Haseki sultan

Haseki Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: خاصکى سلطان, romanized: Hāṣekī Sulṭān, Turkish pronunciation: [haseˈci suɫˈtaːn]) was a title used for the favorite of an Ottoman sultan.[1] It was created for Hürrem Sultan, the legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent.[2] The title lost its exclusivity under Ibrahim, who bestowed it upon eight women simultaneously, but continued to be used until the 17th century, when kadın became the highest-ranking title for imperial concubines.

Term

The word haseki (خاصکي-خاصگی) comes from the Arabic word khassa (خاصه), which is suffixed with the Persian gi (گی) and means "to attribute something exclusively to". A haseki is, therefore, one who belongs exclusively to the ruler.[3]

Sultan (سلطان) is an Arabic word that indicates "authority" or "dominion". Starting from the 16th century, this title was carried by both men and women, thus replacing other titles by which prominent members of the imperial family had been known (notably hatun for women and bey for men).[4] The Ottoman ruler's formal title consisted of sultan together with han (e.g. Sultan Suleiman Han). In formal address, the sultan's children were also entitled to the sultan title, with imperial princes (şehzade) carrying the title before their given name (e.g. Şehzade Sultan Mehmed), and imperial princesses carrying it after (e.g. Mihrimah Sultan). Like imperial princesses, the living mothers and chief consorts of the ruling sultan carried the title after their given names (e.g. Hafsa Sultan and Hürrem Sultan). The evolving usage of the sultan title reflects power shifts among imperial women, especially during the Sultanate of Women.

While the Ottoman Empire never had an official empress consort, when Suleiman broke tradition by freeing Hürrem, his favorite concubine, from slavery and legally marrying her, she was elevated to an extraordinary position; thus, the haseki sultan title that had been created for her can be seen as equivalent to the title of empress consort.[5]

Although a handful of other women held the title after Hürrem, this didn't necessarily result from legal marriages, and none enjoyed the same esteem or authority during their tenures.

Nevertheless, the haseki sultan title, which continued to be used for more than a century after Hürrem's death, conveys the great power held by concubines who had arrived at the Ottoman court as slaves, elevating their status above imperial princesses and making them equal to the wives of Europe's rulers.

As the position of the chief consort eroded over the course of the 17th century, the haseki sultan title was replaced by the less prestigious and non-exclusive kadın, a title related to the earlier hatun. Henceforth, the sultan's mother was the only woman of non-imperial blood to carry the sultan title.[4]

The sultan title is often translated as "sultana" when referring to female members of the imperial family in order to distinguish them from the male ruler.

Usage

The haseki sultan title was held by the chief consort of the sultan. She had a special standing in the palace, being the second most powerful woman in the imperial harem after the valide sultan and usually having chambers close to the sultan's own chamber.

When the position of the valide sultan was vacant the haseki sultan could take on the role, which meant having access to considerable economic resources, becoming chief of the imperial harem, advising the sultan in matters of state, and even holding sway on international relations. This happened in different measures during the eras of Hürrem Sultan, Nurbanu Sultan, Safiye Sultan,[6] Kösem Sultan and Gülnuş Sultan.

Hürrem, the first concubine to become haseki sultan, was given several exceptional rights during her tenure, particularly after the death of Suleiman's mother, Hafsa Sultan, the first valide sultan, in 1522. Hürrem was allowed to give birth to more than one son, which was a stark violation of the imperial harem's old principle of "one concubine-mother — one son" that was designed to prevent both the mother's influence over the sultan and the feuds of full-brothers for the throne. In early May 1534[7], Suleiman married Hürrem in a magnificent formal ceremony, making him the first Ottoman sultan to wed since Mehmed II (r. 1451–1481), and flouting the Ottoman dynasty's custom according to which sultans were not to marry their concubines (Mehmed's legal wife was a free noblewoman, Sittişah Hatun). Later, Hürrem became the first mother of a prince to remain in the sultan's court for the duration of her life; as per tradition, the mother of a prince was to remain in the harem only until her son came of age (around 16 or 17), when she would accompany him as he left the capital to govern a faraway province. Hürrem came to be Suleiman's partner not only in the household, but also in government affairs. Thanks to her intelligence, she acted as Suleiman's chief adviser, and seems to have had influence upon foreign policy.

A mother's political role traditionally began with the creation of a separate household for her son. The establishment of her public identity entailed her separation from the sultan and his court. This kind of functional division appears to have occurred with Nurbanu Sultan, in spite of the fact that she also never left the sultan's court; the shift in her position, that is, her candid undertaking of a political role as haseki sultan may well have coincided with her son's assumption of a provincial posting.[8]

The haseki sultan title was not used during the reign of Mehmed III, which was probably due to the prominent role played by his mother, Safiye Sultan.

The title was used again during the reign of Mehmed's son, Ahmed I, who chose his second consort, Kösem, as haseki. Her legacy is similar to that of Hürrem in one important aspect.[9] Like Hürrem, Kösem is accused of acting to preserve her own power rather than that of the sultan or the dynasty.[10] Perhaps Kösem's greatest triumph was the significant shift in the pattern of succession from a system of primogeniture to one based on agnatic seniority. She must have realized the personal gain that might stem from this change, as she would still have a son "in waiting" depite no longer being the haseki sultan. According to a Venetian ambassador, Kösem "lobbied to spare Mustafa the fate of fratricide with the ulterior goal of saving her own son[s] from the same fate".[11] This new system resulted in all heirs being isolated in the kafes before ascending to the throne, hence the old age or mental issues of certain sultans upon their enthronement; this also made the princes lose their chance to govern an Ottoman province, which was originally an essential part of their training to become a worthy ruler.

Decline of the Haseki Sultan Title

Osman II might have had a concubine with the haseki sultan rank, but all that can be determined about her is that her name was Ayşe.[note 1]

As with Osman, very little is known about the concubines of his younger half-brother, Murad IV. Privy purse registers show the presence of one haseki sultan, Ayşe, until the very end of Murad's seventeen-year reign, when a second unnamed haseki sultan appears. It's possible that Murad had only one concubine until the advent of the second one, or that he had a number of concubines and singled out two of them as haseki sultan.

Ibrahim had eight haseki sultans, of whom the first three — Turhan, Muazzez and Saliha Dilaşub, — each had one son who later became Sultan.[1]

The presence of more than one haseki sultan was a significant change in the reigns of Murad IV and Ibrahim, signaling that the age of the haseki sultan was coming to an end. With Kösem's strong influence as valide sultan, the haseki sultan title being held by eight women simultaneously, and the princes no longer being appointed to provincial posts, the haseki sultan title lost its special status. In this period, its meaning began to shift from a "chief consort" and "single favorite" to something more general like "imperial consort", similar to the earlier hatun.[1]

Gülnuş Sultan was the last influential haseki sultan. She had a forceful personality and was very involved in politics, managing to persuade Mehmed IV to dismiss and execute his grand vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha in 1683. Her authority had previously lessened during the vizierate of Köprülüzade Ahmed Pasha (1661 to 1676), but increased again after Mustafa Pasha's execution and lasted until Mehmed IV's deposition in 1687.[13]

In the late 17th century kadın became the highest-ranking title for imperial concubines. The last woman in Ottoman history to use the haseki sultan title is Rabia Sultan, one of the two known concubines of Ahmed II.

List of Haseki Sultan

The title was first used in the early 16th century for Hürrem Sultan, legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent and mother of the future Selim II. It was next held by Nurbanu Sultan, favorite concubine and possible legal wife of Selim II, and mother of his acknowledged heir Murad III. In 1575, just after Murad III's accession, the title was bestowed upon Safiye Sultan. Leslie P. Peirce points out that during Mehmed III's reign, the haseki sultan title did not came in use.[8] Mehmed's son Ahmed I gave it to Kösem Sultan, whom he also possibly married;[14] she was the mother of sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim, and dominated the Ottoman Empire in the early 17th century. Osman II might have had a haseki sultan, Ayşe Sultan. Another Ayşe Sultan is recorded as Murad IV's only haseki sultan until the very end of his seventeen-year reign, when a second haseki sultan appears.[1] Eight women held the title during Ibrahim's era:[1] Turhan Hatice, Hatice Muazzez, Saliha Dilaşub, Ayşe, Mâhenver, Saçbağı, Şivekar, and his legal wife, Hümaşah. Three of Ibrahim's sons became sultans; Mehmed IV had a haseki sultan, Gülnuş Sultan; Suleiman II isn't known to have named one; and the most beloved of Ahmed II's two known concubines, Rabia Sultan, is the last woman who held the haseki sultan title.

Portrait Name Birth name Origin Consort of Ceased to be haseki Death
Hürrem Sultan
خرم سلطان 		Aleksandra[15] or Anastajza[16] Ruthenian Suleiman I 15 April 1558
Afife Nurbanu Sultan
نور بانو سلطان 		Cecilia Venier-Baffo[17] or Rachel Marié Nassi[18] or Kalē Karatanou Venetian or Greek or Jewish Selim II 15 December 1574

sultan's death

7 December 1583
Safiye Sultan
صفیه سلطان 		unknown Albanian[19] Murad III 15 January 1595

sultan's death

January/April 1619[20]
Hatice Mahfiruz Hatun
ماه فروز سلطان

(disputed)

unknown Caucasian Ahmed I unknown between 1610 and 1628[21]
Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan
قسّم سلطان 		Anastasía[22][23][24] Greek. Born on Tinos, Republic of Venice (?) 22 November 1617

sultan's death

2 September 1651
Ayşe Sultan
عایشه سلطان

(disputed)

unknown unknown[10] Osman II 20 May 1622

sultan's deposition

1640
Ayşe Sultan
عایشه سلطان 		unknown[25] unknown[26] Murad IV 8 February 1640

sultan's death

1680
Fülane Sultan unknown unknown 8 February 1640

sultan's death

after 1640
Turhan Hatice Sultan
ترخان سلطان 		unknown Russian,[27][28][29] Circassian[30] or Ukrainian[31] Ibrahim 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

4 August 1683
Hatice Muazzez Sultan
معزز سلطان 		unknown unknown[32] 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

12 September 1687
Saliha Dilaşub Sultan
آشوب سلطان 		unknown[33] unknown[32][34] 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

4 December 1689
Ayşe Sultan
عایشه سلطان 		unknown Tatar origins[35][36] 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

1675
Mâhenver Sultan
ماه انور سلطان 		unknown Circassian[37] 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

after 1648
Saçbağı Sultan
ساچباگلی سلطان‎ 		unknown Circassian 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

1694
Şivekar Sultan
شیوه کار سلطان 		Maria Armenian[38] 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

1693
Hümaşah Sultan
ھما شاہ سلطان 		unknown Georgian or Circassian 8 August 1648

sultan's deposition

after 1676
Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan
گلنوش سلطان 		Evmania Voria Verzini[39][40] From the Greek[41][42] or Venetian Verzini family from the island of Crete[43][44][42][45] Mehmed IV 8 November 1687

sultan's deposition

6 November 1715
Rabia Sultan
رابعه سلطان 		unknown unknown Ahmed II 6 February 1695

sultan's death

14 January 1712

See also

Notes

  1. ^ According to Piterberg, Osman II did not have a haseki and Ayşe just "a politically insignificant consort".[12]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e Peirce 1993, p. 107.
  2. ^ Peirce (1993) p. 91
  3. ^ Davis (1986)
  4. ^ a b Peirce 1993, p. 18.
  5. ^ Kal'a, Ahmet (1997). Vakıf on defterleri: Hatt-ı Hümâyûn, 1577–1804. İstanbul Araştırmaları Merkezi. p. 57. ISBN 978-9-758-21504-1.
  6. ^ Peirce 1993, p. 58.
  7. ^ Peirce 2017, pp. 114
  8. ^ a b Peirce 1993, p. 104.
  9. ^ Peirce 1993, p. 105.
  10. ^ a b Peirce 1993, p. 106.
  11. ^ Piterberg (2003) p.14
  12. ^ Piterberg (2003) p.18
  13. ^ A Queen Mother and the Ottoman Imperial Harem: Rabia Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan (1640-1715) p.210
  14. ^ Tezcan, Baki (2008-12-31). "The Debut of Kösem Sultan's Political Career". Turcica. 40: 347–359. doi:10.2143/TURC.40.0.2037143. ISSN 0082-6847.
  15. ^ Abbott E. A history of mistresses. — HarperFlamingoCanada, 2003. — 510 p. — P. 53.
  16. ^ Roxolana in European Literature… — P. 49.
  17. ^ Godfrey Goodwin, The Private World of Ottoman Women, Saqi Book, ISBN 0-86356-745-2, ISBN 3-631-36808-9, 2001. page 128
  18. ^ Valeria Heuberger, Geneviève Humbert, Geneviève Humbert-Knitel, Elisabeth Vyslonzil (ed.), Cultures in Colors, page 68. ISBN 3-631-36808-9, 2001
  19. ^ Peirce 1993, p. 94.
  20. ^ Tezcan, Baki (2007). "The Debut of Kösem Sultan's Political Career". Turcica. Éditions Klincksieck: 351–352.
  21. ^ "Mahfiruz Valide Sultan". Official website of Eyüp city.
  22. ^ Davis 1970, p. 227–228.
  23. ^ Groot, A.H. de. "Murād IV". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_5533.
  24. ^ Hogan, Christine (2006). The Veiled Lands: A Woman's Journey Into the Heart of the Islamic World. Macmillan Publishers Aus. p. 74. ISBN 9781405037013.
  25. ^ Sakaoğlu, Necdet. Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları (in Turkish). Alfa Yayınları.
  26. ^ Tektaş, Nazım. Padişahların Bütün Kadınları- Harem'den Taşanlar (in Turkish). Çatı Kitapları.
  27. ^ Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2007). Famous Ottoman women. Istanbul: Avea. ISBN 978-975-7104-77-3. OCLC 472256214.
  28. ^ Sakaoğlu 2008, p. 245; Baer 2011, p. 35; Cooke, Göknar & Parker 2008, p. 214; Carsten 1961, p. 505; Karaca 2012.
  29. ^ Ruth Barzilai-Lumbroso (2008). Turkish Men, Ottoman Women: Popular Turkish Historians and the Writing of Ottoman Women's History. ProQuest. ISBN 978-0-549-48355-7.
  30. ^ Sakaoğlu 2015, p. 337—338.
  31. ^ T. V. Chukhlib. Khatije Turhan Valide-Sultan
  32. ^ a b A.D. Alderson, The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1955, p.83
  33. ^ A. D. Alderson, The Structure of the Ottoman Dynasty, Oxford: Clarendon, 1956, p.83
  34. ^ Sakaoğlu 2008, p. 253.
  35. ^ Mustafa Çağatay. Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 56–61.
  36. ^ Kal'a, Ahmet (1997). Vakıf su defterleri: Hatt-ı Hümâyûn, 1577–1804. İstanbul Araştırmaları Merkezi. p. 57. ISBN 978-9-758-21504-1.
  37. ^ Mustafa Çağatay. Uluçay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken. pp. 56–61.
  38. ^ Zuhuri Danışman, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Tarihi, IX, Yeni Matbaa, p. 239
  39. ^ A Queen Mother and the Ottoman Imperial Harem: Rabia Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan (1640-1715). In Concubines and Courtesans: Women and Slavery in Islamic History, ed. Matthew S. Gordon- Kathryn A. Hain. Oxford University Press, 2017 p.208
  40. ^ Sakaoglu, Necdet (1999). Bu Mülkün Sultanlari. Oglak. pp. 303, 315. ISBN 975-329-299-6. His mother was a harem girl, Rabia Gülnuş, who was of the Venetian Verzini family, settled in the city of Resmo in Crete.
  41. ^ "Erratum". Neonatology. 70 (4): 248. 1996. doi:10.1159/000244372. ISSN 1661-7800.
  42. ^ a b Sakaoğlu 2015.
  43. ^ İpşirli 1996.
  44. ^ Uluçay 2011.
  45. ^ Alderson 1956.

References

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