

Many young sultana during their time as queen consort (haseki) had strained relationship with her mother-in-law, the queen dowager (valide sultan), they had similar ambitions but they had their different motivation and situation.

In Nurbanu's case, she was a favorite of Selim II during his sehzade years. There was sehzade Beyazid as threat who challenged Selim's way to be the heir. Being supportive to her spouse, Nurbanu made sure that Selim will success it. Nurbanu's main focused was how Selim would take the throne.

In Kösem's case, she initially was driven by revenge. But later when she found that Ahmed I her spouse's life was also in danger, she fought to protect him. Safiye's failed attempt to control Ahmed drove her to led a coup d'etat. Ahmed with the help of Kösem successfully weakened Safiye's power and influence. But not long after that, Ahmed died and Kösem lost her greatest support. Kösem became alone surrounded with many dangerous snakes especially Safiye and Halime, though in the end she was able to get rid of them.

In Ayse's case, Murad became a sultan who just been deemed worthy to rule by his own. Ayşe helped Murad to gain the trust and to be recognized by his people, she wanted him to get out from Kösem's shadow. Ayşe also had another burden since Murad didn't have an apparent heir yet. In the end Murad died without heir and his brother Ibrahim was the one who succeeded him. Ayşe lost her position and had to spend her life in the Old Palace according to the custom.

In Turhan's case and during her time, Ibrahim I had his eight harem girls as the haseki. Turhan happened to bore him the oldest sehzade Mehmed thus she became the Baş haseki. Turhan had to face her many harem rivals including the greatest threat who was Telli Humaşah, the girl Ibrahim brought and became his legal wife. Turhan was not really loved by Ibrahim (as she was not his most favorite). After Ibrahim's death, Turhan had her power struggle with Kösem sultan. She wanted to be regent ruling independently but her reign always overshadowed by Kösem. Their conflict became worse when Kösem wanted to get rid of Turhan's son and replaced him with her other grandson, thus leading to Kosem's death by Turhan's men hands.

 TL;DR

All had their conflict with their MiLs but Nurbanu was haseki of sehzade whereas Kösem, Ayşe and Turhan were haseki of sultans. All supposedly outlived their MiL but canon MYK!Ayşe died before Kösem. Although Kösem had her conflict with her actual MiL Handan, her main nemesis was Safiye sultan, her MiL's MiL (or should I say grandmother-in-law). Nurbanu's spouse Selim I outlived his mother but Ahmed I (Kosem's spouse), Murad IV (Ayse's spouse) and Ibrahim I (Turhan's spouse) died before their mothers (and grandmother in Ahmed's case). Nurbanu, Kösem and Turhan had their surviving sons took his fathers' throne whereas Ayşe didn't. Nurbanu, Kösem and Ayşe were loved and greatly supported by their spouses whereas Turhan was not really (but canon-MYK!Ayşe instead was greatly abused and hated by him), Ibrahim might loved Turhan but she was not his most beloved one. Nurbanu, Kösem and Turhan succeeded in becoming valide sultan and became the most powerful sultana in their respective era whereas only Ayşe who couldn’t make it since she didn’t have a sehzade (the prince), the most important asset for every women as royals.

Conclusion:

Powerful and ambitious women in MY and MYK always expect their daughters-in-law to be the obedient and easily-controlled. Unbeknownst for them, they became the role models of their younger generations. Thus, instead having the obedient DiL, they got their own reflection: the DiL that exactly the same with their younger selves. These DiL won’t easily submit to them just like themselves in their younger days.

Also I wonder when Turhan’s hair color was mentioned as blonde, There is no popular culture that show Turhan with blonde hair. Mahpeyker: Kösem Sultan’s Turhan was brunette and  Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem‘s Turhan is dark haired (likely black). I’m sorry with my shitty bad quality editing but I want my Turhan’s blonde XD, I’m not expert.

[ottomanladies]

Murad II harem + children:

Consorts: 

(Hatice) Halîme/Alîme Hâtûn: Sakaoğlu claims that Hatice and Halime were two different consorts, aunt and niece, who both married Murad II but at different times. Halime was İsfendiyar Bey’s daughter and the woman Murad II married in the 1420s, but having died in the 1440s, the sultan proceeded to marry her niece, Hatice, daughter of her brother İbrahim II Bey. This theory would explain Küçük Ahmed’s late birth (1450).

Hümâ Hâtûn (?? - September 1449): Mehmed II's mother, her identity has not been established so far but she definitely was not a French princess, as later Ottoman chroniclers would claim.

Mara Hâtûn (??-14.9.1487): daughter of George Branković, despot of Serbia, she married Murad II as a young girl in September 1435. She was known in Europe as Sultanina or Sultana Maria. She was highly respected by Mehmed II, who used to call her "my mother" in official documents.

Hundi/Ümmügülsüm Hâtûn (??-14.2.1486): it is not exactly known whether she was one consort or two. Babinger writes that Hundi Hatun was Şehzâde 'Alâeddîn 'Alî's mother, other family trees indicate that she was called Ümmügülsüm and her daughter was called Hundi while it is also stated that she was called Hundi Ümmügülsüm.

Yeni Hâtûn: Sakaoğlu claims she was, in fact, Şehzâde 'Alâeddîn 'Alî's consort and not Murad II's.

Children:

Şehzâde Ahmed the Elder (1419-1420)

Şehzâde 'Alâeddîn 'Alî (1425-6.1443): Murad II's favourite son, he was governor of Manisa for a year and later governor of Amasya. He joined the 1443 Karaman expedition with his father and while he returned to Amasya he fell from a horse and died. He was buried in the Muradiye Complex in Bursa. At the time of his death he had two sons: Şehzâde Giyâşüddîn (1441-1445) and Şehzâde Tâceddîn (1442-1443)

Şehzâde Isfendiyâr (1425-1425): his mother was Halime Hatun, which is why he bears her father's name

Hatice Hatun (1425-??): she married Cândâroğlu Dâmad Kemâleddîn Bey and had three sons with him: Haşan Bey, Yahyâ Bey and Mahmûd Bey. Her descendants were still alive during the reign of Abdülmecîd I in the XIX century.

Hafsa Hatun (1426-??): she married Cândâroğlu Sultânzâde Dâmâd Kaya Bey, the son of her aunt Sultan Hatun, daughter of Mehmed I.

Fatma Hatun (1430-??): she married Dâmâd Zağanos Mehmed Paşa and had two children with him: Hamza Bey and Ahmed Çelebî. Ahmed Çelebî would become an important adviser to Bayezid II

Şehzâde Hüseyn (??-1439): he died as a child

Şehzâde Orhân (??-1441): he died as a child

Şehzâde Hasan (??-1444): he died as a child

Erhundi/Hundi Hatun: she married Dâmâd Yâ'qûb Bey, who would become Sultan Cem's royal tutor

Şehzâde Selçuk Hatun (??-1480): she was married twice, firstly to Dâmâd Güveyi Karaça Paşa and then to Dâmâd Yûsuf Sİnâneddîn Paşa. She was buried next to Şehzâde 'Alâeddîn 'Alî.

Mehmed II the Conqueror (1432-1481): 7th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

Şehzâde Ahmed the Younger (1450-18.2.1451): son of Hatice Hatun, he was executed by Mehmed II

[ottomanladies]

Ottoman princesses who made intra-dynastic marriages -- requested by anon

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

[ottomanladies]

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.

[ottomanladies]

ottoman women who had tragic lives

[ottomanladies]

harem + scandals -- requested by @kinda-real-awkward

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

[ottomanladies]

Thanks for your last answer, buddy. But I was expecting to hear your own explanation as you are studying it for a long time. However, it is okay. Can you please tell us what is the stipend of sultanzade and hanimsultan?

Oh well, I definitely haven't studied this for longer than Leslie Peirce, who is a professor. I put her quote in my answer to you because I think that's the reason why Handan's stipend was comparably lower than Safiye's, who kept receiving 3,000 aspers a day until she died.

I don't know about Sultanzades, but Hanımsultans are a complicated matter: in general, their stipend depends on whether they're related to the reigning sultan or not, and whether they're princesses of the Enderûn (Inner palace) or Bîrûn (Outer palace).

(Enderûn means that they had lived - sometimes in their lives - in an Imperial Palace — Topkapi or the Old Palace —, Bîrûn that they had never lived in an imperial palace and were, therefore, third-generation princesses)

During Süleyman I's reign the general rule was that adult and married daughters of sultans received 200 aspers per day and granddaughters of sultans received 100 aspers, it didn't matter whether they were related to the Imperial family through their father (and were, therefore, Sultans) or through their mothers (and were Hanımsultans)

Examples:

(table is from Les Perles de Nacre du Sultanat by Juliette Dumas and is dated November 1555 - November 1556)

I know the table is in French but I think it's quite self-explanatory. For the sake of our argument, we'll take a look at the first row only: émoluments, which are the fixed stipends

Both Şehzâde and Şâh Sultan were daughters of Selim I's and therefore Süleyman I's sisters: they receive the same stipend. What is interesting is that both Ismihan Sultan and Ayşe Hanımsultan receive the same stipend: the former descends from a prince, the latter from a princess (the aforementioned Şehzâde)

(notice that Ayşe Hanımsultan is called Ayşe Sultan in harem registers. As I have said many times, Süleyman I's reign is a period of both revolution and stabilisation for women's titles)

Now onto princesses of the Bîrûn (in the same time-lapse: November 1555 - November 1556):

We're going to focus on the last three princesses. As you can see the one descending from a male has a slightly higher stipend than the two descending from a female.

The hierarchy of princesses in the XVI century was, therefore:

daughters of sultans

granddaughters of sultans

great-granddaughters descending from a male (ie. a prince)

great-granddaughters descending from a female (ie. a princess)

As you can see for Mihri Hatun, the daughter of a Hanımsultan did not have a title but still received a stipend from the Imperial treasury. Mihrî Hatun's descendants were considered complete commoners and did not have a tie to the Dynasty.

Fast forward to the beginning of the XVII century and we can see that the hierarchy has become more complex:

this table is dated May 1603 - May 1604, between Mehmed III's and Ahmed I's reigns

As you can see here, the first three princesses — Gevherhan, Ayşe and Fatma — are all daughters of sultans but Ayşe and Fatma are daughters of the reigning Valide Sultan and therefore receive a higher stipend. Dumas incorrectly identifies Gevherhan as a daughter of Murad III's with an unknown concubine but she's actually Selim II's daughter (which is why she's mentioned first after the two valide sultans— she's the eldest princess alive)

What we need to focus on — for the sake of our argument — though are the princesses I have circled: Ayşe Sultan, widow of Ahmed Paşa is actually Ayşe Hümâ-Şâh, Mihrimah's daughter. Hatice Sultan, is the daughter of Gevherhan and therefore granddaughter of Selim II.

Technically, Hatice and Ayşe Hümâ-Şâh have the same rank: they're granddaughters of sultans. So why the different stipends? Ayşe Hümâ-Şâh benefits from her mother's "aura". Mihrimah Sultan was the "greatest princess of the empire", with a lofty stipend of 600 aspers a day during Murad III's reign (when she died). For context, Safiye received 700 aspers as Haseki.

No princess would ever earn so much.

The 6 şehzâdegân (which just means 6 princes/princesses) may be Mehmed III's daughters, who were unmarried and therefore their stipends were low (in very practical terms: as they did not have a household to manage because they lived in a room inside Topkapi, they didn't need a higher stipend)

The hierarchy of princesses at the beginning of the XVII century was, therefore:

princesses born from the haseki sultan who subsequently became valide sultan

the other princesses, born from non-haseki concubines

granddaughters who benefit from their mothers' rank

the other granddaughters

great-granddaughters

As Dumas concludes:

Contrary to the Ottoman principle of blood transmission, which (officially) only takes into account the paternal lineage, the importance of mothers predisposes their daughters to a certain preponderance over their half-sisters. The hierarchy also tends to produce a stronger distinction between daughters and granddaughters (between sultans or hanım sultans) and the third generations, put a little jumbled up in a sub-category that annihilates any individual specificity.

If you're interested, this is what a harem register looked like:

In the XVI century, the stipend of Şehzades was 100 aspers when they resided in the Palace. I guess the stipend of Sultanzades paralleled those of Hanımsultans.

[reallifesultanas]

Portrait of the consorts of Mehmed IV / IV. Mehmed ágyasainak portréja

Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş, as Mehmed Haseki and one of the most influential women of the era, will receive a special post.

Although Mehmed IV’s harem is not poorly documented, his concubines are still not well known. Mostly only legends survived, like the legend of Gülbeyaz. According to it, Gülbeyaz was a concubine blessed with wonderful beauty, whom the sultan began to fall in love with. However, this made Haseki Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş jeleous. According to legend, when Gülbeyaz was perched on a rock by the sea, Emetullah gently pushed her, causing her lost in the sea. Of course, it is unlikely that this would have happened, but we cannot rule out that Mehmed did indeed have a concubine named Gülbeyaz. Even if there was a consort like that, she could not have been more than a passing whim, as nothing remained about her, while her rival Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş is history. According to some historians, Gülbeyaz had a daughter from Mehmed.

Afife Kadin

The only woman known for sure beside Emetullah, is Afife. Afife was recorded as one of the sultan’s chief concubines by the sultan's sword-bearer, and even contemporary historians remember her as the most beloved woman of Mehmed. Afife was a poet who regularly wrote poems to Mehmed, who shared his own poems with the woman in return. Given that Afife Hatun also wrote poems about Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş, we cannot rule out that Afife was not a specific consort, a lover of the sultan, but rather a companion. Maybe she was similar to Hubbi Hatun who was an intellectual companion of Selim II and his son Murad III.

The former is also supported by the fact that Afife does not have a known child. Another point is that in November 1684, at a party organized after a hunt, Afife accompanied Mehmed and Prince Mustafa (later Mustafa II) to chat with the male companions of the sultan. A single consort probably wouldn’t have done that, just as Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş wasn’t there either. So it is more likely that Afife was a court poet. This is also supported by the survival of a letter from 1681 in which she sent a certain Ismail Aga to Istanbul to bring her salary to Edirne. The letter was signed by her as Afife Kadin, which was not really the typical signature of the concubines.

When in 1687 Mehmed IV was dethroned Afife, along with the Sultan's harem, moved to the Old Palace, while Mehmed was locked up in Topkapi Palace. Afife at this time composed one of her poems about Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş. According to the verse, the Gülnüş Sultan sobbed and shouted until her lungs hurt when her loved one has torn apart from her and locked up. Meanwhile, Mehmed sobbed quietly in the kafes. In another verse, she writes, "Tell Gülnüş to wear black / to suffer in pain / While Sultan Mehmed weeps in Şimşirlik".

We don't know when Afife died.

There was a woman named Nevruz Kadin who founded a school in the Süleymaniye district. A Nevruz Kadin was also listed in Mehmed’s harem, so it is conceivable that the two women are one and the same.

Some also mention concubines named Gülnar and Güneş, but it is possible that these arose from the misrepresentation or misinterpretation of the name Gülnüş, so are not real concubines. The same historians also note a concubine named Hatice who was killed by a concubine named Güneş. Because the story is eerily similar to the story of Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş and Gülbeyaz, perhaps Hatice was another name of Gülbeyaz, and Güneş is Gülnüş.

There’s also a concubine named Cihanşah and another one named Dürriye on some registers, but we don’t know anything about them. The situation is similar to the concubines named Kaniye, Siyavuş, and Rukiye. It is possible that these names may also be the second names of the former concubines.

Used sources: J. Dumas - Les perles de nacre du sultanat; N. Sakaoglu - Bu Mülkün Kadin Sultanlari; M. C. Uluçay - Padişahlarin Kadinlri ve Kizlari; A. D. Alderson - The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire; C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire

*    *    *

Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş, mint Mehmed Haszekije és a kor egyik legbefolyásosabb nője, külön posztot fog kapni.

IV. Mehmed háreme bár nem rosszul dokumentált, ágyasait mégsem ismerjük túlságosan jól. Főleg legendák maradtak fenn háreméből, így Gülbeyaz legendája. Gülbeyaz a legenda szerint egy csodálatos szépséggel megáldott ágyas volt, akibe a szultán kezdett beleszeretni. Ezt azonban nem hagyhatta szó nélkül a szultán Haszekije, fiainak anyja, Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş. A legenda szerint, amikor Gülbeyazi egy sziklán ücsörgött a tenger mellett Emetullah gyengéden meglökte, így a nő a tengerbe veszett. Természetesen nem valószínű, hogy ez megtörtént volna, azt azonban nem zárhatjuk ki, hogy valóban volt Mehmednek egy Gülbeyaz nevű ágyasa. Ha volt is, nem lehetett több múló szeszélynél, hiszen róla nem maradt fent semmi, míg Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş beírta magát a történelemkönyvekbe. Egyes történészek szerint Gülbeyaznak egy lánya született Mehmedtől.

Afife Kadin

Az egyetlen biztosan ismert nő Emetullah mellett Afife Hatun. Afifét Mehmed egyik fegyverhordozója a szultán fő ágyasaként jegyezte fel és más korabeli történetírók is úgy emlékeznek meg a nőről, mint a Mehmed által leginkább szeretett asszonyról. Afife költő volt, aki rendszeresen írt költeményeket Mehmednek, aki saját költeményeit osztotta meg a nővel. Tekintettel arra, hogy Afife Hatun Emetullah Rabia Gülnüşről is írt verseket, azt sem zárhatjuk ki, hogy Afife nem konkrét ágyasa, szeretője volt a szultánnak, hanem inkább társalkodója. Hasonlóan, mint Hubbi Hatun II. Szelim esetében.

Előbbi a tényt támasztja alá az is, hogy nincs ismert gyermeke a nőnek. Másik érv, hogy 1684 novemberében egy vadászat után szervezett mulatságon Afife elkísérte Mehmedet és Musztafa herceget (későbbi II. Musztafa) a férfiak közé. Ezt egy ágyas valószínűleg nem tette volna meg, mint ahogy Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş sem volt ott. Valószínűbb tehát, hogy Afife egy udvari költő volt. Szintén ezt támasztja alá, hogy 1681-ből fennmaradt egy levele, melyben egy bizonyos Ismail Agát küld Isztambulba, hogy elhozza neki fizetését Edirnébe. A levelet Afife Kadinként írta alá, ez nem igazán volt jellemző az ágyasokra.

Mikor 1687-ben IV. Mehmedet trónfosztották Afife a szultán háremével együtt a Régi Palotába költözött, míg Mehmedet a Topkapi palotában zárták el. Afife ekkoriban komponálta egyik Emetullah Rabia Gülnüşről szóló versét. A vers szerint Gülnüş szultána addig zokogott és kiáltozott, mikor kedvesét a szultánt elszakították tőle és elzárták, amíg csak bírta a tüdeje. Mehmed pedig csendben zokogott a kafesben, míg szerelme a fal túloldalán zokogott. Egy másik versében azt írja "Mondd Gülnüşnek, viseljen feketét / hogy abban szenvedje el fájdalmát / míg Mehmed szultán Şimşirlikben sír". ("Tell Gülnüş to wear black / to suffer in pain / While Sultan Mehmed weeps in Şimşirlik")

Nem tudjuk, hogy Afife mikor halt meg.

A korban élt egy Nevruz Kadin nevű nő, aki Süleymaniye kerületben iskolát alapított. Egy Nevruz Kadint Mehmed háremében is jegyeztek, így elképzelhető, hogy a két nő egy és ugyanaz.

Néhányan említenek egy Gülnar és egy Güneş nevű ágyasokat is, ám elképzelhető, hogy ezek a Gülnüş név félreírásából vagy félrefordításából keletkeztek, nem valódi ágyasokat jelölnek. Ugyanezen történészek egy Hatice nevű ágyast is jegyeznek, akit a Güneş nevű ágyas megölt. Mivel a történet kísértetiesen hasonlít Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş és Gülbeyaz történetére, talán a Hatice Gülbeyaz másik neve volt, a Güneş pedig a Gülnüş félreértett verziója.

Előfőrdul egy Cihanşah és egy Dürriye nevű ágyas is néhány listában, ám róluk nem tudunk semmit. Hasonló a helyzet a Kaniye, Siyavuş és Rukiye nevű ágyasokkal. Lehetséges, hogy ezek a nevek az előbbi ágyasok második nevei is lehetnek.

Felhasznált források: J. Dumas - Les perles de nacre du sultanat; N. Sakaoglu - Bu Mülkün Kadin Sultanlari; M. C. Uluçay - Padişahlarin Kadinlri ve Kizlari; A. D. Alderson - The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire; C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire

[ottomanladies]

Hi, I love your content, it's very interesting. I have a question, was there an imperial princess who was married to someone outside the Ottoman Empire?

I hope you understand my question since English is not my first language.

Thank you :D

Of course, most of the time this happened at the beginning and at the end of the empire:

Nefise Melek Hatun, daughter of Murad I Hudavendigar, married Karamânoğlu Alâeddîn Alî Bey. As the name suggests, he was part of the Karamânoğlu family and the ruler of the Karamân Principality. Her sons became rulers of the principality as well, as Mehmed II and Alâeddîn Alî II

her sister Sultan also married a member of the Karamânoğlu family, Turgut Bey

another sister of hers, nameless for now, married Saruhânoğlu Hızır Bey

Oruz (or Uruz) Hatun, daughter of Bayezid I, married a grandson of Timur's, Ebû-Bekr Mîrzâ, and died in Samarkand.

İlaldi Sultan, daughter of Mehmed I, married another member of the Karaman family, Karamânoğlu İbrâhim II Bey, ruler of the Karaman principality, and son of Nefise Melek Hatun's son Mehmed II Bey.

two of her sisters, a nameless one and Ayşe Sultan, married two other members of the Karaman family, Isa Bey and Alaeddin Ali Bey, both sons of Mehmed II Bey and therefore brothers of their sister's husband.

Mihrimah Sultan, granddaughter of Mehmed V, married Prince Nayef bin Abdullah of Jordan

Hatice Hayriye Ayşe Dürrüşehvar Sultan, daughter of Caliph Abdülmecid II, married General Hidayet Ali Han Vala-şan Azam-cah Bahadur Nevvab Mir, Prince of Berar

Fatma Neslişah Sultan, granddaughter of Abdülmecid II and Mehmed VI, married Prince Mehmed Abdül-Mün'im of Egypt.

Her sister Zehra Hanzade married Prince Mehmed Ali İbrahim of Egypt

Their sister Necla Hibetullah married Prince Amr İbrahim of Egypt

[reallifesultanas]

Portraits of the daughters of Murad III / Murad III lányainak portréja

Sultan Murad III has had at least 28 daughters born in his lifetime, but only a few of them are known by their names. Most of his daughters are lost in history as they died young or simply were insignificants in the political fields. During the epidemic of 1597-98, at least 17 daughters of Murad died. His two best-known daughters are Ayşe and Fatma, who were born from his favorite concubine, Safiye Sultan, but there were more daughters of his.

Ayşe Sultan

The exact birth-date of Ayşe is unknown, but she was most likely the eldest daughter of later Murad III and Safiye Sultan, so she was born between 1565 and 1570. She spent her childhood in her father's province of Manisa, until in 1574 her grandfather Selim II died. Then, following her father, she moved to Istanbul and settled in Topkapi Palace. Ayşe, together with her siblings, essentially grew up there, under the strict supervision of her mother and grandmother. There is no information about Ayşe’s relationship with her mother or grandmother, but her personality and nature make it likely that her grandmother, Nurbanu, played an important role in her upbringing. Moreover, we must not forget that Nurbanu wanted to marry Ayşe very hardly to her adoptive son. So maybe she liked Ayşe very much? Anyhow, in the end, the marriage did not happen.

The 1580s brought a big change in the life of Ayşe. Her mother and grandmother became tenser and tenser to each other and there was an increasingly fierce struggle between them. It finally peaked in 1583 when her mother was exiled from Topkapi Palace. According to some sources, Ayşe and her sisters accompanied Safiye to the Old Palace and spent the next roughly two years there. It is not known how this exile affected the relationship between Ayşe and her father. When her grandmother,  Nurbanu, passed away, her mother gradually returned to the sultan’s grace and soon Safiye could plan her own and her daughter's wedding. Sultan Murad wanted to marry Safiye and marry off his daughter Ayşe to one of his trusted men.

Her first marriage took place in 1586, to Ibrahim Pasha, the beylerbey of Egypt. The wedding took place with huge celebrations which lasted for a week. Ayşe finally could be in the spotlight for a while after her exile in recent years. Soon, however, she moved to Egypt with her husband. Ibrahim Pasha was out of favor during Murad's reign, but with Murad's death his star began to rise the brother of Ayşe, Mehmed III, named his Grand Vezier three times. Thus Ayşe was able to live in the capital again, close to her family. Ibrahim Pasha died on July 10, 1601, and Ayşe was widowed. The pasha was buried in the Şehzade Mosque Complex along with his two children, a boy and a girl who most probably were the children of Ayşe and the pasha, but they died as infants.

However, she could not enjoy her widowhood for long. In April 1602, Ayşe was remarried, this time to Yemişci Hasan Pasha. Ayşe had no intention of marrying the pasha at all because the man was known as a tough man who was rude and ignorant. Despite all her resentment, under the pressure of her mother, the marriage happened but was a short-lived one. Yemişci Hasan Pasa soon fell out of the favor of the sultan (or rather the favor of Safiye) and was sentenced to death. Ayşe pleaded her mother and the sultan to spare her husband’s life and allow them to go on a pilgrimage to purify themselves or go into voluntary exile to Egypt. However, the sultan refused his sister’s request and told her that if she clung so much to her husband, she could follow him to death. It is not known whether Ayşe ended up begging for her husband’s life out of a sense of duty or she started to like him in the meantime. Yemişci Hasan Pasha hid in Ayşe's palace, but was found and executed on October 18, 1603, and Ayşe was widowed again. Somewhat nuanced the romantic image of Ayşe begging for her husband’s life, that some say she fell in love with Güzelce Mahmud Pasha when her husband was still alive. This Güzelce Mahmud pasha did his best to execute Yemişci Hasan Pasha. Güzelce Mahmud Pasa tried to forge his own fortune in this way and in the end he managed it.

Sultan Mehmed III soon passed away, so Ayşe was married off by her nephew, Ahmed I, this time to Güzelce Mahmud Pasha, her lover in 1604. This marriage did not last long either, as Ayşe died on 15 May 1605. She has done a lot of charity during her short life. In 1603, she established a fountain in the garden of ​​the Şehzade Mosque complex in memory of her first husband, as well as a fountain in other parts of the capital and had a bridge built in the countryside. She also explained in detail in her testament how she wanted to help people even after her death. According to her will, she freed all her servants; 10,000 akces were set aside to be paid for those in prison for debt; she sacrificed 2,000 akces to help the needy, the sick, the poor, and orphans; she wished to distribute the remainder among the poor of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem; and she sacrificed a certain amount to set free the imprisoned Muslims during the wars, on the proviso that the female prisoners must be set free first. She was buried in her father’s mausoleum at Aya Sofiya.

Fatma Sultan

The exact date of Fatma's birth is unknown, but it is certain that she was younger than Ayşe, and perhaps even Mehmed. She was most likely born between 1570 and 1575. Like her sister, she was the child of the later Sultans Murad III and Safiye. She spent the first few years of her life in her father's province of Manisa, then moved to Istanbul in 1574 when her father became a sultan. Her mother's exile in 1583 brought serious changes in her life, as she probably accompanied her mother, Safiye, to the Old Palace along with her sisters. Soon, however, they returned to the sultan's favor and were able to go home to Topkapi Palace.

On December 8, 1593, her father married off her to Admiral Halil Pasha in a huge ceremony. The ambassadors made detailed descriptions of the wedding ceremony. The marriage turned out to be a happy one, Fatma and Halil Pasha fit together perfectly, and they also tried to support Safiye Sultan in her intrigues. In 1595 the head of the fleet, Halil Pasha, did not left Istanbul with his fleet because Fatma was pregnant and wanted her husband to be by her side. This also suggests that it was a good marriage and that Safiye liked Halil. From their marriage, a child was born in the fall of 1595, Sultanzade Mahmud Bey, who died in 1598, presumably as a result of an epidemic. Halil Pasha died in 1603 and Fatma was widowed.

Some sources say she was married to Cafer Pasha, a vizier, shortly after Halil Pasha’s death, but others dispute this. Then in 1604 his nephew, Ahmed I, married her off to Hızır Pasha. The exact time of Fatma's death is disputed, but she probably died in early 1620. She was buried in hwe father’s mausoleum at Aya Sofiya as her sister Ayşe.

Hüma / Hümaşah Sultan

Hümaşah was also the daughter of the late Murad III and was born in his Manisa province, which is why historians conclude that she was also Safiye’s daughter, so she is the full-sister of Ayşe and Fatma. She was named after Murad’s cousin, Hümaşah, who presented Safiye to Murad in the past. This fact also suggests that Hümaşah was the daughter of Safiye. Some sources believed for years that she became the wife of Sokolluzade Lala Mustafa Pasha before 1580, based on which it was thought that she was the first child ot Murad and Safiye. However, it is now certain that she was only mistaken with Hümaşah, the daughter of Şehzade Mehmed (son of Hürrem), who was truly the wife of Sokolluzade Lala Mustafa Pasha. Thus, it is certain that Hümaşah married only once in her life, to Nişar Mustafazade Mehmed Pasha, but the date of the wedding is unknown. However, Hümaşah was never mentioned once after the pasha's death in 1586, nor was she included in the harem registers, which clearly suggests that she died in the 1580s.

Fahriye Sultan

Murad III ended his monogamous relationship with Safiye around 1583 and accepted dozens of concubines from then on. One anonymous concubine gave birth to Fahriye Sultan between 1585 and 1590. Fahriye's first marriage took place only after the death of her father, by her nephew - who was about the same age as her - Ahmed I, who married her to Çuhadar Ahmed Pasha in 1604. Others say Bosnian Sofu Bayram Pasha was her husband. In 1618 she was widowed and retired to the Old Palace. She never remarried and lived her remaining years within the walls of the Old Palace before she died in 1641 (or after).

Rukiye Sultan

The names of most of Murad III’s new concubines did not survive, but Rukiye’s mother did. Her name was Şemsiruhsar Hatun, who established a foundation during her lifetime and died around 1613. Rukiye may have been born in Murad's last years, as her first marriage did not take place until 1613. Nakkaş Haşan Pasha was chosen as a groom by Sultan Ahmed. The pasha was the leader of the Janissaries, and later the governor of Rumelia and Kubbe Vizier. It is not known whether any child was born from this marriage or not. Also, no information has survived about their marriage. Rukiye is not mentioned at all after her husband's death in 1623, so it is possible that she died before her husband.

Mihrimah, Mihriban, Fetihye and Hatice

Mihrimah Sultan was born between 1585 and 1590 as the daughter of an anonymous concubine and Murad III. Her nephew, Ahmed I, married her to Mirahur Ahmed Pasha in 1604, but nothing else is known about her.

All that is known about Mihriban Sultan is that she married to Topal Mehmed Aga and was buried in her father’s mausoleum.

Fetihye Sultan and Hatice Sultan were also Murad's daughters, but no information remained about them.

Used sources: L. Peirce - The imperial harem; M. P. Pedani - Safiye's household and Venetian diplomacy; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; Necdet Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları

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III. Murad szultánnak legalább 28 leánygyermeke született élete során, azonban csak néhányukról áll rendelekzésünkre kielégítő mennyiségű információ. Legtöbb lányának a neve sem maradt fenn és sokuk hunyt el fiatalon. Az 1597-98as időszak járványai során legalább 17 lánya hunyt például el. Két legismertebb lánya Ayşe és Fatma, akik kedvenc ágyasától, Safiye szultánától születtek.

Ayşe Sultan

Ayşe pontos születési ideje nem ismert, ám nagy valószínűséggel ő volt a legidősebb lánya III. Muradnak és Safiye szultánának, így 1565 és 1570 között jöhetett világra. Gyermekkorát apja maniszai tartományában töltötte, mígnem 1574-ben nagyapja II. Szelim elhunyt. Ekkor apját követve Isztambulba költöztek és a Topkapi Palotában rendezkedtek be. Ayşe testvéreivel együtt lényegében itt nőtt fel, anyja és nagyanyja szigorú felügyelete alatt. Nem maradt fenn információ arról, hogy Ayşe milyen viszonyban volt édesanyjával vagy nagyanyjával, személyisége és természete azonban valószínűsíti, hogy nagyanyja, Nurbanu szultána fontos szerepet töltött be nevelésében. Emellett nem szabad elfeljetünk azt sem, hogy Nurbanu komoly erőfeszítéseket tett, hogy az örökbefogadott fiához adhassa nőül Ayşét. Talán Ayşe közel állt Nurbanuhoz és emiatt akarta ennyire egy általa jó partinak tartott férfihoz nőül adni? Akárhogy is, végül a frigyből nem lett semmi.

Az 1580-as évek nagy változást hoztak Ayşe életébe is. Anyja és nagyanyja egyre inkább egymásnak feszültek és egyre kiélezettebb harc folyt köztük. Ez végül 1583-ban tetőzött, mikor édesanyját, Nurbanu szultána nyomására száműzték a Topkapi Palotából. Egyes források szerint Ayşe és húgai is Safiye szultánával tartottak a Régi Palotába és az elkövetkezendő nagyjából két évet ott töltötték. Nem tudni, hogy hogyan hatott ez a száműzetés Ayşe és apja viszonyára. Mikor nagyanyja, Nurbanu szultána elhunyt, édesanyja fokozatosan visszakerült a szultán kegyeibe és hamarosan anyjával közösen tervezhették az esküvőjüket. Murad szultán ugyanis feleségül kívánta venni Safiye szultánát, lányát Ayşét pedig ki akarta házasítani.

Első házasságára 1586-ban került sor, Egyiptom beglerbégjéhez, Ibrahim Pasához adták nőül. Az esküvő hatalmas ünnepségekkel zajlott és egy hétig tartott. Ayşe az elmúlt évek száműzetése után a középpontba kerülhetett egy időre. Hamarosan azonban férjével együtt Egyiptomba költözött. Ibrahim Pasa Murad uralkodása során kegyvesztett lett, azonban Murad halálával csillaga emelkedni kezdett és háromszor is viselhette a nagyvezíri posztot Ayşe bátyja, III. Mehmed mellett. Így Ayşe újra a fővárosban élhetett, közel családjához. Ibrahim Pasa 1601 július 10-én hunyt el, Ayşe pedig megözvegyült. A pasát a Şehzade mecsetkomplexumban helyezték örök nyugalomra két gyermekével együtt. Egy fiú és egy lány fekszik mellette, akik minden bizonnyal Ayşéval közös gyermekeik voltak és gyermekként elhunytak.

Özvegységét azonban nem élvezhette sokáig. 1602 áprilisában Ayşét újra férjhez adták, ezúttal Yemişci Hasan Pasához. Ayşének egyáltalán nem állt szándékában hozzámenni a pasához, mert a férfi kemény ember hírében állt, aki arcátlan és faragatlan volt. Minden ellenérzése ellenére is anyja nyomására a frigy megköttetett, ám rövidéletűnek bizonyult. Yemişci Hasan Pasa hamarosan kiesett a szultán (vagy inkább Safiye valide szultána) kegyeiből, amiért halálra ítélték. Ayşe szultána könyörgött édesanyjának és a szultánnak is, hogy kíméljék meg férje életét és engedjék, hogy zarándokútra menjenek, hogy megtisztulhassanak vagy önkéntes száműzetésbe vonuljanak Egyiptomba. A szultán azonban elutasította húga kérését és azt mondta neki, hogy ha ennyire ragaszkodik a férjéhez, akkor kövesse a halálba. Nem tudni, hogy Ayşe végül csak kötelességtudatból könyörgött férje életéért vagy időközben megszerette őt. Yemişci Hasan Pasa Ayşe palotájában rejtőzködött, ám kivégzői megtalálták és 1603 október 18-án kivégezték, Ayşe pedig újra megözvegyült. Némileg árnyalja a romantikus képet a férje életéért könyörgő Ayşéről az, hogy egyesek szerint még férje életében beleszeretett Güzelce Mahmud Pasába, aki önmaga is mindent megtett, hogy Yemişci Hasan Pasát kivégezzék. Güzelce Mahmud Pasa saját szerencséjét igyekezett ily módon kovácsolni.

III. Mehmed szultán hamarosan elhunyt, így a szultánát legközelebb unokaöccse, I. Ahmed házasította ki, ezúttal Güzelce Mahmud Pasához 1604-ben. Ez a házasság sem tartott sokáig, Ayşe ugyanis 1605. május 15-én elhunyt. Rövid élete során rengeteget jótékonykodott. 1603-ban a Şehzade-mecset komplexum területén létesített egy kutat első férje emlékére, valamint a főváros más részén is létrehozott egy kutat, vidéken pedig eg hidat építtetett. Végrendeletében is részletesen kifejtette, miképp szeretne halála után is segíteni az embereknek. Végrendelete szerint az összes szolgálóját felszabadíttatta; 10 000 akcét elkülönített arra, hogy a tartozás miatt börtönben ülőket kiváltsák; 2000 akcét arra áldozott, hogy a nélkülőzőket, betegeket, szegényeket és árvákat megsegítse; a maradékot Mekka, Medina és Jeruzsálem szegényei között óhajtotta szétosztani; egy bizonyos összeget pedig arra áldozott, hogy a háborúk során bebörtönzött muszlim fogjokat kiválthassanak, azzal a kitétellel, hogy először a női fogjokat kell kiváltani. Apja mauzóleumában helyezték örök nyugalomra az Aya Sofiyában.

Fatma Sultan

Fatma pontos születési ideje nem ismert, az azonban bizonyos, hogy Ayşénél fiatalabb volt, sőt talán Mehmednél is. 1570 és 1575 között születhetett legnagyobb valószínűség szerint. Nővéréhez hasonlóan a későbbi III. Murad és Safiye szultána gyermeke volt és első néhány évét apja maniszai tartományában töltötte, majd 1574-ben Isztambulba költözött, mikor apjából szultán lett. Életében komoly változásokat hozott anyja 1583-as száműzetése, ugyanis valószínűleg lánytestvéreivel együtt elkísérte anyját Safiyét a Régi Palotába. Hamarosan azonban vissza kerültek a szultán kegyeibe és hazatérhettek a Topkapi Palotába.

1593. december 8-án apja férjhez adta őt a tengernagy Halil Pasához hatalmas ünnepség keretei között. A házasság boldognak bizonyult, Fatma és Halil Pasa remekül összeillettek, Safiye szultánát is igyekeztek együtt támogatni annak intrikáiban. Boldog házasságukat és Safiye szultána támogatását jól bizonyítja, hogy 1595-ben a flotta feje, Halil Pasa nem utazott el a flottával együtt hadjáratra, ugyanis Fatma várandós volt és maga mellett akarta tudni férjét. Házasságukból egy gyermek született 1595 őszén, Sultanzade Mahmud bég, aki 1598-ban hunyt el, feltehetőleg járvány következtében. Halil Pasa 1603-ban elhunyt, Fatma pedig megözvegyült.

Egyes források szerint nemsokkal Halil Pasa halála után Cafer Pasához, egy vezírhez ment hozzá, mások azonban vitatják ezt. 1604-ben aztán unokaöccse, I. Ahmed házasította ki a szultánát Hızır Pasához. Fatma pontos halálozási ideje vitatott, ám valószínűleg 1620 elején halt meg. Apja mauzóleumában helyezték örök nyugalomra az Aya Sofiyában.

Hüma/Hümaşah Sultan

Hümaşah szultána is a későbbi III. Murad maniszai háremében született, emiatt következtetnek arra a történészek, hogy ő is Safiye lánya volt, így tehát Ayşe és Fatma édestestvére. Nevét minden bizonnyal Murad unokatestvére, Hümaşah után kapta, aki annak idején Safiye szultánát Muradnak ajándékozta. Ez a tény is arra enged következtetni, hogy Hümaşah Safiye lánya volt. Egyes források úgy vélték évekig, hogy Sokolluzade Lala Mustafa Pasa felesége lett még 1580 előtt, ez alapján őt gondolták későbbi III. Murad és Safiye első gyermekének. Azonban ma már bizonyos, hogy csupán Şehzade Mehmed (Hürrem fia) lányával Hümaşahval keverték össze, aki valóban Sokolluzade Lala Mustafa Pasa neje volt. Így bizonyos, hogy Hümaşah csak egyszer házasodott meg életében, Nişar Mustafazade Mehmed Pasával, ám ennek ideje nem ismert. Hümaşah azonban a pasa 1586-os halála után egyszer sem volt említve, nem szerepelt a hárem jegyzőkönyvekben sem, ami egyértelműen arra utal, hogy az 1580-as években elhunyt.

Fahriye Sultan

III. Murad 1583-tól kezdődően befejezte monogám kapcsolatát Safiye szultánával és több tucat ágyasnak is gyermeket nemzett. Egyik névtelen ágyas hozta világra Fahriye szultánát 1585 és 1590 között. Fahriye első házasságára csupán édesapja halála után került sor, nagybátyja - a vele nagyjából egykorú - I. Ahmed által, aki Çuhadar Ahmed Pasához adta nőül 1604-ben. Mások szerint a bosnyák Sofu Bayram Pasa vette el a szultánát. 1618-ban megözvegyült és a Régi Palotába vonult vissza. Sosem házasodott újra. A Régi Palota falai között élte le hátra lévő éveit, mielőtt 1641-ben (vagy utána) elhunyt.

Rukiye Sultan

III. Murad legtöbb új ágyasának neve nem maradt fenn, Rukiye anyjáé azonban igen. Şemsiruhsar Hatunnak hívták, aki élete során alapítványt hozott létre és 1613 körül hunyt el. Rukiye Murad utolsó éveiben születhetett, ugyanis első házasságára csupán 1613-ban került sor. Nakkaaş Haşan Pasát jelölte ki Ahmed szultán a szultána férjének, aki a janicsárok vezetője volt, majd később Rumélia helytartója és Kubbe vezír. Nem tudni, hogy született e gyermekük és a házasságukról sem maradt fenn információ. Rukiyét férje 1623-as halála után egyáltalán nem említik, így lehetséges, hogy már férje előtt elhunyt.

Mihrimah, Mihriban, Fetihye és Hatice

Mihrimah Sultan III. Murad és egy névtelen ágyas lányaként született 1585 és 1590 között. Unokaöccse, I. Ahmed házasította ki 1604-ben Mirahur Ahmed Pasához, ám semmi mást nem tudni róla.

Mihriban Sultanról annyit tudni, hogy Topal Mehmed Agához ment nőül és apja mauzóleumában helyezték örök nyugalomra.

Fetihye Sultan és Hatice Sultan is Murad lányai voltak, azonban semmi információ nem maradt fenn róluk.

Felhasznált források: L. Peirce - The imperial harem; M. P. Pedani - Safiye's household and Venetian diplomacy; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; Necdet Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları