#sehzade mehmed son of mustafa iii

[ottomanladies]

Mustafa III + harem and children

Consorts

Aynü’l-Hayât Baş-Kadınefendi (1726?-1.8.1764): she is sometimes considered Mustafa III's official wife. She was Mihrimah Sultan's mother, though Öztuna claims she was also mother to Mihr-i Şâh Sultan, Hibetullah Sultan and Hatice Sultan (the princess that died young). Esad Efendi, in Teşrifat-ı Kadime, claims that she died on 1 August 1764 and that she was Third Imperial Consort to "Allah's Shadow on Earth". Öztuna, on the other hand, claims that she was Mustafa III's first Baş-Kadınefendi. She was buried in Laleli, the plaque on her tomb clearly identifying her as the mother of Mihrimah Sultan (there is no mention of possible other daughters). She had built the Katırcıham Mescid Mosque in 1760.

Mihr-i Şâh Baş-Kadınefendi, later Vâlide-Sultân (1745?-16.10.1805): mother of Selim III, Fatma Sultan, and Hibetullah Sultan. Some historians say that she was mother to Şâh Sultan as well, but she was born only 8 months before Selim III. According to a legend, she was Genoese, but it's more likely that she was Georgian instead. Sakaoğlu claims that she was appointed Senior Consort because she was the mother to Mustafa III's only son. There is not much information about her tenure as Senior Consort, only that she was immediately sent to the Old Palace on the death of her husband. A document preserved in the Topkapi Palace Archives states that Mustafa III had borrowed money from Mihr-i Şâh; since the document wasn't torn, it means that the debt was never paid back (most probably because of Mustafa III's sudden death). On the death of his uncle Abdülhamid I on 7 April 1789, Selim III ascended the throne and Mihr-i Şâh was ceremoniously crowned Valide Sultan through the procession of the Valide Sultan, at which dignitaries, members of the ulema and the military participated. The next day the Valide Sultan assumed office with a written decree that was read to everyone present at the ceremony. At this point, gifts were sent to her. During her 15-years tenure, Mihr-i Şâh Sultan supported her son's innovations and was personally behind the renovations in the Topkapi Palace harem. According to a palace rumour, Selim III would go greet his mother in her apartments every single morning. Mihr-i Şâh Valide Sultan died on 16 October 1805, around 10 in the morning. During her tenure, she oversaw philanthropic projects, such as two fountains in memory of her two daughters - Hibetullah and Fatma - who had died young, and the Mihr-i Şâh Sultân Mosque with two minarets.

Fehîme 2. Kadınefendi (?? - 1761): she died while giving birth and, according to Sicill-i Osmani, Mustafa III called her "şehide" (martyr). Sakaoğlu claims that she was a Hanım, and not the Second Imperial Consort. She's not mentioned in Uluçay.

Rifat 2. Kadınefendi (1744?-12.1803): apparently a free woman whom Mustafa III met during an incognito tour of Istanbul, she was kept outside of the harem for a long time, then trusted into the care of the Grand Vizier and his wife who educated her in the harem ways, and finally admitted to the Imperial harem as Fourth Imperial Consort. In 1764, she eventually rose to the rank of Second Imperial Consort. From her burial place in Haydarpaşa Cemetery, it has been suggested that after Mustafa III's death, she returned to her own family instead of being sent to the Old Palace. Öztuna claims that she was Şâh Sultan's mother.

(Ayşe) Â’dil-Şâh 3. Kadınefendi (1748?-19.12.1803): of Circassian origin, she was the mother of Beyhan and Hatice Sultan. She died during the Ramadan month, supposedly around or on the same day of Rifat Kadınefendi. She was buried in the garden of Mustafa III's tomb, where an old plaque identified her as the mother of Beyhan and Hatice Sultan, which did not survive to present day. In her honour, her daughter Beyhan built a school around Yeşillioğlu Palace in the same year she died. In 1805, her other daughter, Hatice, built the Adilşah Kadın Mescidi Mosque. That she was also called Ayşe is present only in Alderson and Öztuna.

Binnâz 3. Kadınefendi (?? - 5.1823): not mentioned in Uluçay or Sakaoğlu, she was a childless consort who, after Mustafa III's death, married Çayır-zâde İbrahim Ağa. She had been Fourth Imperial Consort until Aynü’l-Hayât Kadınefendi's death in 1764, when she was promoted. At the time of her death, she was about 80 years old. She was buried in the Hamidiye Mausoleum.

Gülman: no information about her. Alderson suggests that she might have been called Gülnar instead.

Children

Hibetullah Sultan (17.3.1759 - 6.1762): she was the first birth in the Dynasty in 29 years. Her birth was therefore celebrated for ten days and ten nights by rich and poor alike. Her name is sometimes written as Heybetullah or Heyyibetullah. On the fountain dedicated to her, it is written that her mother was Mihr-i Şâh Sultan, and not Aynü’l-Hayât Kadınefendi as Öztuna believes. Her nurse seems to have been Emine Hanım, Aynü’l-Hayât Kadınefendi's sister. When she was three months old, Hibetullah was engaged to Hamid Hamza Paşa in another pompous ceremony; on this occasion, her father bestowed the Gümrükçü farms to her. Unfortunately, she died at the age of three either of smallpox or another disease. She was buried in her father's mausoleum.

Şâh Sultan (21.4.1761 - 11.3.1803): mother unknown, she was born during the month of Ramadan and therefore the celebrations in her honour were postponed on the day next to Eid. She was engaged at the age of three to Grand Vizier Köse Bahir Mustafa Paşa but, at the engagement ceremony, Mustafa III exiled his Grand Vizier to Lesbo and later had him executed. At the age of seven, she was engaged to Nişancı Yağlıkçızade Mehmed Emin Paşa (later Grand Vizier); a year later, though, he was exiled to Edirne and executed there. Finally, during the reign of her uncle Abdülhamid I, she was married to Nişancı Seyyid Mustafa Paşa on 6 November 1778. The couple had two daughters: Şerife Havvâ Hanım-Sultân and Âliye Hanım-Sultân, both died at six months old. Şâh Sultan and her husband adopted a girl, New Hanım, who died at the age of 18. Şâh Sultan may have suffered from health problems because she lived in a mansion on the seaside and was definitely less active than her other two sisters, Beyhan and Hatice. Selim III used to visit her very often, even staying for days and summoning the Grand Vizier there to discuss affairs of state. In Tarih-i Cevdet it is stated that she was an impeccable Muslim, who protected and helped the poor. In 1792, she built the Şâh Sultan fountain in Yeşildirek; in 1800, she built her tomb, a school and a public fountain near the Zal Mahmud Paşa Mosque in Eyüp. She died at the age of 42 years old and was buried in the tomb she had built for herself.

Selim III (24.12.1761 - 28.7.1808): 28th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, he reigned for 18 years before being deposed in favour of his cousin Mustafa IV. He had several consorts but no children.

Mihr-i Mâh Sultan (5.2.1762 - 3.1764): Alderson claimed she was born in 1760 but documents in Topkapi Palace Archives found by Uluçay reveal that she was born in 1762 and died in 1764. Her mother was Aynü’l-Hayât Kadınefendi. For her birth, celebrations were held for five days. She, unfortunately, died young and was buried next to her sister Hibetullah.

Mihr-i Şâh Sultan (9.1.1763 - 21.2.1769): mother unknown, Mustafa III ordered celebrations for three days and three nights to be held. She died at the young age of 6 and was buried in her father's mausoleum.

Beyhan Sultan (13.1.1766 - 7.11.1824): elder daughter of Â’dil-Şâh Kadınefendi, she is sometimes called Big-han Sultan. She was nine years old when her father died, and moved to the Old Palace with her mother and younger sister. In a note sent to the Grand Vizier, the new sultan Abdülhamid I said that Beyhan fainted often inside the Old Palace and had bouts of screaming and shouting. Her mother thought that it was time for her to get married. The sultan selected Silahdar Çelik/Perişan Mustafa Paşa for Beyhan; the wedding was celebrated on 22 April 1784 and the couple had a child together, Hatice Hanım-Sultân, who lived into adulthood, as she got married in 1814. Beyhan was the sister that Selim III met most often during his reign; he would visit her on her seaside palace on the Bosphorus and listen to musical performances together. She was most active in the innovations of the empire and even organised parties for foreign ambassadors' wives. She built twin palaces in Yeşillioğlu, giving the other to her sister Hatice. In 1791, she demolished the old Çırağan Palace with Selim III's approval and started the construction of a European-style mansion. The mansion was ready in 1795, just when her sister Hatice was busy with the construction of her seaside mansion with Melling's help. Her husband died around 1798 but Beyhan did not remarry though she lived for 26 more years. She died during the reign of Mahmud II at the age of 59.

Hatice Sultan (15.6.1766 -1767): according to Alderson and Öztuna. There is no information about her.

Şehzade Mehmed (10.1.1767-12.10.1772): died of smallpox, his tutor had been Küçük Hüseyn Ağa (later Damad and Paşa). He was buried in the mausoleum of his father.

Hatice Sultan (13/14.6.1768 - 17.7.1822): younger daughter of Â’dil-Şâh Kadınefendi, she was six years old when her father died and she had to move to the Old Palace with her mother and elder sister. She was educated by the other concubines living there. Like her sister, Hatice Sultan developed depression, according to her mother, who wrote to the new sultan, Abdülhamid I, asking him to find a husband for her younger daughter. According to Hatice Sultan's deputy, Ahmed Vasıf Efendi, the princess' depression was due to the environment in which she was forced to live. Ahmed Vasıf Efendi would later write a history of the period, providing valuable information on Hatice Sultan's life. At the age of 18, the princess married Seyyid Ahmed Paşa; the marriage lasted till 1799 when the pasha died, but the couple had no children. After being widowed, Hatice Sultan chose not to remarry. In 1806, she built the Hatice Sultan Fountain in the Spice Bazaar. In 1809, she bought a large plot of land in Arnavutköyü and had the Hatice Sultan Palace built there. She died in 1822, during the reign of Mahmud II, and as she had no children, she left everything to her elder sister Beyhan. Her staggering debt was paid off by Mahmud II. She was buried in the mausoleum of Mihr-i Şâh Valide Sultan.

Fatma Sultan (9.1.1770 - 26.5.1772): she was buried in the mausoleum of her father

Reyhan Sultan (?-?): she was very young when she died.

[reallifesultanas]

About the Haseki title

Yesterday was the anniversary of Hafsa Valide Sultan's death. For this reason, I would like to talk a little about the Haseki title as it was created due to her death.

Origin of the Haseki title

The title itself was created in 1534 by Suleyman I. The reason is more complicated than we would think at first. Usually, we believe that Suleyman created this title for Hürrem because he loved her so much that wanted to give her something valuable. But it's not only about his love and affection for Hürrem, the whole title had a deeper meaning.

Suleyman went a lot to war in his early-mid reign. During the wars, his mother was left in the capital to take care of his harem and act as a messenger for him. Hafsa was great for that role because Suleyman could trust her, she told him everything that happened, she was respected by everyone and she could take great care of Suleyman's family. So Suleyman could be calm, everything stayed fine in the capital while he was far away. Suleyman - and every sultan - needed a strong and honest and trustworthy ally in the capital during war-time, especially when war seemed to be long and hard. For example, his father Yavuz Selim I made Suleyman act as a regent while he was chasing his brothers and fighting against them. True that these times Suleyman was not in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul but Edirne, because that was the custom. So until 1534, Suleyman could leave the capital in relative calmness because the city was in the hands of his mother, and also his mother was there to keep safe the harem and take care of his children and family.

But everything changed in 1534, in the year of Suleyman's hardest campaign. Suleyman's Persian campaign started and these kinds of campaigns were the hardest and most dangerous campaigns for the Ottomans. The wars with the Safavids are legendary! In such a situation Suleyman's mother fell ill, very ill. This is why Suleyman didn't leave with his army in early 1534 but sent Ibrahim Pasha instead. This was the first time that he did not accompany his army. At first, the army was fine with it, at least there is no evidence suggesting otherwise. Most probably they knew the reason why the sultan stayed and understood him. But with time as the war became worse and worse, Suleyman was very needed at the battlefield. Hafsa Sultan in the end died on 19 March of 1534. After the mourning period, Suleyman should leave and join his army already. But who he could trust to keep the harem and the city safe? All of his trusted men were at the campaign and the only person he could trust, Hürrem, was not suitable for the position. In the end, Suleyman named his younger son, Mehmed as the protector of Istanbul, but he was young also. Mehmed moved to Topkapi Palace with his mother and tutor, but still, it was not enough. Hürrem was the only one Suleyman could completely trust, so he must have to make her suitable for the role.

But how could a simple consort rule the whole harem and help the young protector of Istanbul? Hürrem was the mother of a prince, which definitely was something but still, she was very far from the highest-ranking women of the harem. In the harem, there lived Suleyman's widowed sisters and aunts, who all had a higher rank than Hürrem. Most of them were even older than Hürem and age was a very important factor in the hierarchy especially together with ranks. How could Hürrem rule over them? How could Hürrem with a lower rank keep the harem in order? Well, there was no way for that, so Hürrem must have had a higher rank to do so. Suleyman was thinking about what he could do... When the mourning period ended he immediately married Hürrem in May 1534. She became a wedded wife and stuff so she had a high rank but she still was only a Hatun, as only the trueborn princesses and the Valide could have the title "Sultana". As a wedded wife she still was not completely above the old true-born sultanas. Suleyman wanted to mark Hürrem's importance and position for everyone, to make it even more clear that she is Suleyman's favorite and only woman, his ear in the capital while he is abroad. So he created a new rank for Hürrem: the Haseki Sultan title. As a wedded wife and a Haseki she had a higher rank than anyone else in the Harem, she became a Sultana. And with such titles, she could easily move to Topkapi Place with Sehzade Mehmed to act as regents while Suleyman was far away. They - along with Mehmed's tutor - did a nice job, wrote letters to Suleyman about everything, and kept the harem and the city in order.

But what was the Haseki's role?

The original usage of Haseki Sultan title meant that she was the chief consort of the sultan with special status. A Haseki Sultan had an important place in the palace, being the second most powerful woman and enjoyed the greatest status in the imperial harem after Valide Sultan and usually had chambers close to the sultan's chamber. Rumors have it that Suleyman and Hürrem had a secret corridor between their rooms so they could meet anytime. When the position of Valide Sultan was vacant, a Haseki took the Valide Sultan's role, have access to considerable economic resources, become chief of the imperial harem, sultan's advisor in political matters, and even have an influence on foreign policy and international politics. So this was the original meaning of being a Haseki.

What happened later?

After Hürrem the next Haseki Sultan was Nurbanu Sultan, mother of the heir, later Murad III and partner of Selim II, Hürrem's son. When Selim ascended the throne Hürrem was already dead, so the position of the Valide Sultan was vacant. This is why Nurbanu could act similarly to Hürrem. She had a less long tenure, as Selim was sultan for only 8 years, but her power and work were very similar to Hürrems. Hürrem was the only woman in Suleyman's life after they met and she was the mother of all his children except Mustafa, who was born long before Hürrem and Suleyman met. Nurbanu was similarly to the only woman in Selim's life, however, their situation was different. Due to the law of fratricide, Nurbanu and Selim stopped reproducing after the birth of their first son in 1546. They never had any children together again, but still, they were faithful to each other and Nurbanu acted as a companion and partner, and ally to Selim. Later when their son, Murad got his first province, Nurbanu had to leave with him, leaving Selim alone. The alone Selim during this period accidentally impregnated a consort and had a daughter with her. From then on Selim was loyal to Nurbanu again and the mother of the daughter couldn't have any position or any special wealth. Selim ascended the throne in 1566 and his pashas were worried because he had only one son, one heir, the son of Nurbanu, Murad. So the pashas in the end pushed Selim to produce more children. The mothers of these children were one-night stands and they had a shamefully low stipend (50 aspers for a day) compared to Nurbanu's stipend (1100 aspers for a day). Selim wanted to show everyone that these women and these sons born from these one-night stands mean nothing compared to Nurbanu and Murad, so he stated that his heir is Murad, and his love is Murad's mother. So he married Nurbanu. So all in all true, that Selim had other women in his life besides Nurbanu but we cannot compare any of them to Nurbanu. And in general, Nurbanu had a very similar role as Hürrem so we can consider them being both the original kind of Hasekies.

When Selim II died his son Murad III took his place, and Nurbanu reached her peak, becoming a Valide Sultan. Murad to sign his love for his mother made a legal and official title out of Valide Sultanship (though it's a different story). Murad immediately made his favorite consort, Safiye a Haseki Sultan, however this time Haseki meant a different thing. The whole Haseki title was created because of the absence of a Valide Sultan and both titles have similar tasks so the two titles were incompatible. Still first time in history there was a Valide Sultan (one of the strongest of all time) and a Haseki Sultan. Both were very loved by the sultan, and both wanted to influence the sultan. This naturally caused trouble. The Haseki Sultan, Safiye wanted to be such a Haseki as Nurbanu and Hürrem were previously, but it was not possible with the presence of such a Valide Sultan. Safiye, while was a Haseki, was considered more like a favorite consort by people. Things changed when Nurbanu died in 1583 and so Safiye became a real Haseki Sultan, acting like a Haseki Sultan. However besides her Murad continuously had other consorts and these consorts had a bigger value than previously Selim II's late consorts. Some of them could to charitable foundations, which suggest a higher stipend than Selim II's late consorts. All in all of course none of them couldn't be compared to Safiye, but still, they were present.

When Murad III died, Safiye became the Valide Sultan to Mehmed III and so reached her peak in power. Safiye Sultan knew how terrible A Valide could be to a Haseki and vica versa, this is why she forbade to her son to make a Haseki out of any of his consorts. During Mehmed's reign, there was no recorded Haseki Sultan.

When Mehmed died his barely 13 years old son, Ahmed I ascended the throne in 1603. Soon he made his favorite consort, Kösem a Haseki Sultan. Kösem was a strong Haseki Sultan, but she was not similar in tasks or any other perspective to Hürrem and Nurbanu, who were the original kind of Hasekies. Kösem's situation was similar, because Ahmed's mother died young, so the Valide Sultan's position was vacant, but she couldn't make power out of the harem. She couldn't take the Valide Sultan's job. She had no political activity, she tried in vain to gain any political influence, Ahmed never let her do so. She couldn't really have her allies, she didn't have heavy burdens on her shoulders such her predecessors had. She was not even the one ruling the imperial harem as it was ruled by Haci Mustafa Agha, the chief black eunuch, who was a father-figure to the sultan. During this period the Haseki title had a meaning of being the sultan's favorite, and not being a kind-of-valide.

The next years were chaotic for the Haseki title. The new ruler after Ahmed I who had a Haseki was Osman II. Osman II's Haseki did not have any political influence, was not ruling the harem (while the position of Valide Sultan was vacant though). We cannot even consider her any kind of Haseki, only her stipend suggests she was a Haseki but nothing else.

The next sultan, Murad IV had a Haseki, Ayşe Sultan who was similar to Osman II's Haseki, as she also couldn't gain any political or another kind of influence. And in his late reign, Murad IV made a second Haseki out of his favorites. With this, the original meaning and the whole raison d'etre of it were destroyed.

The Haseki Sultan title was destroyed by Murad, but his brother Ibrahim I made a total mess out of it. He gave a Haseki title and Haseki stipend to all of his favorites, so during his reign, there was a total of 8 Hasekies. These women cannot be compared to the original Hasekies but not even to Murad IV's Haseki, Ayşe. The Haseki title was devastated and it seemed like it will end like this.

A little light came then, with the reign of Mehmed IV, who made his favorite consort, mother of his children a Haseki Sultan. Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş was again a kind of normal Haseki Sultan. She had political power, she influenced the sultan, but the role of Valide Sultan was not vacant, as Mehmed IV's mother, Turhan was alive, so she couldn't act as an original Haseki. She was similar to Kösem Sultan actually. While Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş had a Valide mother-in-law, we still cannot compare this to Safiye and Nurbanu, because those two fought with each other, while Turhan and Emetullah had a cordial relationship. True that Emetullah was not as strong and independent as the original Hasekies but after the mass of Ibrahim I, it was a refreshment to see a kind-of-Haseki-Sultan.

Mehmed IV's brother, Ahmed II had a Haseki also, Rabia Sultan, but this woman was nothing like a Haseki should be. She had the salary of a Haseki but that's all. She didn't have any kind of influence, so in reality, she was more like a simple favorite than a Haseki Sultan. The Haseki Sultan title was soon abolished and in general, the whole harem system changed a lot, the titles of the harem concubines changed also. With the death of Rabia, the last Haseki Sultan, the Haseki title disappeared.

*    *    *

Tegnap volt Ayşe Hafsa Valide szultána halálának évfordulója. Ennek okán szeretnék egy kicsit beszélni a Haszeki szultána címről, amely részben halála miatt jött létre.

A Haszeki cím eredete

A címet magát I. Szulejmán alkotta meg 1534-ben. Ennek oka bonyolultabb volt, mint azt először gondolnánk. Általában úgy hisszük, Szulejmán azért alkotta meg ezt a rangot Hürrem számára, mert annyira szerette és ki akarta fejezni, mennyit jelent neki. A cím azonban nem csupán a szerelemről szól, sokkal mélyebb jelentése és jelentősége van.

Szulejmán uralkodásának korai-középső periódusában rendeteget háborúzott. A háborúk idején édesanyja a fővárosban maradt és vigyázott a háremre, mindenről beszámolt a szultánnak, ami a fővárosban zajlott. Hafsa nagyszerűen megfelelt erre a szerepre, mert Szulejmán megbízhatott benne, Hafsa mindent elmondott fiának, ami történt és nagyszerűen gondját viselte Szulejmán családjának, emellett pedig mindenki szerette és tisztelte. Szulejmán ilyen háttérrel nyugodt lehetett a háborúban is, hiszen családja és a főváros jó kezekben volt. Szulejmánnak - és minden más szultának is - hatalmas szüksége volt erős, megbízható emberekre, akiket a fővárosban hagyhatott háború idejére, különösen ha hosszadalmas háború volt kilátásban. Példának okáért Szulejmán apja, I. Yavuz Szelim saját fiát, Szulejmánt hagyta meg Isztambul őrzőjének, amíg ő a keleti fronton harcolt vagy saját testvéreit üldözte. Igaz, Szulejmán nem Isztambulban volt ekkor, hanem Edirnéből kormányozta az országot és vigyázott a rendre, hiszen a hagyomány így követelte. Lényegében tehát 1534-ig Szulejmán nyugodtan hagyhata hátra a fővárost, ha háborúzni ment.

1534-ben aztán minden megváltozott. Ebben az évben indult Szulejmán egyik legkeményebb hadjárata, a perzsa hadjárat. A Szafavidák ellen vívott háborúk mindig a legnehezebbek voltak az oszmánok számára, nem volt ez másként Szulejmán esetében sem. Ilyen körülmények között azonban, pont a hadjárat előkészületei alatt Hafsa szultána súlyos beteg lett. Szulejmán nem akarta elhagyni édesanyját, ezért hadseregét előreküldte Pargali Ibrahim vezetésével, ő maga pedig anyja mellett maradt. Ez volt az első alkalom, hogy Szulejmán így cselekedett. Úgy tűnik, a hadsereg nem különösebben bánta eleinte Szulejmán döntését, bizonyára tudták, mi távollétének oka és megértették. Később, ahogy a hadjárat egyre rosszabbul ment, Szulejmánra nagy szükség volt a hadszíntéren. Hafsa végül március 19-én hunyt el. A gyászidő letelte után Szulejmánnak el kellett volna indulnia hadserege után, azonban nagyon nehéz helyzetben találta magát. Nem tudtakire bízza a háremét és a fővárost. Bár kinevezte fiát, Mehmedet Isztambul védelmezőjévé, a herceg még nagyon fiatal volt ekkor. Mehmed herceg anyja és tanítója kíséretében a Topkapi Palotába költözött, ám ez kevés volt. Hürrem volt az egyetlen, akiben Szulejmán kellőképpen megbízott, hogy ráhagyja a háremet és a fővárost, azonban a nőnek nem volt megfelelő rangja ahhoz, hogy elláthassa ezt a feladatot.

Hogyan uralhatta volna egy egyszerű ágyas a háremet és hogyan segíthette volna Isztambul ifjú őrzőjét? Hürrem bár több herceg anyja volt és a szultán kedvence, mégis nagyon távol állt rangban a hárem sok más lakójától. A háremben éltek ugyanis Szulejmán özvegy testvérei, nagynénjei, akik mint rangban, mind korban felülmúlták Hürremet. Hogy uralkodhatott volna tehát Hürrem? Szulejmán végül feleségül vette kedvenc ágyasát, Hürremet 1534 májusában. Ezzel bár hites feleség lett és pozíciója sokat javult, továbbra is csak a Hatun rang illette meg, nem uralhatta tehát a háremben élő született szultánákat. Szulejmán ezért megalkotott egy olyan rangot Hürrem számára, amellyel maga is szultána rangot kapott, így pedig alkalmassá vált arra, hogy a háremet uralja. A Haszeki szultána rang megalkotása után mindenki számára nyilvánvalóvá vált, hogy mit jelent Hürrem a szultán számára, és kénytelenek voltak elfogadni felsőbbrendűségét. Ezekután Hürrem fiával együtt nyugodtan költözhetett a Topkapi Palotába, ahonnan rendszeresen számoltak be a szultánnak az aktuális eseményekről. Jó munkát végeztek, így Szulejmán nyugodtan koncentrálhatott hadjáratára.

Na de gyakorlatban mi volt a Haszeki szultána feladata?

Eredetileg a Haszeki szultána cím a szultán fő kedvencét jelölte, akinek kiemelt státusza volt. A Haszeki szultána nagyon fontos szerepet játszott a háremben, és a második legbefolyásosabb nő lehetett a Valide szultána után. Emellett megvolt a saját lakrésze, mely a validéével vetekedett. A legendák szerint Hürrem lakrésze például titkos összeköttetésben állt Szulejmánéval, hogy zavartalanul találkozhassanak. Ha a Valide Szultána hiányzot a hierarchiából, a Haszeki vette át feladatait, amivel hatalmas gazdasgi forrásokhoz jutott hozzá, ő volt a hárem feje, a szultán tanácsadója politikai ügyekben, sőt akár befolyással lehetett a más államokkal vlaó politikára is. Ezt értjük tehát a Haszeki cím eredeti jelentőségének.

Mi történt később?

Hürrem után a következő Haszeki, Nurbanu szultána volt, az örökös, későbbi III. Murad anyja és II. Szelim partnere. Amikor Szelim trónralépett, Hürrem már régóta halott volt, így a Valide szultána rang üres volt. Ennek köszönhetően Nurbanu hasonló keretek között ténykedett, mint elődje, Hürrem. Haszekisége csupán 8 évig tartott, mely alatt hatalma, munkája nagyban hasonlított Hürremére. Szulejmán életében nem volt más nő miután megismerte Hürremet és ő volt minden fiának anyja, kivéve Musztafának, aki jóval idősebb volt Hürrem fiainál. Nurbanu hasonlóan az egyetlen nő volt Szelim életében, azonban esetük kissé eltérő volt. A testvérgyilkosság törvénye miatt Szelim és Nurbanu első fiuk születése után nem nemzett többé gyermeket, azonban hűségesek voltak egymáshoz és Nurbanu vált Szelim partnerévé, társává. Később, mikor egyetlen közös fiuk megkapta első uralnivaló provinciáját, Nurbanu a szokásokhoz híven követte fiát, ezzel hátrahagyva Szelimet. A magány idején Szelim nemzett egy gyermeket egy névtelen ágyasnak, egy kislányt. A lány születése után aztán Szelim újra hűséges lett Nurbanuhoz és nem kockáztatta többé, hogy gyermeket nemzen. A sors azonban máshogy gondolta. Szelim 1566-ban, Szulejmán halálát követően foglalhatta el a trónt. Ekkor Szelimnek gyakorlatilag egyetlen örököse volt, fia Murad, ami a pasák szerint rendkívül kevés volt. Ha Murad elhunyt volna egy betegség következtében, ami talán nem lett volna meglepő, tekintve, hogy nem volt egy erős megjelenésű figura, akkor a birodalom örökös nélkül maradt volna. Emiatt a pasák minden erejükkel azon voltak, hogy Szelimet rávegyék a további gyermeknemzésre. Végül Szelim több egyéjszakás kaland során több fiút is nemzett. Ezen ágyasok azonban szinte szégyenteljesen alacsony fizetést kaptak (50 asper egy napra) Nurbanuhoz viszonyítva (1100 asper egy napra). Szelim emellett nyilvánosan is ki akarta fejezni, hogy életében egy nő és egy örökös van, emiatt nyilvánosan Muradot nevezte meg örököséül, fia anyját pedig feleségül vette. Így bár Nurbanu mellett voltak más nők Szelim életében, mégsem vehetjük egyiküket sem komolyan, csupán a körülmények adtak létjogosultságot nekik. Épp emiatt általánosságban véve (hatalmát, befolyását, elismertségét, vagyonát, munkáját) Nurbanu Haszekisége nagyban hasonlított Hürremére, ami mindkettejüket egyértelműen a Haszekik eredeti generációjává teszi.

Mikor II. Szelim elhalálozott, fia III. Murad követte a trónon, amivel Nurbanu elérte hatalma csúcsét, Valide szultánaként. Murad, hogy bizonyítsa, mennyire tiszteli és szereti anyját egy valódi tisztséget alkotott a Valide számára, de ez egy másik történet... Murad ugyanekkor kedvenc ágyasát, Safiyét a Haszeki ranggal tüntette ki. Azonban ez a Haszekiség merőben eltért Hürrem vagy Nurbanu Haszkiségétől. Az egész rangra azért volt szükség, mert nem volt életben Valide szultána és szükség volt a pótlására. Jelen esetben azonban nagyon is volt Valide, ráadásul a történelem egyik legerőebbike, így természetes frusztrációt okozott a két rang együttes jelenléte. Mivel mind a Valide, mind a Haszeki rang hasonló feladatkörrel és befolyással bír, a két nő között verseny alakult ki, ami vérremenő harcig fajult az évek múlásával. Bár Safiye szeretett volna hasonló Haszeki lenni, mint elődei, esélye sem volt erre sem a háremen belül sem a politikai életben. Gyakorlatilag Safiye csak egy kedvenc ágyas volt, magas fizetéssel, hiába viselte a Haszeki rangot. A dolgok természetesen megváltoztak, amikor Nurbanu 1583-ban lehalálozott. Innentől Safiye valódi Haszekivé lépett elő. Fontos azonban megjegyezni, hogy Muradnak rendszeresen voltak más ágyasai Safiye mellett ebben az időszakban és jóval nagyobb vagyonnal és befolyással rendelekzdtek, mint például II. Szelim elfeledett ágyasai. Murad ágyasai közül többen is tudtak jótékony szervezetet alapítani és egyéb más adaozásokat csinálni, melyre aligha lettek volna képesek, ha annyi a fizetésük, mint II. Szelim ágyasainak. Ettől függetlenül természetesen Safiyéhez nem érhettek fel.

III. Murad halálával Safiye Valide szultána rangot kapott fia, III. Mehmed mellett és elérte befolyása csúcsát. Safiye mindneki másnál jobban tudta milyen szörnyűséges, ha egyszerre van jelen egy erős Valide és egy Haszeki, épp emiatt, megtiltotta fiának, hogy bármelyik ágyasát Haszeki rangra emelje, így III. Mehmed uralkodása alatt Safiynek nem igazán volt vetélytársa.

Mehmed halálával, alig 13 éves fia, I. Ahmed került trónra, 1603-ban. Hamarosan ő is kinevezett magának egy Haszekit, kisebbik fiának anyja, Köszem kapta meg ezt a titulust. Köszem erős asszony volt, Ahmed háremében is kiemelt szerepe volt, azonban sem befolyásában sem feladatköreiben nem hasonlíthatjuk az előbbi Haszekikhez. Bár Köszem helyzete hasonló volt Hürrem vagy Nurbanu helyzetéhez, hisz a szultán anyja nem élt, így a Haszeki volt a legmagasabb rangú nő, Köszem mégsem tudott felérni elődeihez. Nem volt politikai befolyása, Ahmed nem engedte meg neki, hogy aktivizálja magát a politikában. Emellett saját támogatói körrel sem rendelkezett, nem nyomták nehéz terhek a vállait, hiszen a hárem vezetése sem az ő feladata volt. Tény, hogy volt beleszólása a hárem életébe, de azt Haci Musztafa Aga, fő fekete eunuch irányította, aki egyfajta apafigura volt a szultán életében. Köszem Haszekisége inkább volt egy kiemelt kedvenc szerepe, mint az eredeti Haszekiség.

A következő néhány év teljesen kaotikus volt a Haszeki rang szempontjából. A soronkövetkező szultán, II. Oszmán is odaadta a titulust egyik ágyasáank, azonban a nőnek nem volt semmiféle politikai befolyása vagy akár hárembeli befolyása (még úgy sem, hogy nem volt Valide szultána Oszmán uralkodása során). Fizetését leszámítva semmi köze nem volt a Haszekikhez ennek az ágyasnak.

A következő szultán IV. Murad szintén Haszekivé tette egyik ágyasát, aki éveken keresztül dominálta Murad szerelmi életét, azonban politikai befolyása nem volt és a Valide szultánával sem versenyezhetett a háremben. Ayşe Haszeki is inkább volt jó fizetéssel rendelkező kedven ágyas, mintsem Haszeki. Ráadásul Murad uralkodásána végén feltűnt egy második Haszeki, amivel az egész Haszeki szultána rang létjogosultságát sikerült lerombolni.

A Haszeki szultána rangot bár Murad is erőteljesen elkezdte rombolni, a munkát öccse, I. Ibrahim végezte be. Ibrahim minden kedvenc ágyasának kiosztotta a Haszeki rangot, amivel összesen 8 Haszekit produkált. Ezeket a nőket egyáltalán nem hasonlíthatjuk a korábbi Haszekikhez, még Ayşe Haszekihez sem! Úgy tűnt, a Haszeki rang teljesen tönkre ment és megsemmisült.

Egy kis fényt hozott a következő uralkodó, IV. Mehmed, aki újra logikus módon használta ezt a rangot és kedvenc ágyasának, gyermekei anyjának, Emetullah Rabia Gülnüşnek adta oda. Emetullah Rabia Gülnüş függetlenül attól, hogy volt életben Valide szultána politika befolyásra is szert tudott tenni, emellett befolyással bírt a szultánra és a háremre is. Esete kissé hasonlít Safiye fiatalkori Haszekiségére, azzal a különbséggel, hogy IV. Mehmed édesanyja, Turhan Hatice Valide szultána és közte sosem volt harc a hatalomért, elfogadták és tiszteletben tartották egymást. Így bár összességében Emetullah Rabia Gülnüşt nem hasonlíthatjuk az eredeti Haszekikhez, mint Hürrem vagy Nurbanu, mégis felüdülés volt Ibrahim 8 Haszekije után látni valakit, aki legalább hasonlított a Haszeki eredeti értelmére.

IV. Mehmed öccse, II. Ahmed volt az utolsó szultán, aki rendelkezett Haszeki szultánával. Ez a nő Rabia volt, a szultán gyermekeinek anyja, kedvenc ágyasa. Bár fizetése a Haszekire jellemző, rendkívül magas fizetés volt, nem volt semmilyen beolyása, így inkább volt egyszerű ágyas, mint valódi Haszeki. A Haszeki szultána címet hamarosan végleg eltörölték és az egész hárem struktúra nagyban megváltozott, vele együtt az összes rang is. Rabia halálával pedig eltávozott az utolsó Haszeki szultána és a cím örökre eltűnt.

[magnificent-sultana]

Young Mustafas: Muhtesem Yuzyil and Muhtesem Yuzyil: Kosem

Left: Sehzade Mustafa, son of Sultan Suleyman I and Mahidevran Sultan

Right: Sultan Mustafa I, son of Mehmed III and Halime Sultan

They were both so cute when they were young and they both deserved better. 

[ottomanladies]

How did concubines negotiate contact with non-eunuch men in & around the harem? I assume princes could interact with their moms, sisters, and other female blood relatives. Yet Mehmed III impregnating a servant while still a prince & Kosem caring for Osman suggests they weren’t 100% isolated from non-sultan men. How was this divide between princes, their “stepmoms” & other non-blood related women in the harem managed?

Royal children and royal consorts belong to the same family even if there is not a blood relation between them. This is something we'll see later, maybe influenced by European practices, but we have princes call their fathers' consorts "first mother" "second mother" "third mother" according to the women's ranks. So, these people — consorts and children — certainly had a relationship, especially after the practice of the prince governorate lapses and princes live in the harem before being secluded in the kafes.

Before the reign of Süleyman I, princes as young as 10/11 were sent to provinces away from Istanbul to learn how to rule. It's with him that for the first time actual adult princes live in the harem: Mustafa left Istanbul for Manisa at the age of 18, Mehmed was even older— 21 years old. In any case, princes weren't barred from talking to their fathers' consorts. There's actually a letter of Hürrem's in which she asks her husband to send her hello to Mustafa:

“If you send greetings to Sultan Mustafa, send him my note too.” Apparently she had included a separate letter to Suleyman’s eldest son in the scroll cylinder that carried her own to the sultan. The future would cloud Roxelana’s relations with Mustafa and his mother Mahidevran, but in 1526 there appeared to be harmony, or at least an effort on Roxelana’s part to keep up communication. — Peirce, Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire

Specifically to the examples you've mentioned:

the slave Mehmed III impregnated was part of Nurbanu's retinue, which means that he probably met her whenever he visited his grandmother (which royal grandchildren routinely did— daily in the XIX century, supposedly it was the same in the XVI century)

Osman was Kösem's step-son. Seeing as Mehmed was only a couple of months younger and they had therefore the same tutor, they could not not have a relationship of some sort. I also imagine that the children used to play together when they were little and the only sons of Ahmed I. The Venetian ambassador's remark that she was not to converse with him or his younger brother anymore does not mean that they wouldn't see each other anymore but that they weren't supposed to spend a lot of time together. Or alone. As Osman was motherless, he was "defenceless" because he didn't have anyone to look after his own interests; if Mahfiruze had been alive at the time, Kösem wouldn't have certainly taken him out for carriage rides with her children. They would have still seen each other on a daily basis, maybe for lessons or because Kösem would visit Mahfiruze (for tea, for example) but it wouldn’t have been that dangerous (from Ahmed I’s point of view, at least) because Kösem wouldn’t have tried to lobby the young prince

Hell, I'll even include Ahmed and Kösem who, according to Valier, met each other when the prince used to visit his own mother.

These things could happen, though it wasn't certainly a habit and it was forbidden to entertain an intimate relationship with a woman belonging to the sultan's harem, it doesn't matter her rank.

In the case of step-mothers and step-children though it was perfectly normal for them to have some sort of relationship. I mean, motherless children were entrusted to other consorts by the sultans themselves. In the XIX century, princes would routinely visit their fathers’ consorts on religious festivities and consorts with no children would even have favourites among the royal children: Mahmud II’s consort Tiryâl Hanımefendi was very close to the then-prince Abdülaziz, so much so that when he became sultan, she was considered a sort of second valide sultan. It’s true we’re much later in Ottoman history but in this case, Abdülaziz had a living mother. 

I think the family dynamics of the Ottoman dynasty are very interesting.

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

[ottomanladies]

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

[ottomanladies]

Turhan Hatice Sultan + known grandchildren

[reallifesultanas]

Marriages /Házasságok

The institution of marriage in the Ottoman Empire has always been an interesting topic. There was a great difference in the general conception of the marriages of sultans, sultanas, şehzades, pashas, ​​and concubines. In this post, I would like to introduce you to the different forms of marriage.

First of all lets discuss the marriages of the sultans. The sultans of the earlier periods of the Ottoman Empire, regularly married women from the ruling dynasty of smaller and larger empires to strengthen their power and gain supporters. This was done, among others, by Murad I (reign: 1362-1389), who married Tamara, the daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander, so that he could have the Bulgarians as his supporters. Tamara was one of the greatest beauties of that period and she was specially chosen for him. 

His namesake, Murad II (r. 1421-1444 and 1446-1451) married the daughter of a Serbian lord, George Brankovic, Mara Brankovic (1416-1487), who over time became one of the most famous women of her age. Mara's father was loyal to the Ottomans just until the death of Murad II. Mara however, even after Murad's death, decided not to return home but to stay with her adoptive son, Mehmed II (r. 1444-1446 and 1451-1481). She remained with Mehmed and served him as his adviser for the rest of her life. Mehmed II, by the way, is particularly important in the subject of marriage, because he was the one who began the tradition of sultans not to marry. It is interesting because Mehmed himself was married, his wife was choosed by his father Murad II. This is also a good indication of the importance of dynastic marriage during this period. The sultan himself chosed woman to his son, similar to European customs. His choice fell on the daughter of the ruler of the state of Dulkadir, Mükrime. However, their marriage remained childless, since Mehmed showed no interest on Mükrime, even though the wedding celebration lasted for three months! (No other wedding has ever been celebrated for so long.)

Marriages between sultans and noble women thus ceased during the reign of Mehmed II (r. 1444-1446 and 1451-1481). The reason for this was simple. After the occupation of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire became strong and was more troubled by a noble relative than helped by them. They no longer needed the support of the ruler dynasty of other countries. This is precisely why it caused such outrage when a narrow hundred years later, Süleyman I (r. 1520-1566) married his enslaved love, Hürrem (⁓1503-1558). Although marriage for the sultans was not forbidden, but it has not been a habit since Mehmed II. In particular, not the marriage with a liberated slave. Süleyman began a new habit with this, as his descendants followed this form of marriage. So did Suleiman's son, Selim II (r.1566-1574), who married his love, Nurbanu (⁓1525-1583), almost immediately after becoming sultan. Seeing this pattern in front of him, their son Murad III (r. 1574-1595) also considered marrying his favorite concubine, but sources do not agree on whether he eventually married Safiye (⁓1550-1620?) or not.

A big turn came during the reign of Osman II (r. 1618-1622) in the field of marriages. Osman ascended the throne as a young boy, and as an orphan. His mother died when he was a child, so no one was behind him when he ascended the throne. Osman desperately sought to gain supporters for himself (as did the sultans of the very early period of the Ottoman Empire), so he married the daughter of  Seyhülislam Efendi, Akile (1607-1638). Unfortunately, even his marriage couldn't rescu Osman, who was eventually executed during a Janissary rebellion. After Osman, the crazy Ibrahim I (r.1640-1648) was the one who married extremely. Although he did not marry a noble woman, but a simple concubine, Telli Hümaşah (⁓1630-1672), he he gave her extreme benefits. He made her one of the richest women in the empire, gave her the residence of the Valide Sultan (regardless of whether Ibrahim's mother, Kösem Sultan (⁓1590-1651) was alive!) and ordered her own sisters to serve his wives and he took away all of their property, just to give it to his wife. This extreme case brilliantly closed the marriages of the sultans for a long time in the history of the Ottoman Empire so that it could then be revived in the later periods.

In addition to sultan marriages, it is important to mention sehzades as well. Mehmed II's example, mentioned above, shows well that the marriage of princes was an important part of the daily life of the empire in the early period. II. During Mehmed's reign, however, in addition to the sultans, the marriages of the princes also changed. This practically means that although it was not forbidden by a specific law, but the princes could not marry either a noble woman or a simple concubine. And this custom persisted for centuries. When Süleyman I (r. 1520-1566) created the rank of Haseki, the former was supplemented by the fact that the princes could not even give the rank of Haseki to their concubines! These facts help to clear up a great deal of misunderstanding from the history of the Empire. For example:

Mehmed (1521-1543), the son of Süleyman I, could never marry his own cousin, Esmehan Baharnaz (1525-1559?).

The other sons of Süleyman I, Mustafa (1515-1553) and Bayezid (1525-1562), never had Hasekies, since not even the concubine could have the rank of Haseki who were single consorts of the princes. Thus Nurbanu herself (⁓1525-1583), the beloved concubine of later Selim II (r. 1524-1574), could carry the rank of Haseki only when Selim II ascended the throne.

Furthermore, one of the most important conclusions is that, because of this custom, Ayşe Hafsa (⁓1475-1534) could not be the wedded wife of Selim I (r. 1512-1520) contrary to rumors. Selim was just a prince when he took Hafsa as a consort. And this also highlights that Ayşe Hafsa could not have been a Crimean princess, as the princes could not marry, especially not the women of other dynasties. This is further strengthened by the fact that  Bayezid II (r. 1481-1512) (Selim's father) didn't want to see Selim on the throne at all, so he would never allowed him to marry a Crimean princess. The origin of the legend may be that Hafsa may have been given to Selim as a gift from the Crimean dynasty, or perhaps she was a Crimean Tatar by origin.

But what about the sultanas? The sultanas were heavily exploited to strengthen the dynasty (the same as any female members of other dynasties). There have been more extreme periods and more acceptable ones in this era. In any case, in the earliest period of the empire, the sultans gave their daughters as wives to their supporters, and possibly married to neighboring dynasties for peace. A great example of the latter is the daughter of Murad I (r.1362-1389), Nefise Melek Hatun (⁓1363-1402?) whom his father added to the Kahramani ruler at the age of 18 to make peace. However, peace could not be maintained, so for a time Nefise Melek Hatun was placed under house arrest in her homeland along with her sons. Eventually, her situation was resolved and her eldest son was appointed to the throne of Kahraman after the two states managed to reach an agreement. However, these marriages were considered less frequent, it was more common for the sultan to honor the pashas who supported them with the grace that they could marry his daughters and sisters.

But it wasn't just the sultans who could benefit from their own daughters! Although Mehmed II (r. 1444-1446 and 1451-1481) forbade his sons to marry women of influential families, but he did not make stipulation that sehzades could not marry off their own daughters to these influential families. For example, Mehmed II's son, Bayezid (r.1481-1512), made an alliance — later life-saving alliance — with influential pasha by giving his daughters to them. He managed to ascend the throne actually due in large part to this. Later, the princes could not marry off their daughters by their own advantages, precisely in order to avoid such alliances. For example, Süleyman I (r. 1520-1566) was the one who decided to whom he should marry his granddaughters. His sons couldn't influence his decision. It is an interesting observation that he married off the eldest daughter of Mustafa (1515-1553), to a non-influential pasha, while the late Mehmed's (1521-1543) daughter or the daughter of Mihrimah (1522-1574) were married to influential pashas, as well as the later Selim II's daughters. In contrast, the daughters of his traitorous son, Bayezid (1525-1562), were married off almost out of their rank.

It can be seen, then, that the marriages of the sultanas have always been a very important part of the life of the Empire. But there were huge differences in how much these women were exploited. In the earliest periods of the empire, they generally acted in a fair manner, and even a second marriage was often rare for female members of the dynasty. Over time, that number has grown. The daughters of Selim I (r. 1512-1520) so the sisters of Süleyman could even claim a relatively normal number of marriages, such as Hatice Sultan (1491-?) who was married off once or twice, Fatma Sultan (1493-1557) three times, Hafsa Sultan (1500-1538) twice, Gevherhan Sultan (1494-?), Hanim Sehzade Sultan (? -?), Şah-i Huban Sultan (1500-1572) and Beyhan Sultan (1492-1559) were married only once. They had chance to decide how many times they married and after a certain age could live their life in peace. Thus, for example, Şah-i Huban herself decided to retire and did not remarry after her divorce. However, it is important to note that during this period, the sultanas were married off at the generally accepted age of 17-18. By the way, Süleyman was permissive with his daughter also, so Mihrimah (1522-1574) did not remarry after her widowhood.

There was no significant change during the reign of Murad III (r. 1574-1595), he too was explicitly permissive with her sisters (though probably more under pressure of his mother). After her sisters were widowed, they were able to choose their next husbands themselves. Thus, the widow of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (1505-1579), Esmehan (1545-1585) married to Kalaylikoz Ali Pasha. Regarding Esmehan, it is important to mention that she was already longing for a husband in the same age as her (Sokollu was more than 40 years older than her). So she chosed a very handsome beylerbey, but the man rejected the marriage offer, this is why Esmehan was forced to look for someone else, so she got to her later husband Kalaylikoz Ali. Unfortunately, they weren't able to spent too much time together because barely a year after their wedding, Esmehan died in childbirth with her child. Esmehan’s sister, Şah Sultan (1544-1580), was also able to marry to her true love, Zal Mahmud Pasha. Their love was legendary, even death hit them at once, presumably due to illness. Murad III was less forgiving with his daughters, they too were married two or three times and not to the one they wanted. However, in addition to Murad, their mother, Safiye (⁓1550-1620?), could also play a role in this.

Soon after Murad III (r. 1574-1595) the most extreme period of marriages occurred. His grandson, Ahmed I (r. 1603-1617), married off his daughters at an extremely young age. Before I get into the details, it’s important to understand why he did that. Ahmed ascended the throne at a very young age but he did not serve in a sanjak before, this he did not have any supporters, so he had to quickly chain influential pashas to himself. The best way to do that was through marriage. While other sultans already had more adult daughters when they ascended the throne, Ahmed was childless. Over time, several daughters were born, whom he married off as infants. Of course, this did not mean a practical marriage! The infant girls did not have to live with the pashas, ​​but were allowed to stay in the harem with their mothers, and by no means had to leave the palace until puberty. By then, usually, their husbands had either died a natural death or been executed. However, for these girls, this was not the only extremism in their lives. After the death of their father, a very complicated period ensued, but in the end, with a few detours, their younger brother, Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) came to power, who also needed supporters, so he married off his sisters often: if one of their husbands died, the next came, and so on. Unfortunately even after Murad's death, during the reign of Ibrahim I (1640-1648), they could not find peace because they were forced to remarry. Thus, the daughter of Ahmed I, Ayşe (⁓1608-1657?) may have married at least six times, while Fatma (⁓1606-1670) seven times! At the time of their last marriages, they were already old themselves, Ayşe was already 50 and Fatma was 61 years old. With the death of these sultanas, this extreme period also ended fortunately, so that later the sultanas were later raised around the generally accepted age.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about simple concubines. Although many of us have the image that the concubines who were not lucky enough to become consorts of the sultan, got old and died in the harem. However, this was not the case, especially rarely did any of the concubines grow old in the harem. The concubines were changed regularly, they always borught some new, younger women. So those who had been there for too long and began to age and had no chance of becaming the consort of the sultan, were simply married off. These marriages were a great advantage for both parties. It was a great prestige for an agha, a lower-ranked officer or a pasha to be able to get a wife from the imperial harem. And with this, the concubines were given a chance for a new life, far away from the dark and threatening world of the harem.

Used source: Leslie Peirce - THE IMPERIAL HAREM - Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

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A házasság intézménye az Oszmán Birodalomban mindig is egy érdekes téma volt. Nagy volt ugyanis az eltérés az általános felfogásban a szultánok, szultánák, hercegek, pasák és az ágyasok esetében. Ebben a posztban a házasságok különböző formáit szeretném bemutatni nektek.

Először is kezdjük a szultánok házasságaival. Az Oszmán Birodalom korai szultánjai rendszeresen házasodtak kisebb-nagyobb birodalmak uralkodócsaládjából származó asszonyokkal, hogy hatalmukat erősítsék és támogatókat szerezzenek. Így járt el többek között I. Murad (uralkodás 1362-1389) aki elvette Tamarát, a bolgár Ivan Alexander cár lányát (aki a kor egyik legnagyobb szépsége volt), hogy a bolgárokat támogatóként tudhassa maga mellett. 

Névrokona, II. Murad (uralkodás 1421-1444 és 1446-1451) egy szerb fejedelem, Brankovic György leányát, Mara Brankovic-ot (1416-1487) vette nőül, aki idővel az egyik leghíresebb asszonya lett korának. Mara apját a frigy csupán II. Murad haláláig kötötte az oszmánokhoz, Mara azonban Murad halála után is úgy döntött, hogy nem tér haza, hanem fogadott fia, II. Mehmed (uralkodás 1444-1446 és 1451-1481) mellett marad és annak tanácsadójaként szolgálta a birodalmat élete végéig. II. Mehmed egyébként különösen fontos a házasság témakörében, ugyanis ő volt az, aki elkezdte azt a tradíciót miszerint egy szultán ne házasodjon. Érdekes, ugyanis maga Mehmed nős volt, feleségét még apja II. Murad választotta ki számára. Ez is jól mutatja, hogy ebben az időszakban milyen fontos volt a dinasztikus házasság. A szultán maga választott asszonyt fiának, hasonlóan az európai szokásokhoz. Választása a Dulkadir állam uralkodójának lányára, Mükrimére esett. Házasságuk azonban gyermektelen maradt, Mehmed nem mutatott érdeklődést arája iránt, pedig az esküvői ünneplés három hónapig tartott! (Soha egyetlen másik esküvőt nem ünnepeltek ilyen hosszan.)

A házasságkötések a szultánok és nemes asszonyok között tehát megszűntek II. Mehmed (uralkodás 1444-1446 és 1451-1481) uralkodása alatt. Ennek oka egyszerű volt. Az Oszmán Birodalom Konstantinápoly elfoglalása után elég erőssé vált és inkább jelentett nekik nyűgöt egy nemesi rokon, mint segítséget. Nem volt már többé szükségük más országok uralkodóinak támogatására. Pontosan ezért keltett olyan nagy felháborodást, amikor szűk száz évvel később I. Szulejmán (uralkodás 1520-1566) feleségül vette rabszolgából lett szerelmét, Hürremet (⁓1503-1558). Bár nem volt tilos a házasság a szultánoknak, azonban II. Mehmed óta ez nem volt szokás. Különösen nem egy felszabadított rabszolga feleségül vétele. Szulejmán egy új szokást kezdett el ezzel, ugyanis leszármazottjai követték ezt a házasodási formát. Így tett Szulejmán után annak fia, II. Szelim (uralkodás 1566-1574), aki szultánná válása után szinte azonnal nőül vette szerelmét, Nurbanut (⁓1525-1583). Ezt a mintát látva maga előtt, fiuk III. Murad (uralkodás 1574-1595) is fontolgatta kedvenc ágyasának feleségül vételét, ám a források nem egyeznek abban, hogy végül valóban nőül vette e Safiyét (⁓1550-1620?) vagy sem.

Nagy fordulat állt be II. Oszmán (uralkodás 1618-1622) uralkodása alatt a házasságkötések terén. Oszmán ugyanis gyermekként került trónra, árván. Anyja még gyermekkorában meghalt, így nem állt mögötte senki trónra lépésekor. Oszmán elkeseredetten igyekezett támogatókat szerezni magának (csakúgy, mint a rég múlt idők szultánjai), ezért feleségül vette a Seyhülislam Efendi leányát, Akilét (1607-1638). Sajnos Oszmánt a frigy sem tudta megmenteni és végül kivégezték egy janicsár lázadás során. Oszmán után az őrült I. Ibrahim (uralkodás 1640-1648) volt a következő, aki extrém házasságot kötött. Ő ugyan nem nemes asszonyt vett nőül, hanem egy egyszerű ágyast, Telli Hümaşaht (⁓1630-1672), azonban extrém juttatásokat adott neki. Őt tette a birodalom egyik leggazdagabb asszonyává, nekiadta a valide szultána lakrészét (függetlenül attól, hogy Ibrahim édesanyja, Kösem (⁓1590-1651) szultána életben volt!), valamint saját vérszerinti lánytestvéreit arra kötelezte, hogy szolgálják feleségét és minden vagyonukat elkobozta, hogy azt is nejének adja. Ez az extrém eset remekül zárta le a szultánok házasságkötéseit hosszú időre az Oszmán Birodalom történetében, hogy aztán a későbbi időszakban újraéledhessen.

A szultáni házasságkötések mellett fontos, hogy a hercegeket is megemlítsük. Mint II. Mehmed fentebbi példája jól mutatja, a hercegek kiházasítása fontos részét képezte a birodalom mindennapjainak a korai időszakban. II. Mehmed uralkodása alatt azonban a szultánok mellett a hercegek házasodási szokásai is megváltoztak. Ez gyakorlatilag azt jelenti, hogy bár nem konkrét törvény tiltotta, de a hercegek nem házasodhattak sem nemes asszonnyal, sem egyszerű ágyassal. Ez a szokás pedig bőven kitartott évszázadokig. Amikor I. Szulejmán (uralkodás 1520-1566) megalkotta a Haseki rangot, ez az előbbi még annyival kiegészült, hogy a hercegek még Haseki rangot sem adhattak ágyasaiknak! Az, hogy ezt most már tudjuk, nagyon sok félreértést segít tisztázni a birodalom történetéből. Így például a következőket:

I. Szulejmán fia, Mehmed (1521-1543) sosem vehette nőül saját unokatestvérét Esmehan Baharnazt(1525-1559?).

I. Szulejmán másik fiainak, Mustafának (1515-1553) és Bayezid (1525-1562) hercegeknek sosem volt Hasekije, hiszen még ott sem kaphatott Haseki rangot az ágyas, ahol nem volt mellette senki más a herceg életében. Így maga Nurbanu (⁓1525-1583), a későbbi II. Szelim (uralkodás 1524-1574) egyetlen, szeretett ágyasa sem viselhette a Haseki rangot, csak miután II. Szelim trónra lépett.

Továbbá egyik legfontosabb következtetés, hogy emiatt a szokás miatt nem lehetett Ayşe Hafsa (⁓1475-1534) I. Szelim (uralkodás 1512-1520) hites felesége a híresztelésekkel ellentétben. Szelim ugyanis még csak herceg volt, mikor Hafsát maga mellé vette. Ez pedig rávilágít arra is, hogy Ayşe Hafsa nem lehetett Krími hercegnő, hiszen a hercegek nem nősülhettek, különösen nem más dinasztiák asszonyaival. Ezt tovább erősíti, hogy II. Bayezid (uralkodás 1481-1512) (Szelim apja) a legkevésbé sem akarta Szelimet látni a trónon, tehát sohasem engedte volna neki, hogy egy Krími hercegnőt vegyen nőül. A legenda eredete talán az lehet, hogy Hafsa a Krími dinasztia ajándékaként kerülhetett Szelimhez, esetleg krími tatár származású volt.

Na de mi volt a helyzet a szultánákkal? A szultánákat, csakúgy mint más dinasztiák nőtagjait, jócskán kihasználták a dinasztia megerősítésének céljából. Voltak e téren extrémebb időszakok és viszonylag elfogadhatóbbak. Mindenesetre a birodalom legkorábbi időszakától kezdődően a szultánok támogatóikhoz adták nőül leányaikat, esetleg szomszédos dinasztiákba házasították be őket a béke érdekében.

Utóbbira remek példa Nefise Melek Hatun (⁓1363-1402?), I. Murad (uralkodás 1362-1389) leánya, akit 18 éves korában apja hozzáadott a Kahramani uralkodóhoz, hogy békét köthessenek. A békét azonban nem sikerült fenntartani, így egy időre Nefise Melek Hatun háziőrizetbe is került hazájában fiaival együtt. Végül helyzete megoldódott, és legidősebb fiát kinevezték a Kahramani trónra, miután sikerült a két államnak egyezségre jutni. Ezek a házasságok azonban ritkábbnak számítottak, gyakoribb volt, hogy a szultán az őt támogató pasákat tüntette ki azzal a keggyel, hogy nőül vehették leányait, nővéreit.

Na de csak nem csak a szultánok húzhattak hasznot saját lányaikból! Bár II. Mehmed (uralkodás 1444-1446 és 1451-1481) megtiltotta, hogy fiai befolyásos családok asszonyaival házasodjanak, arra nem tett kikötést, hogy a hercegek saját lányaikat kiházasíthatják e befolyásos családok fiaihoz. Így például II. Mehmed fia, Bayezid (uralkodás 1481-1512) úgy kötött – később számára életmentő – szövetséget befolyásos pasákkal, hogy leányait hozzájuk adta. Trónját tulajdonképpen nagyon nagyrészt ennek köszönheti. Később a hercegek nem igazán dönthettek önállóan leányaik kiházasításáról, pont az ilyen szövetségek elkerülése végett. Így például I. Szulejmán (uralkodás 1520-1566) is maga döntötte el, hogy leányunokáit kikhez adja nőül. Érdekes megfigyelés éppen ezért, hogy Musztafa (1515-1553) – akiben saját riválisát látta – leányát nem befolyásos pasához adta feleségül, míg a megboldogult Mehmed (1521-1543) lányát vagy Mihrimah (1522-1574) leányát befolyásos pasákhoz adta nőül csakúgy, mint a későbbi II. Szelim leányait. Ezzel szemben áruló fia, Bayezid (1525-1562) leányait szinte épphogy csak rangjuknak megfelelően házasította ki.

Látható tehát, hogy a szultánák házasságkötései mindig is nagyon fontos részét képezték a birodalom életének. Ám hatalmas különbségek voltak abban, hogy mennyire használták ki ezeket a nőket. A birodalom legkorábbi időszakában általában meglehetősen fair módon jártak el, még a második házasság is gyakran ritka volt a dinasztia nőtagjai számára. Idővel ez a szám egyre bővült. I. Szelim (uralkodás 1512-1520) leányai, Szulejmán testvérei is még viszonylag reális számú házasságot tudhattak magukénak, így Hatice szultána (1491-?) egyszer vagy kétszer, Fatma szultána (1493-1557) háromszor, Hafsa szultána (1500-1538) kétszer, Gevherhan szultána (1494-?), Hanim Sehzade szultána (?-?) és Şah-i Huban szultána (1500-1572), Beyhan szultána (1492-1559) csupán egyszer mentek férjhez. Nekik még volt beleszólásuk abba, hogy hányszor mennek férjhez és egy bizonyos kor után békében élhették özvegye életüket. Így például Şah-i Huban maga döntött visszavonulása mellett és válása után sem házasodott újra. Mindemellett fontos megjegyezni, hogy ebben az időszakban, az általánosan elfogadott 17-18 éves korban adták férjhez a szultánákat. Szulejmán egyébként leányával is megengedő volt, Mihrimah (1522-1574) sem ment férjhez megözvegyülése után.

III. Murad (uralkodás 1574-1595) uralkodása alatt sem állt be jelentős változás, ő is kifejezetten megengedő volt testvéreivel (bár valószínűleg inkább anyja nyomására). Miután testvérei megözvegyültek, maguk választhatták ki következő férjeiket. Így Sokollu Mehmed Pasa (⁓1505-1579) özvegye Esmehan (1545-1585), Kalaylikoz Ali Pasához ment hozzá. Esmehannal kapcsolatban fontos megemlíteni, hogy ő már nagyon vágyott egy korabeli férjre (Sokollu több mint 40 évvel volt idősebb nála), ezért egy nagyon jóképű beglerbéget választott ki, ám a férfi elutasította a házassági ajánlatot, így Esmehan kénytelen volt mást keresni, így jutott el későbbi férjéhez Kalaylikoz Ali-hoz. Sajnos nem adatott meg nekik sok idő együtt, mert alig egy évvel esküvőjüket követően Esmehan belehalt a szülésbe gyermekével együtt. Esmehan testvére, Şah szultána (1544-1580) is igazi szerelmi házasságot köthetett Zal Mahmud Pasával. Szerelmük legendás volt, még a halál is egyszerre érte őket, feltehetőleg betegség következtében. III. Murad lányaival már kevésbé volt elnéző, ők is kétszer-háromszor házasodtak és nem ahhoz, akit ők szerettek volna. Ebben azonban Murad mellett anyjuk, Safiye (⁓1550-1620?) is szerepet játszhatott.

III. Murad (uralkodás 1574-1595) után hamarosan bekövetkezett a legextrémebb periódus a házasodások terén. Unokája, I. Ahmed (uralkodás 1603-1617) ugyanis extrém fiatalon házasította ki leányait. Mielőtt a részletekbe bocsátkoznék, fontos megértenünk a miértet. Ahmed nagyon fiatalon került trónra, mivel nem szolgált szandzsákban, nem voltak támogatói sem, így gyorsan kellett magához láncolni befolyásos pasákat. Ennek legjobb módja a házasság volt. Míg más szultánok trónra lépésükkor már több, felnőtt leánnyal rendelkeztek, addig Ahmed gyermektelen volt. Idővel több leánya is született, akiket sokszor már csecsemőként kiházasított. Ez természetesen nem jelentett gyakorlati házasságot! A csecsemőlányoknak nem kellett a pasákkal élni, hanem a háremben maradhattak anyjukkal, és a pubertás eléréséig semmiképpen nem kellett elhagyniuk a palotát. Addigra pedig általában a férjeik vagy természetes halált haltak vagy kegyvesztetté válva holtan végezték. Azonban ezeknek a lányoknak nem ez volt az egyetlen extrémitás az életükben. Apjuk halála után nagyon zavaros időszak következett, de végül néhány kitérővel gyermeköccsük IV. Murad (uralkodás 1623-1640) került hatalomra, akinek szintén szüksége volt támogatókra, így sokszor házasította ki testvéreit: ha egyik férjük meghalt, jött a következő, és így tovább. Szerencsétlenek még Murad halála után, I. Ibrahim (1640-1648) uralkodása alatt sem lelhettek nyugalomra, mert kénytelenek voltak újabb és újabb házasságokat kötni. Így lehet, hogy I. Ahmed leányai közül Ayşe (⁓1608-1657?) legalább hatszor, Fatma (⁓1606-1670) hétszer ment férjhez! Utolsó házasságkötéseik alkalmával már maguk is idősek voltak, Ayşe már 50 is elmúlt, Fatma pedig 61 éves volt. Ezen szultánák halálával ez az extrém periódus is lezárult szerencsére, így a későbbiekben újra az általánosan elfogadott kor körül adták nőül a szultánákat.

Végezetül szeretnék néhány szót szólni az egyszerű ágyasokról. Bár sokakban él az a kép, hogy azok az ágyasok, akik nem voltak elég szerencsések, hogy a szultán asszonyaivá váljanak a háremben öregedtek meg. Ez azonban nem így volt, kifejezetten ritkán öregedett meg bármelyik ágyas a háremben. Rendszeresen frissítették az ágyasokat, így aki túl régóta volt ott, kezdett idősödni és nem volt rá esély, hogy a szultánhoz kerülhessen, azt egyszerűen kiházasították. Ezek a házasságok mindkét fél számára igen nagy előnyt jelentettek. Egy egy agának, alacsonyabb rangú pasának igen nagy presztízst jelentett, hogy a birodalmi háremből kaphattak maguknak feleséget. A nők pedig esélyt kaptak egy új életre, maguk mögött hagyhatták a hárem sokszor sötét és fenyegető világát.

Források: Leslie Peirce - THE IMPERIAL HAREM - Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire

[ottomanladies]

Do you know the life and level of influential about Hümasah Sultan daughter of Sehzade Mehmet?

Hümâ-Şâh Sultân was the only daughter of Şehzâde Mehmed and therefore granddaughter of Süleyman I and Hürrem Sultan. 

She was most probably born in 1543 maybe during the visit of her grandmother to Manisa or shortly before that. Her father died at the end of 1543 so she and her mother were transferred to the Old Palace, where Hümâ-Şâh grew under the watchful eye of her grandmother Hürrem.

Nothing is known about her mother, not even her name. According to Öztuna, she died after 1570.

Hümâ-Şâh Sultân married three times: 

Dâmâd Mehmed Ferhâd Paşa in 1566/1567, she was escorted by the Grand Vizier on foot, like her aunt Mihrimah Sultan had been at her wedding, probably an indication that she was considered on the same rank as sultans’ daughters. With him she had several children who would constitute the Ferhâd Paşa-zâdeler line: Fatma Hanım-Sultân (1567-29.7.1588), who married one Mehmed Bey, and with whom she had Hacı Paşa whose descendants are called Hacıpaşa-zadeler; Sultân-zâde Mustafa Paşa (1569-1593), governor of Belgrade, whose descendants were: Süleymân Bey (d. 1.1655) > Ahmed Paşa (d. 1685) > Mustafa Paşa (d. 1698) > Mehmed Paşa > İsmâ’îl Paşa (d. 1776?); Sultân-zâde ‘Osmân Bey (1571-1626) who died during one of the sieges to recapture Baghdad; Sultân-zâde İbrâhîm Paşa (d. 1602), who had a son called Mustafa Paşa (d. 1636); 4 daughters who died in infancy; Sultân-zâde Hüsnî Bey (probably died in infancy too).

Öztuna believes some of her children must have been twins.

Grand Vizier Dâmâd Sokollu-zâde Lala Mustafa Paşa in 1575, who was a relative of Sokollu Mehmed Paşa. With him she had Sultân-zâde Sokollu-zâde ‘Abdülbâkî Bey

Dâmâd Gaazî Mehmed Paşa in 1580, governor of Şehr-i Zor. He was the brother of Grand Vizier Dâmâd Kanijeli İbrahim Paşa (husband of Murad III’s daughter Ayşe Sultan)

Her whole family was buried with her in the Şehzâde Mosque.