Female Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire

In the article, we will describe in detail the Female Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire. We will talk about his representatives and their board, about the assessments of this period in history.

Before considering in detail the Female Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire, let us say a few words about the very state in which it was observed. This is necessary to enter the period of interest to us in the context of history.

The Ottoman Empire is otherwise called the Ottoman Empire . It was founded in 1299. It was then that Osman I Gazi, who became the first sultan of this empire, declared independence of the Seljuk territory of a small state. However, in some sources it is reported that the title of sultan was first officially accepted only by Murad I, his grandson.

The heyday of the Ottoman Empire

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

The role of women in government

For 623 years, the Ottoman dynasty ruled the lands that belonged to the country, from 1299 to 1922, when the monarchy ceased to exist. Women in the empire of interest to us, unlike the monarchies of Europe, were not allowed to govern the state. However, this situation was in all Islamic countries.

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

The term "Female Sultanate"

This term was first proposed by Ahmet Reif Altynai, a Turkish historian, in 1916. He occurs in the book of this scientist. His work is called - "Female Sultanate." And in our time, disputes over the influence of this period on the development of the Ottoman Empire have not ceased. There are disagreements as to what is the main cause of this phenomenon, so uncharacteristic of the Islamic world. Scientists argue about who should be considered the first representative of the Women's Sultanate.

Causes

Some historians believe that this period was generated by the time of the end of the campaigns. It is known that the system of conquering lands and obtaining military extraction was based on them. Other scholars believe that the Sultanate of women in the Ottoman Empire appeared due to the struggle for the repeal of the law "On the succession to the throne", published by Mehmed II Fatih. According to this law, all the Sultan's brothers must be executed after the accession to the throne. It did not matter what intentions they had. Historians who hold this opinion, consider Hürrem Sultan the first representative of the Women's Sultanate.

Khurem Sultan

This woman (her portrait is presented above) was the wife of Suleiman I. It was she who in 1521, for the first time in the history of the state, began to wear the title "Khaseki Sultan". In translation this phrase means "the most beloved wife."

We will tell more about Hürrem Sultan, whose name is often associated with the Female Sultanate in Turkey. Her real name is Lisovskaya Alexandra (Anastasia). In Europe, this woman is known as Roksolana. She was born in 1505 in Western Ukraine (town of Rogatina). In 1520, Khurrem Sultan came to the Istanbul Topkapi Palace. Here Suleiman I, the Turkish sultan, gave Alexandra a new name - Hürrem. This word from Arabic can be translated as "bringing joy". Suleiman I, as we have already said, gave this woman the title "Khaseki Sultan". Alexandra Lisovskaya received great power. It was still strengthened in 1534, when the mother of the Sultan died. From that time, Hurrem began to manage the harem.

It should be noted that this woman was very educated for her time. She owned several foreign languages, so she answered letters from influential nobles, foreign rulers and artists. In addition, Khurem Khaseki Sultan received foreign ambassadors. Hurrem was in fact a political adviser to Suleiman I. Her husband spent much of his time in campaigns, so she often had to take on his responsibilities.

Ambiguity of the assessment of the role of Hürrem Sultan

Not all scientists agree with the opinion that this woman should be considered a representative of the Women's Sultanate. One of the main arguments they make is that for each of the representatives of this period in history, the following two characteristics were typical: the short reign of the sultans and the existence of the title "Validida" (mother of the Sultan). None of them refers to Hürrem. She did not live to eight years before the opportunity to get the title "Valid". Moreover, it would be absurd to consider that the term of Sultan Suleiman I was short, because he ruled for 46 years. As, however, it would be wrong to call his reign "decline". But the period that interests us is considered the consequence of the "decline" of the empire. It was the poor state of affairs in the state that gave birth to the Female Sultanate in the Ottoman Empire.

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

And who can be rightly attributed to their number? We bring to your attention a list of rulers.

Female sultanate of the Ottoman Empire: list of women

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

• The first of these - Nurbanu Sultan (years of life - 1525-1583). By origin she was Venetian, the name of this woman is Cecilia Venier-Buffo.
• The second representative is Safiy Sultan (circa 1550 - 1603). It is also a Venetian, whose real name is Sofia Buffo.
• The third representative is Kesem Sultan (years of life - 1589 - 1651). Its origin is not known, but, presumably, it was the Greek Anastasia.
• And the last, the fourth representative - Turhan Sultan (years of life - 1627-1683). This woman is a Ukrainian named Nadezhda.

Turhan Sultan and Kesem Sultan

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

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

The question of succession to the throne

It would seem that getting an heir in the presence of a large harem is not at all difficult. However, there was one snag. It consisted in the fact that the feeble-minded sultan had an unusual taste and his own ideas about female beauty. Ibrahim I (his portrait is presented above) preferred very fat women. Recorded chronicles of those years in which it was mentioned about a concubine that he liked. Her weight was about 150 kg. From this we can make the assumption that Turhan, which his mother gave to his son, also had considerable weight. Perhaps that's why Kesem bought it.

Fighting the two Walide

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

But the fact of her reign did not bother Turhan. Scandals flared up in the palace for three years (from 1648 to 1651), and intrigues swirled. In September 1651, 62-year-old Kesem was found strangled. She gave up her place Turhan.

The End of the Female Sultanate

So, according to most historians, the date of the beginning of the Women's Sultanate is 1574. It was then that Nurban Sultan was given the title of Valid. The period that we are interested in ended in 1687, after the accession to the throne of Sultan Suleiman II. He was already in his adult age, received supreme power, 4 years after Turhan Sultan died, who became the last influential Walid.

This woman died in 1683, at the age of 55-56 years. Her remains were buried in a tomb, in a mosque built by her. However, not 1683, and 1687 is considered the official end date of the Women's Sultanate. It was then that at the age of 45, Mehmed IV was deposed from the throne. This happened as a result of a conspiracy, which was organized by Kepryul, the son of the great vizier. Thus ended the sultanate of women. Mehmed spent 5 years in prison and died in 1693.

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

Among the main reasons for increasing the role of women in government, there are several. One of them is the love of the sultans for the fair sex. The other is the influence that was exerted on the sons of their mother. Another reason is that the sultans were incapacitated by the time of the accession to the throne. You can also note the insidiousness and intrigue of women and the usual confluence of circumstances. Another important factor is that the great viziers often changed. The duration of their occupation of their posts at the beginning of the 17th century averaged just over a year. This, of course, contributed to the chaotic and political fragmentation in the empire.

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

Estimates of the period of the Female Sultanate

The female sultanate in the Ottoman Empire is very ambiguous. Representatives of the fair sex who were once slaves and were able to rise to the status of Valid, often were not prepared to conduct political affairs. In their choice of applicants and their appointment to important posts, they relied mainly on the advice of the proxies. The choice was often based not on the abilities of those or other persons or their loyalty to the ruling dynasty, but on their loyalty in the ethnic sense.

On the other hand, the Female Sultanate in the Ottoman Empire had positive aspects as well. Thanks to him, he managed to preserve the monarchical order characteristic of this state. It was based on the fact that all sultans should be from the same dynasty. Incompetence or personal shortcomings of rulers (such as the cruel sultan Murad IV, whose portrait is presented above, or the mentally ill Ibrahim I) were compensated by the influence and strength of their mothers or women. However, one can not ignore the fact that the actions of women, carried out during this period, contributed to the stagnation of the empire. This applies to a greater extent to Turhan Sultan. Mehmed IV, her son, September 11, 1683 lost the Battle of Vienna.

Finally

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