rulers of the Ottoman Empire. Fathers and Sons

Since the creation of the Ottoman Empire, the state has been continuously ruled by the descendants of Osman in the male line. But despite the fecundity of the dynasty, there were those who ended their lives childless.

The founder of the dynasty Osman Gazi (ruled 1299-1326) was the father of 7 sons and 1 daughter.

The second ruler was the son of Osman Orkhan Gazi (pr.1326-59) had 5 sons and 1 daughter.

God did not deprive Murad 1 Khyudavendigyur of offspring (son of Orkhan, pr. 1359-89) - 4 sons and 2 daughters.

The famous Bayazid the Lightning (son of Murad 1, born in 1389-1402) was the father of 7 sons and 1 daughter.

Bayazid's son Mehmet 1 (1413-21) left behind 5 sons and 2 daughters.

Murad 2 the Great (son of Mehmet 1, pr. 1421-51) - 6 sons and 2 daughters.

The conqueror of Constantinople Fatih Mehmet 2 (r. 1451-1481) was the father of 4 sons and 1 daughter.

Bayazid 2 (son of Mehmet 2, born 1481-1512) - 8 sons and 5 daughters.

The first Caliph from the Ottoman dynasty, Yavuz Sultan Selim-Selim the Terrible (prob. 1512-20) had only one son and 4 daughters.

2.

The famous Suleiman the Magnificent (Legislator), the husband of the no less famous Roxola (Hyurrem Sultan, 4 sons, 1 daughter), was the father of 8 sons and 2 daughters from 4 wives. He reigned so long (1520-1566) that he outlived almost all of his children. The eldest son Mustafa (Makhidervan) and the 4th son Bayazid (Roksolana) were strangled on the orders of Suleiman 1 on charges of plotting against their father.

The third son of Suleiman and the second son of Roksolana Selim 2 (Red Selim or Selim the Drunkard, pr.1566-1574) had 8 sons and 2 daughters from 2 wives. Despite his love for wine, he was able to expand his holdings from 14.892.000 km2 to 15.162.000 km2.

And now let's welcome the record holder - Murad 3 (project 1574-1595). He had one official wife, Safiye Sultan (Sofia Baffo, daughter of the ruler of Corfu, was kidnapped by pirates) and many concubines, from whom 22 sons and 4 daughters survived (they write that at the time of his death, the heir Mehmet 3 ordered to strangle all his pregnant wives). But despite the love for the weaker sex, he was able to expand his possessions to 24.534.242 km2.

Mehmet 3 (pr.1595-1603) was a champion in another part - on the night of his father's death, he ordered all his brothers and sisters to be strangled. In terms of fertility, he was much inferior to his father - only 3 sons from 2 wives

The eldest son of Mehmet 3 Ahmet 1 (pr.1603-1617, died of typhus at the age of 27), having ascended the throne, introduced a new dynastic law, according to which the eldest son of the deceased ruler became the ruler.

Mustafa1, who sat on the throne due to the infancy of his son Akhmet 1 (r. 1617-1623, d. fall into madness, and according to the fatwa of Sheikh-ul-Islam was removed from the throne.

Little-known facts from the life of the sultans ...

When they start talking about the Ottoman rulers, then people automatically have in their heads the image of formidable, cruel conquerors who spent their free time in a harem among half-naked concubines. But everyone forgets that they were mere mortal people with their own shortcomings and hobbies...

OSMAN 1.

It is described that when he stood, his lowered hands reached his knees, based on this, it was believed that he had either very long arms or short legs. Another distinguishing feature of his character was that he never put on outerwear again. that he was a dude, he just liked to give his clothes to commoners. If someone looked at his caftan for a long time, he took it off and gave it to that person. Osman was very fond of listening to music before a meal, was a good wrestler and skillfully wielded weapons. The Turks had a very interesting old custom - once a year, ordinary members of the tribe took everything that they liked in this house from the leader's house. Osman and his wife left the house empty-handed and opened the doors for their relatives.

ORHAN.

Orkhan's reign lasted 36 years. He owned 100 fortresses and spent all his time driving around them. He did not stay in any of them for more than one month. He was a big fan of Mevlana-Jalaleddin Rumi.

MURAD 1.

In European sources, a brilliant ruler, a tireless hunter, a very gallant knight and was a symbol of honesty. He was the first Ottoman ruler to create a private library. He was killed in the Battle of Kosovo.

BAEZIT 1.

For the ability to quickly cover long distances with his army, and to appear in front of the enemy at the most unexpected moment, he received the nickname Lightning. He was very fond of hunting and was an avid hunter, often participated in wrestling competitions. Historians also note his mastery of weapons and horsemanship. He was one of the first rulers to compose poetry. He was the first to besiege Constantinople, and more than once. He died in captivity with Timur.

MEHMET CHELEBI.

It is considered the revival of the Ottoman state as a result of the victory over the Timurils. When he was with him, he was called the wrestler Mhemet. During his reign, he introduced the custom of sending gifts to Mecca and Medina every year, which was not canceled even in the most difficult times until the First World War. Every Friday evening he cooked food with his own money and distributed it to the poor. Like his father, he loved to hunt. While hunting for a boar, he fell off his horse and broke his hip bone, which is why he soon died.

And tell us how it happened that there are portraits, because Islam forbids images of a person.
Did you find Italian infidels to perpetuate yourself, the great ones?

Bayezid 1 Lightning, the 4th ruler ruled from 1389 to 1403. His father was Murat 1, and his mother was Bulgarian Maria, after the adoption of Islam Gulchichek Khatun.

- Mehmet 1 Celebi, 5th Sultan. His mother was also Bulgarian, Olga Khatun.
  1382-1421
  
  Murat 2 (1404-1451) was born from the marriage of Mehmet Celebi and the daughter of the ruler of the beylik Dulkadiroglu Emine Hatun. According to some unconfirmed sources, his mother was Veronica.
  
  Mehmet 2 the Conqueror (1432-1481)
  
  Son of Murat 2 and Hyum Khatun, daughter of a bey from the Jandaroglu clan. It was believed that his mother was Serbian Despina.
  
  Bayezid 2 was no exception either - his mother was also a Christian Cornelia (Albanian, Serbian or French). After the adoption of Islam, her name was Gulbahar Khatun. Father was Fatih Sultan Mehmet 2.
  
  SELIM 1.(1470-1520)
  
  Selim 1 or Yavuz Sultan Selim, the conqueror of Egypt, Baghdad, Damascus and Mecca, the 9th padishah of the Ottoman state and the 74th Caliph was born from Bayezid 2nd and the daughter of an influential bey in western Anatolia from the Dulkadiroglu clan Gulbahar Khatun.
  
  SULEMAN 1 (1495-1566).
  
  Suleiman Kanuni was born on April 27, 1495. He became sultan when he was 25 years old. An uncompromising fighter against bribery, Suleiman won the favor of the people with good deeds, built schools. Suleiman Kanuni patronized poets, artists, architects, wrote poetry himself, and was considered a skilled blacksmith.
  
  Suleiman was not as bloodthirsty as his father, Selim I, but he loved conquest no less than his father. In addition, neither kinship nor merit saved him from his suspicion and cruelty.
  
  Suleiman personally led 13 campaigns. A significant part of the wealth received from military booty, tribute and taxes was spent by Suleiman I on the construction of palaces, mosques, caravanserais, and tombs.
  
  Also under him, laws (qanun-name) were drawn up on the administrative structure and position of individual provinces, on finances and forms of land tenure, the duties of the population and attaching peasants to the land, and on the regulation of the military system.
  
  Suleiman Kanuni died on September 6, 1566 during the next campaign in Hungary - during the siege of the fortress of Szigetvar. He was buried in a mausoleum at the cemetery of the Suleymaniye Mosque along with his beloved wife Roksolana.
  
  Suleman the Magnificent, the 10th Ottoman ruler and the 75th Caliph of Muslims, also known for being the husband of Roksolana, was born from Selim 1 and a Polish Jewess Helga, later Khavza Sultan.
  
  Khavza Sultan.
  
  SELIM 2. (1524-1574)
  
  The son of the famous Roksolana (Hyurrem Sultan) Selim 2 ascended the throne after her death. Her real name was Alexandra Anastasia Lisovska, she was Suleiman's beloved wife.
  
  MURAT 3 (1546-1595).
  
  Born from Selim the 2nd and the Jewess Rachel (Nurbanu Sultan) Murat 3, was their eldest son and heir to the throne.
  
  MEHMET 3 (1566-1603).
  
  He ascended the throne in 1595 and ruled until his death. His mother was no exception either, she was also kidnapped and sold into the harem. She was the daughter of a wealthy Baffo family (Venice). She was taken prisoner while traveling on a ship when she was 12 years old. In the harem, the father of Mehmet III fell in love with Cecilia Baffo and married her, her name became Safie Sultan.
  Palace intrigues of the wives of the padishahs
  
  Khyurem Sultan (Roksolana 1500-1558): thanks to her beauty and intelligence, she not only managed to attract the attention of Suleiman the Magnificent, but also became his beloved woman. Her struggle with Suleiman's first wife, Mahidervan, was the most famous intrigue of that time, such a struggle was not for life, but for death. Roksolana bypassed her in all respects and finally became his official wife. As her influence on the ruler increased, her influence in state affairs also increased. Soon she succeeded in deposing both the viziri-i-azam (prime minister) Ibrahim Pasha, who was married to Suleiman's sister. He was executed for adultery. She married the next vizier and azam Rustem Pasha to her daughter and with the help of which she managed to discredit, by substituting letters, to accuse Suleiman's eldest son Shahzade Mustafa of hostile relations with the main enemies of the Iranians. For his intelligence and great abilities, Mustafa was predicted to be the next padishah, but on the orders of his father, he was strangled during a campaign against Iran.
  
  Over time, during the meetings, being in the secret department of Khyurem Sultan, she listened and shared her opinion with her husband after the advice. From the poems dedicated by Suleiman to Roksolana, it becomes obvious that his love for her was dearer to him than anything in the world.
  
  Nurbanu Sultan (1525-1587):
  
  At the age of 10, she was kidnapped by corsairs and sold at the famous market of Pera in Istanbul to slave traders. Merchants, noting her beauty and intelligence, sent her to the harem, where she managed to attract the attention of Khyurem Sultan, who sent her to Manisa for education. From there she returned a real beauty and managed to win the heart of her son Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan Selim 2, who soon married her. Poems written by Selim in her honor entered as excellent examples of lyrics. Selim was the youngest son, but as a result of the death of all his brothers, he becomes the sole heir to the throne, to which he ascended. Nurbanu became the only mistress of his heart and, accordingly, the harem. There were other women in Selim's life, but none of them could win his heart like Nurbanu. After the death of Selim (1574), her son Murat 3 became padishah, she became Valide Sultan (royal mother) and for a long time held the threads of government in her hands, despite the fact that this time her rival was Murat 3's wife Safiye Sultan.
  
  Safiye Sultan
  
  A life of intrigue became the subject of many novels after her death. Just like Nurbanu Sultan, she was kidnapped by corsairs and sold to a harem, where Nurbanu Sultan bought her for a lot of money for her son Murat 3.
  
  The son's ardent love for her shook the mother's influence over her son. Then Nurbanu Sultan begins to introduce other women into the life of the son, but the love for Safiye Sultan was unshakable. Soon after the death of her mother-in-law, she actually ruled the state.
  
  Kosem Sultan.
  
  Murad's mother 4 (1612-1640) Kosem Sultan became a widow when he was still small. In 1623, at the age of 11, he was enthroned and Kosem Sultan became regent under him. In fact, they ruled the state.
  
  As her son grew older, she faded into the shadows, but continued to influence her son until his death. Her other son, Ibrahim (1615-1648), was elevated to the throne. The beginning of his reign was the beginning of the struggle between Kosem Sultan and his wife Turhan Sultan. Both of these women sought to establish their influence in public affairs, but over time this struggle became so obvious that it served as the formation of opposing factions.
  
  As a result of this long struggle, Kosem Sultan was found strangled in her room, and her supporters were executed.
  
  Turhan Sultan (Hope)
  
  She was kidnapped in the steppes of Ukraine and donated to a harem. Soon she became the wife of Ibrahim, after whose death her young son Menmet 4 was placed on the throne. Although she became regent, her mother-in-law Kosem Sultan was not going to let go of the threads of government from her hands. But soon she was found strangled in her room, and her supporters were executed the next day. The regency of Turhan Sultan lasted 34 years and it was a record in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

The female sultanate is a historical definition of the historical period of the Ottoman Empire from 1541 to 1687 (according to another dating, from 1550 to 1656). Almost 150 (or just over 100 years), during which women have had a great, and in the end even decisive, influence on the state policy of the Sublime Porte. Mothers, wives and concubines of Turkish kings.

The term "female sultanate" was introduced into the history of the Ottoman Empire by the Turkish historian Ahmet Refik Altynay in 1916 in his book of the same name, in which he considered the participation of the weaker sex in the government of Turkey as the reason for the decline of the Ottoman state. Although most of his colleagues both then and later disagreed with this assessment, explaining the increased influence of women on the politics of the Islamic empire of the 16th-17th centuries. consequence, not the cause of its weakening.

It should be noted that each sultana, a member of the “Women's Sultanate”, was able to truly take power into her own hands only after the death of her sovereign, as a valid sultan (something like a “queen mother” in European monarchies) with her sons who became sultans (with one exception - Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska never became a valid, because she died before her husband, Sultan Suleiman). Moreover, in most cases, this measure was forced - due to the infancy of the ruling sultan or because of his mental retardation. And yet - all these women, with a single exception, were born and formed as individuals in the conditions of European Christian civilization (two Ukrainians, two Venetians, a Greek), which provided the weaker sex, even in those harsh patriarchal times, much more freedom and independence than the Islamic tradition .

Alexandra (Anastasia) Gavrilovna Lisovskaya (1505/1506-1558) , concubine since 1520, since 1534 - the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent, Ukrainian, daughter of an Orthodox priest from Western Ukraine. Never been a valid sultan;

AFIFE NURBANU-SULTAN - Cecilia (Olivia) Venier-Baffo (c.1525-1583), She got into the harem to the son of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan, shehzade (heir to the throne) Selim, around 1537. Legal wife of Sultan Selim II from 1570-1571. By origin - a Venetian, an illegitimate descendant of two noble families (her parents were not married). Valide Sultan since 1574;

MELIKI SAFIE-SULTAN – Sofia Baffo (c.1550-1619). A Venetian, a relative of her mother-in-law, Nurbanu. She got into the harem to the grandson of Hurrem, shehzade Murad, in 1563 - she was presented to her nephew by the daughter of Roksolana, Mihrimah Sultan. Valide Sultan since 1595;

HALIME-SULTAN - name given at birth, unknown (c.1571-after 1623). Originally from modern Abkhazia, most likely a Circassian by origin. The circumstances under which she ended up in the harem of the future Sultan Mehmed III are unknown. It is only known that this happened even before his accession to the throne, when shehzade was the sanjak-bey of Manisa. Twice (a total of two and a half years) she was a valid sultan with her mentally disabled son Mustafa I. Due to the incapacity of Mustafa, Halime Sultan for the first time in the history of the Ottoman Empire became not only a valid sultan, but also a regent of the Islamic empire.

MAHPEYKER KÖSEM-SULTAN - (c.1590-1651)- the most influential woman in the history of the Ottoman Empire, three times valid sultan. Presumably a Greek woman named Anastasia, the daughter of an Orthodox priest. Concubine of Sultan Ahmed I from 1603. Valide Sultan (and regent of the state) under his son Murad IV from 1623 to 1631; under the second son Ibrahim I from 1640 to 1648; under grandson Mehmed IV from 1648 until his death in 1651;

TURKHAN KHATIJE-SULTAN (c.1628-1683) - Ukrainian woman named Nadezhda, originally from the Ukrainian Sloboda region, presumably from the city of Trostyanets of the modern Sumy region of Ukraine. Concubine of Sultan Ibrahim I from 1641. Valide Sultan and regent of the state since 1651 with his young son Mehmed IV. Voluntarily renounced the title of regent on September 15, 1565 in favor of the new Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, appointed by her. This date is considered the end of the “female sultanate”, although Turhan herself lived for another 18 years, and her son-sultan, on whose behalf she ruled, died 28 years later, having lost power before that in 1687, just four years after his death. mother. Some Turkish historians consider 1687 to be the end of the “female sultanate”, thus extending its term for 31 years. Since all these powerful sultanas, no matter how smart, enterprising and wise they were, meant nothing without their often not just stupid, but mentally retarded sons, in whose name they ruled. The independent rule of a woman in the Ottoman Empire was absolutely excluded for the Islamic world.

One more moment. In those harsh times of the late Middle Ages, with huge infant mortality (out of 10 newborns, 5 died in the first days and months of life) and the frequent death of women in childbirth, a girl was considered ready for marriage (and, accordingly, for marital relations) immediately after the first menstruation. And in southern countries (unlike northern ones), this is quite common and now occurs in girls at 10-11, even at 9 years old. It is clear that then no one knew or heard anything about any pedophilia - life was too short and harsh, a woman had to have time to give birth to as many children as possible, so that, in turn, as many of them as possible survived. In addition, in those days it was believed that the younger the woman in labor, the more likely she was to survive the birth of a child. So all the concubines of the Turkish sultans first got into their bed at 11-12, a maximum of 13-14 years. Which confirm the dates of birth of their children. For example, the father of Sultan Suleiman I, Selim I, was born by his grandmother Gulbahar-Khatun (Greek Maria) at less than 12 years old. At the same age, the concubine of the conqueror of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmed II Fatih, Sitti Myukrime-khatun, gave birth to her son Bayezid II (grandfather of Sultan Suleiman).

The founder of the “Women’s Sultanate” in the Ottoman Empire is Roksolana (Hyurrem Sultan), a Ukrainian slave concubine, and later, the beloved legal wife of Sultan Suleiman I.

Which is not entirely correct for several reasons.

The success of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was largely due to and prepared by the activities of her mother-in-law, the mother of Sultan Suleiman, Aisha Hafsa-Sultan, an outstanding woman of her time, whom her son loved and respected until his death. Perhaps, for the first time in the history of the Ottoman Empire, not only as a mother, but, first of all, as a person.

AISH HAFSA-SULTAN (December 5, 1479 - March 19, 1534)
Crimean khanbika (princess), daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli I Girey (1445-1515) from the dynasty of the Crimean rulers Geraev (Gireev). Her father was forced to accept an Ottoman protectorate in 1578, a year before Hafsa was born.

Hafsa-Khatun ended up in the harem at the shehzade of Selima somewhere in the spring and summer of 1493, at about 13 years old. Selim was then the sanjak-bey (governor, governor of the Ottoman province) of Trambzon (now the administrative center in northeastern Turkey, on the Black Sea coast, not far from the border with Georgia) - the former capital of the recently captured (in 1461) Ottoman Empire of Trebizond - heirs of Byzantium, so that the Crimean hanbika, in order to become the concubine of one of the heirs of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, had only to cross the Black Sea on the ship of her father.

The future Sultan Suleiman was born in Trambzon the following year, on November 6, 1494, and his twin sister, Hafiza (Hafsa) Khanim Sultan (1494-1538), was also born at the same time. The birth of twins and twins is usually a hereditary family feature. In this regard, it is worth remembering that after more than thirty years, in 1530, Suleiman's younger sister and at the same time the daughter of his mother Aishe Hafsa, Hatice Sultan, also gave birth to twins - the boy Osman and the girl Khuridzhikhan.

The two daughters of Roksolana's son, Shekhzade Selim, from his concubine Nurbanu - Esmehan Sultan and Gevkerkhan Sultan, were twins or twins - there is even an assumption that their older sister, Shah Sultan, a year older than them, was actually born in one a day with the girls—that is, they were triplets. Already after the death of Sultan Osman II, the great-great-great-grandson of Suleiman I, twins were born to him, Shehzade Mustafa and Zeynep Sultan. And the brother of Sultan Osman on his father, Ahmed I, also had a pair of twins from Kösem Sultan - shehzade Kasim and Atike Sultan.

The twin sister of Sultan Suleiman lived a quiet and inconspicuous life. At the age of 20, she was married to Damad Mustafa Pasha, who later, from 1522 to 1523, was the governor of Egypt. Hafiza Sultan never had children, and therefore, having been widowed at the age of 29, she returned to Istanbul to her mother, Aisha Hafse Valide Sultan, in the Topkapi Palace. She did not marry again, and ended her days here - on July 10, 1538, at the age of incomplete 44 years.

Suleiman spent the first years of his life in his father's sanjak, in Trambzon, and after the circumcision ceremony at the age of 7, his grandfather, Sultan Bayazid II, took his grandson to his court in Constantinople. There shehzade studied military affairs, legal law, philosophy, history and fencing. In addition, Suleiman taught foreign languages - Serbian, Arabic and Persian, which he later mastered perfectly. Then he mastered the craft of a jeweler, which became his passion for life.

The grandfather-sultan treated the future husband of Roksolana very well (much better than his father), which is proved by the following circumstance.

According to the Ottoman tradition, everyone who had reached a certain age (usually 14 years old, but exceptions to the rules in both directions happened quite often) crown princes (shehzade) were appointed governors (sanjak-beys) of the provinces (sanjaks) in Anatolia (the Asian part of modern Turkey); this was part of their preparation for further rule. In the Ottoman Empire there were no clear rules for the succession to the throne, all men - carriers of the sacred blood of the Ottomans, had the right to power. According to custom, the throne was given to the shehzade who was the first to reach Istanbul immediately after the death of the padishah of the Sublime Porte. Therefore, by the distance from the capital of this or that sanjak, each son or grandson of the Turkish Sultan could judge his preferences - it is clear that the one whom the father saw as his heir became the sanjak-bey of the province closest to the capital. And in this respect, Suleiman's father, Selim, everything was not just bad, but hopeless - his sanjak Trambzon, in comparison with Amasya, his father's favorite, older brother, shehzade Ahmet, and Antalya of the second rival brother, shehzade Korkut, was in such deaf f@nyah, of which he had no chance to get to Istanbul first (the distance from Trambzon to Istanbul in a straight line is 902 km. In those days, even on the best horses and in good weather, one way to get ten days) . For comparison: the distance from Amasya Ahmet to Istanbul is 482 km, and exactly the same distance, only in the south direction from Istanbul, to Antalya Korkut.

And then, like thunder from a clear sky, his only son Suleiman, who reached the age of 14 (in 1508), receives from his grandfather the first appointment not just anywhere, but to the small sanjak of Bolu, located almost next to Istanbul (223 km. straight). However, the favorite of the Sultan’s race, the eldest son of Bayezid II, Suleiman’s uncle, Ahmet (who by that time had four grown-up sons of his own), quickly corrected this unfortunate circumstance for him, sending his nephew as governor “to hell with the horns” - to the Crimean Kaffa ( Feodosia), to the other side of the Black Sea, to the homeland of his mother, Aisha Khafsy-Sultan. Thus, he made a fatal mistake for himself.

Some time after Suleiman was sent as a sanjakbey to the Crimea, his father Selim asked his father for a sanjak in Rumelia (the European part of the empire), closer to Istanbul. Although at first he was denied these lands, since they were usually not granted to shehzade, later, obviously in mockery (apparently, it could not have done without his older brother Akhmet) Selim received the control of the province of Semendire (in modern Serbia) - a blind hole in the north the western edge of the empire. Here Selim showed at first clear disobedience, refusing to go to his new sanjak, and then raised an uprising against his father, moving a hastily assembled army to Istanbul. Sultan Bayezid, at the head of a large army, easily defeated his son in August 1511. The defeated Selim fled to the Crimea - to his son Suleiman and father-in-law, the Crimean Khan Mengli I Girey, who provided his son-in-law with all possible help and support. To somehow catch the fugitive in the Crimea, where he is under the protection of the selective troops of his father by one of his sultanas, Sultan Bayezid had no opportunity. Yes, and the sanjak-bey Suleiman could imitate the search for a rebel in front of his grandfather, the sultan, as much as he liked.

Meanwhile, the eldest son of the Ottoman ruler, Ahmet, who was entrusted by his father with the suppression of the uprising to Shahkul in Anatolia, having received large military forces at his disposal while Bayezid II dealt with Selim, declared himself Sultan of Anatolia, and began to fight against one of his nephews (whose father was already dead). He captured the city of Konya and, although Sultan Bayezid demanded that he return to his sanjak, Ahmet insisted on ruling this city. He even made an attempt to capture the capital, but to no avail, as the Janissaries refused to help him, strongly supporting the Crimean fugitive Selim.

Ultimately, having lost the support of the Janissaries, and due to some complex religious motives, Bayazid II abdicated on April 25, 1512 in favor of Suleiman's father.

After becoming Sultan, Selim I first ordered the execution of all his male relatives who were entitled to the throne of the Ottomans. A month later, he ordered his father to be poisoned. Selim's hated older brother, Ahmet, continued to control parts of Anatolia during the first few months of his reign. Eventually, Selim and Ahmet's armies met at the Battle of Yenişehir near Bursa on April 24, 1513, the anniversary of the abdication of their father, Sultan Bayezid. Ahmet's army was defeated, he himself was captured and was soon executed.

The second rival brother of Selim, Shehzade Korkut, did not take any part in these strife, being quite content with his position as the sanjak-bey of Manisa. He recognized Selim's authority without hesitation when he became sultan. However, the incredulous Selim I decided to test his loyalty by sending him fake letters on behalf of some statesmen of the empire, in which Korkut was called to take part in the uprising against Selim. Upon learning of his brother's positive response, Selim ordered his execution, which was done.

All the time that Selim II was solving, of course, the most important issues for him, not just succession to the throne, but elementary survival, of course, he was not up to Suleiman. Shehzade's mother, Ayse Hafsa-sultan, a smart, courageous and independent woman, completely took over the leadership of his son's upbringing. The fact that the Crimean khans in their homeland always enjoyed much more freedom than the Turkish sultanas at home led to the fact that many contemporaries considered Ayse Hafsa a violator of traditional Ottoman foundations. It was she, and not at all her daughter-in-law Roksolana, who was the first to violate the unshakable rule of the main harem of Turkey “one concubine - one shehzade”. The eunuchs did not allow women who had already given birth to his son to the halvet (literally - “complete solitude of a man and a woman in an enclosed space without any interference”) to the sultan of women who had already given birth to his son (unless the sovereign himself summoned one of them). Such a principle, it must be admitted, made almost equal chances for the throne of the Ottomans for all shehzades after the death of their common father. And he did not allow any one odalisque to significantly strengthen his position in the harem (and this could be done only by giving birth to boys). So, it was Aishe Hafsa Sultan who gave birth to Selim I nine children (Roksolana gave way to her here too, having given birth to “only” six), of which there were four sons and five daughters. In addition to five full-blooded ones (from common parents), Suleiman had five more half-sisters from various concubines of his father. Suleiman's younger brothers - Orkhan, Musa and Korkut died in early childhood. Of all the sons of Sultan Selim, only the eldest son of the Crimean khanbika survived to adulthood, which, of course, later greatly facilitated his path to the throne.

The significance for Selim I of his concubine Aishe Hafsy-Sultan, the mother of his only shehzade, after being defeated by his father Sultan Bayazid II, he fled to her father in the Crimea, cannot be overestimated. Hafsa-sultan became a connecting and unifying link between the three men closest to her - her son Suleiman, the sanjak-bey of Crimea (to whom, of course, the Ottoman troops on the peninsula were subordinate), her father, the Crimean Khan Mengli I Girey, who subordinated a considerable local army (the raids of the Crimean Tatars on Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland kept the whole of Eastern Europe at bay), and her husband (for lack of another definition), Selim, heir to the Ottoman Empire.

It is unlikely that Sultan Selim appreciated this - a very cruel and rude person even by the standards of his time, but young Suleiman, who at the age of 17 found himself in the very epicenter of the dynastic crisis of a huge state, this circumstance, of course, made an indelible impression. And, obviously, this is what made him see a person in a woman, who in those days was not even considered a person.

After the accession of Selim I to the throne in April 1512, he sent Suleiman as a governor in the "heir apparent" Sanjak Sarukhan with its capital in Manisa. The distance from Manisa to Istanbul in a straight line is 297 km. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Ottoman sultans sent to her sanjak-beys those of their sons whom they wanted to leave power over the Brilliant Porte after their death. Aishe Hafsa Sultan went to Surukhan with her son, and in 1520, after the death of Sultan Selim I, accompanied him to Istanbul, where he became Sultan Suleiman I. From 1520 until her death in 1534, she led the main harem of the empire. She became the first mother of the ruling Turkish padishah, who bore the title of valid sultan.

During the eight years during which her son ruled Sarukhan in Manisa, Aisha Hafsa Sultan did a lot for the prosperity of this region. At her own expense, she built mosques, schools and hospitals in Manisa. The building of the charitable center founded by her to help the mentally ill has survived to this day.

The day of the death of the mother of Sultan Suleiman - March 19, 1534 - is still celebrated in Turkey as the day of memory of one of the most revered women in the country.

If at the very beginning of the Sultanate of Selim I in the Brilliant Port there were only two carriers of the sacred blood of the Ottomans in the male line - he himself and his only son Suleiman (he himself destroyed the rest), then after the death of his father, Suleiman arrived in Istanbul from Manisa already with three (according to to other data - five) by his sons from three concubines (in total he had seventeen of them in the harem), the eldest of whom was 7-8 years old, including Mustafa, then 5 years old. And in Istanbul, he was waiting for the throne of the greatest power of that time - the Islamic empire of the Ottomans, which he further expanded and strengthened by military campaigns during his reign. And Roksolana.

The appearance of the Turkic tribes Se (Sakha) in the west of Altau occurred in the year 200 BC. Then they were oppressed by the Tibetan tribe and they had to move further west. Another Chinese traveler Zhang Tsang mentioned the Western Turks, who were called Kanly. It was in 130 BC. At that time, small khanates were subordinate to the Kanlams. They ruled Bukhara, Khiva, Kerman, Samarkand and Tashkent. They were also called Scythians or Saks.
In 1219, Genghis Khan acted very aggressively and the Kanls had to retreat to the lands of Rum. They were headed by Khan Kabi in those days. The Kanls in the foreign land had to wait until the incessant wars had passed, and then they were about to return to their native land. Then they were headed by the son of Kabi Khan, Suleiman. But these plans were not destined to be fulfilled, when Suleiman and his people crossed the Frat River, they drowned. So his son begins to rule - the brave and courageous Torgul. Part of the people remained at Arz-Rum to protect the lands of Konya, which at that time were under the rule of King Allaidden. And the raids on them are made by the son of Genghis Khan, Chagatai. Allaidden was very grateful to Torgul for accomplishing feats, and gives him the post of commander-in-chief of the army and bestows the lands of Eskud, Karashatau and Tomanshi. The son of Torgul, Osman, also differs in military leadership. He also becomes commander-in-chief of the army of Konya. After Torgul died in 1272, Osman becomes commander-in-chief in his place. The territory of the kingdom was greatly expanded during that period due to the lands that were captured. Ten years later, Osman was appointed by Allaidden to independently rule one of the territories that had been captured - Karashi Khasar. During the reign of Khan Osman, the country grew larger and more prosperous, and in the end it became the greatest empire. The formation of the empire took place in 1300, then the local Turks began to be called the Ottoman Turks, and Khan Osman - the Turkish Sultan, the first in a row. In total, there were thirty-six sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire, and the fate of the state changed under each of them.

The traditional harem (from the Arabic "haram" - forbidden) is primarily the female half of the Muslim home. Only the head of the family and his sons had access to the harem. For everyone else, this part of the Arab home is a strict taboo. This taboo was observed so strictly and zealously that the Turkish chronicler Dursun Bey wrote: "If the sun were a man, then even he would be forbidden to look into the harem." Harem - the realm of luxury and lost hopes ...

The Sultan's harem was located in the Istanbul Palace Topkapi. The mother (valid-sultan), sisters, daughters and heirs (shahzade) of the sultan, his wife (kadyn-efendi), favorites and concubines (odalisques, slaves - jariye) lived here.

From 700 to 1200 women could live in a harem at the same time. The inhabitants of the harem were served by black eunuchs (karaagalar), commanded by daryussaade agasy. Kapy-agasy, the head of the white eunuchs (akagalar), was responsible for both the harem and the inner chambers of the palace (enderun), where the sultan lived. Until 1587, the kapy-agasy had power inside the palace comparable to the power of the vizier outside it, then the heads of the black eunuchs became more influential.

The harem itself was actually controlled by the Valide Sultan. The next in rank were the unmarried sisters of the Sultan, then his wives.

The income of the women of the Sultan's family was made up of funds called a shoe (for a shoe).

There were few slaves in the Sultan's harem, usually girls who were sold by their parents to the school at the harem and underwent special training became the concubines.

In order to cross the threshold of the seraglio, the slave went through a kind of initiation ceremony. In addition to checking for innocence, the girl had to convert to Islam without fail.

Entering the harem was in many ways reminiscent of being tonsured as a nun, where instead of selfless service to God, no less selfless service to the master was instilled. Candidates for concubines, like God's brides, were forced to break all ties with the outside world, received new names and learned to live in humility.

In later harems, wives were absent as such. The main source of a privileged position was the attention of the Sultan and childbearing. Showing attention to one of the concubines, the owner of the harem elevated her to the rank of a temporary wife. This situation was most often shaky and could change at any moment depending on the mood of the master. The most reliable way to gain a foothold in the status of a wife was the birth of a boy. A concubine who gave her master a son acquired the status of mistress.

The largest in the history of the Muslim world was the Istanbul harem Dar-ul-Seadet, in which all women were foreign slaves, free Turkish women did not get there. The concubines in this harem were called “odalisk”, a little later the Europeans added the letter “c” to the word and it turned out “odalisque”.

And here is the Topkapi Palace, where the Harem lived

From among the odalisques, the Sultan chose up to seven wives. Who was lucky to become a "wife" received the title of "kadyn" - mistress. The main "kadyn" was the one who managed to give birth to her first child. But even the most prolific "kadyn" could not count on the honorary title of "sultana". Only the mother, sisters and daughters of the Sultan could be called sultanas.

Transport of wives, concubines, in short, a harem taxi depot

Just below the "kadyn" on the hierarchical ladder of the harem stood favorites - "ikbal". These women received salaries, their own apartments and personal slaves.

The favorites were not only skilled mistresses, but also, as a rule, subtle and intelligent politicians. In Turkish society, it was through "ikbal" for a certain bribe that one could go directly to the Sultan himself, bypassing the bureaucratic obstacles of the state. Below the "ikbal" were the "concubines". These young ladies were a little less fortunate. The conditions of detention are worse, there are fewer privileges.

It was at the stage of "concubin" that there was the toughest competition, in which a dagger and poison were often used. Theoretically, the "konkubin", like the "ikbal", had a chance to climb the hierarchical ladder by giving birth to a child.

But unlike the favorites close to the Sultan, they had very few chances for this wonderful event. Firstly, if there are up to a thousand concubines in the harem, then it is easier to wait for the weather by the sea than the holy sacrament of mating with the Sultan.

Secondly, even if the Sultan descends, it is not at all a fact that the happy concubine will definitely become pregnant. And even more so, it’s not a fact that she won’t organize a miscarriage.

The old slaves followed the concubines, and any pregnancy noticed was immediately terminated. In principle, it is quite logical - any woman in labor one way or another, became a contender for the role of a legitimate "kadyn", and her baby - a potential contender for the throne.

If, despite all the intrigues and intrigues, the odalisque managed to keep the pregnancy and did not allow the child to be killed during the “unsuccessful birth”, she automatically received her personal staff of slaves, eunuchs and the annual salary “basmalik”.

Girls were bought from their fathers at the age of 5-7 years and raised up to 14-15 years. They were taught music, cooking, sewing, court etiquette, the art of pleasing a man. When selling his daughter to a harem school, the father signed a paper stating that he had no rights to his daughter and agreed not to meet her for the rest of his life. Getting into the harem, the girls received a different name.

Choosing a concubine for the night, the Sultan sent her a gift (often a shawl or a ring). After that, she was sent to the bath, dressed in beautiful clothes and sent to the door of the Sultan's bedroom, where she waited until the Sultan went to bed. Entering the bedroom, she crawled on her knees to the bed, and kissed the carpet. In the morning, the Sultan sent rich gifts to the concubine if he liked the night spent with her.

The Sultan could have a favorite - guzde. Here is one of the most famous, Ukrainian Roxalana

Suleiman the Magnificent

Bani Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan (Roksolana), wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, built in 1556 next to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Architect Mimar Sinan.

Mausoleum of Roxalana

Valide with black eunuch

Reconstruction of one of the rooms of the Valide Sultan apartments in the Topkapi Palace. Melike Safie Sultan (possibly born Sofia Baffo) was the concubine of the Ottoman Sultan Murad III and the mother of Mehmed III. During the reign of Mehmed, she held the title of Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan) and was one of the most important figures in the Ottoman Empire.

Only the Sultan's mother, Valide, was considered equal to her. Valide Sultan, regardless of her origin, could be very influential (the most famous example is Nurbanu).

Aishe Hafsa Sultan is the wife of Sultan Selim I and the mother of Sultan Suleiman I.

Hospice Ayse-Sultan

Kösem Sultan, also known as Mahpeyker, was the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I (she bore the title of Haseki) and the mother of Sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim I. During the reign of her sons, she bore the title of valid Sultan and was one of the most important figures in the Ottoman Empire.

Valide apartments in the palace

Bathroom Valide

Bedroom Valide

After 9 years, the concubine, who had never been elected by the Sultan, had the right to leave the harem. In this case, the Sultan found her a husband and gave her a dowry, she received a document stating that she was a free person.

However, the lowest layer of the harem also had its own hope for happiness. For example, only they had a chance at least for some kind of personal life. After several years of impeccable service and adoration in their eyes, a husband was found, or, having allocated funds for a non-poor life, they were released in all four directions.

Moreover, among the odalisques - outsiders of the harem society - there were also their own aristocrats. A slave could turn into a "gezde" - awarded a look, if the sultan somehow - with a look, gesture or word - singled her out from the general crowd. Thousands of women have lived all their lives in a harem, but neither the fact that the Sultan was seen naked, but they did not even wait for the honor of being "honored with a look"

If the sultan died, all the concubines were sorted by the sex of the children they had given birth to. The mothers of girls could well get married, but the mothers of the “princes” settled in the “Old Palace”, from where they could leave only after the accession of the new sultan. And at this moment the most fun began. The brothers poisoned each other with enviable regularity and perseverance. Their mothers were also active in putting poison into the food of their potential rivals and their sons.

In addition to the old proven slaves, eunuchs followed the concubines. Translated from Greek, "eunuch" means "guardian of the bed." They got into the harem exclusively in the form of guards, so to speak, to maintain order. There were two types of eunuchs. Some were castrated in early childhood and had no secondary sexual characteristics at all - a beard did not grow, there was a high, boyish voice and a complete rejection of a woman as an individual of the opposite sex. Others were castrated at a later age.

Incomplete eunuchs (namely, as they were called castrated not in childhood, but in adolescence), they even looked like men, had the most low male bass, thin facial hair, broad muscular shoulders, and oddly enough, sexual desire.

Of course, the eunuchs could not satisfy their needs in a natural way due to the lack of the necessary device for this. But as you understand, when it comes to sex or drinking, the flight of human imagination is simply limitless. And the odalisques, who for years lived with an obsessive dream of waiting for the sultan's gaze, were not particularly legible. Well, if there are 300-500 concubines in the harem, at least half of them are younger and more beautiful than you, well, what's the point of waiting for the prince? And on bezrybe and the eunuch is a man.

In addition to the fact that the eunuchs watched over the order in the harem and in parallel (secretly from the Sultan, of course) consoled themselves and women yearning for male attention in all possible and impossible ways, their duties also included the functions of executioners. Those guilty of disobedience to the concubines they strangled with a silk cord or drowned the unfortunate woman in the Bosphorus.

The influence of the inhabitants of the harem on the sultans was used by the envoys of foreign states. So, the Russian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, M. I. Kutuzov, arriving in Istanbul in September 1793, sent gifts to the valid Sultan Mikhrishah, and "the sultan accepted this attention to his mother with sensitivity."

Selim

Kutuzov was honored with reciprocal gifts from the mother of the Sultan and a favorable reception from Selim III himself. The Russian ambassador strengthened Russia's influence in Turkey and persuaded her to enter into an alliance against revolutionary France.

Since the 19th century, after the abolition of slavery in the Ottoman Empire, all concubines began to enter the harem voluntarily and with the consent of their parents, hoping to achieve material well-being and a career. The harem of the Ottoman sultans was liquidated in 1908.

The harem, like the Topkapi Palace itself, is a real labyrinth, rooms, corridors, courtyards are all randomly scattered. This confusion can be divided into three parts: The premises of the black eunuchs The actual harem, where the wives and concubines lived The premises of Valide Sultan and the padishah himself Our tour of the Topkapi Palace Harem was very brief.

The rooms are dark and deserted, there is no furniture, there are bars on the windows. Close and narrow corridors. Here lived the eunuchs, vengeful and vindictive due to psychological and physical injury ... And they lived in the same ugly rooms, tiny, like closets, sometimes without windows at all. The impression is brightened up only by the magical beauty and antiquity of the Iznik tiles, as if emitting a pale glow. We passed the stone courtyard of the concubines, looked at Valide's apartments.

It is also crowded, all the beauty is in green, turquoise, blue faience tiles. She ran her hand over them, touched the flower garlands on them - tulips, carnations, but the peacock's tail ... It was cold, and thoughts were spinning in my head that the rooms were not warmed well and the inhabitants of the harem probably often had tuberculosis.

Moreover, this lack of direct sunlight ... Imagination stubbornly did not want to work. Instead of the splendor of the Seraglio, luxurious fountains, fragrant flowers, I saw closed spaces, cold walls, empty rooms, dark passages, incomprehensible niches in the walls, a strange fantasy world. Lost sense of direction and connection to the outside world. I was stubbornly embraced by an aura of some kind of hopelessness and longing. Even the balconies and terraces in some rooms, overlooking the sea and the fortress walls, did not please.

And finally, the reaction of official Istanbul to the sensational series "Golden Age"

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan believes that the TV series about the court of Suleiman the Magnificent offends the greatness of the Ottoman Empire. However, historical chronicles confirm that the palace really fell into complete decline.

Rumors often circulate around forbidden places. Moreover, the more secret they are shrouded in, the more fantastic assumptions are put forward by mere mortals about what is happening behind closed doors. This applies equally to the secret archives of the Vatican and the caches of the CIA. The harems of Muslim rulers are no exception.

So there is nothing surprising in the fact that one of them became the scene of the "soap opera" that has become popular in many countries. The Magnificent Century series is set in the 16th century Ottoman Empire, which at that time stretched from Algeria to Sudan and from Belgrade to Iran. At the head was Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520-1566, in whose bedroom there was a place for hundreds of barely dressed beauties. Not surprisingly, 150 million television viewers in 22 countries were interested in this story.

Erdogan, in turn, focuses primarily on the glory and power of the Ottoman Empire, which reached its peak during the reign of Suleiman. Invented harem stories from that time, in his opinion, underestimate the greatness of the Sultan and thus the entire Turkish state.

But what does the distortion of history mean in this case? Three Western historians spent a lot of time studying works on the history of the Ottoman Empire. The last of these was the Romanian researcher Nicolae Iorga (1871-1940), whose "History of the Ottoman Empire" also included previously published studies by the Austrian orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall and the German historian Johann Wilhelm Zinkeisen (Johann Wilhelm Zinkeisen).

Iorga devoted much of his time to studying events in the Ottoman court during the time of Suleiman and his heirs, such as Selim II, who inherited the throne after the death of his father in 1566. “More like a monster than a man,” he spent most of his life in drunkenness, by the way, forbidden by the Koran, and his red face once again confirmed his addiction to alcohol.

The day had barely begun, and he was usually already drunk. He usually preferred entertainment to solving issues of national importance, for which dwarfs, jesters, conjurers or wrestlers were responsible, in which he occasionally shot from a bow. But if the endless feasts of Selim took place, apparently, without the participation of women, then under his heir Murad III, who ruled from 1574 to 1595 and lived for 20 years under Suleiman, everything was already different.

"Women play an important role in this country," wrote a French diplomat who had some experience in this regard at home. “Since Murad spent all his time in the palace, his environment had a great influence on his weak spirit,” Iorga wrote. "With women, the Sultan was always obedient and weak-willed."

Most of all, Murad's mother and first wife used this, who were always accompanied by "many court ladies, intriguers and intermediaries," Iorga wrote. “On the street they were followed by a cavalcade of 20 carts and a crowd of Janissaries. Being a very insightful person, she often influenced appointments at court. Because of her extravagance, Murad tried several times to send her to the old palace, but she remained a real sovereign until her death.

Ottoman princesses lived in "typically oriental luxury". European diplomats tried to win their favor with exquisite gifts, because one note from the hands of one of them was enough to appoint this or that pasha. The careers of the young gentlemen who married them depended entirely on them. And those who dared to reject them lived in danger. Pasha "could easily be strangled if he did not dare to take this dangerous step - to marry an Ottoman princess."

While Murad was having fun in the company of beautiful slaves, “all the other people who were allowed to manage the empire made personal enrichment their goal - it doesn’t matter, honestly or dishonestly,” Iorga wrote. It is no coincidence that one of the chapters of his book is called "The Causes of the Collapse". When you read it, you get the feeling that this is the script of a television series, such as, for example, "Rome" or "Boardwalk Empire".

However, behind the endless orgies and intrigues in the palace and in the harem, important changes were hidden in life at court. Before the accession of Suleiman to the throne, it was accepted that the sons of the Sultan, accompanied by their mother, left for the province and remained aloof from the struggle for power. The prince who succeeded to the throne, then, as a rule, killed all his brothers, which was in some way not bad, because in this way it was possible to avoid a bloody struggle for the succession of the Sultan.

Everything changed under Suleiman. After he not only had children with his concubine Roksolana, but also freed her from slavery and appointed her his main wife, the princes remained in the palace in Istanbul. The first concubine, who managed to rise to the sultan's wife, did not know what shame and conscience were, and she shamelessly promoted her children up the career ladder. Numerous foreign diplomats wrote about intrigues at court. Later, historians relied on their letters in their studies.

It also played a role that the heirs of Suleiman abandoned the tradition of sending wives and princes away to the province. Therefore, the latter constantly interfered in political issues. “In addition to participating in palace intrigues, their connections with the Janissaries stationed in the capital are worthy of mention,” wrote historian Suraiya Faroki from Munich.

Sultans of the Ottoman Empire Four representatives of the Sultan's harem can be attributed to the number of indisputable figures of the period of the female sultanate.

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

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

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

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