Sultanate of Women

Just one breath of hers was stronger than 1000 women in the Harem... She was born in another country and was captured during a raid and eventually taken to the palace. She entered the imperial harem, rose in the ranks and became the Sultan's darling. Breaking the rules, the Sultan married her and she became his legal wife. Not to forget that at that time sultans only married single and foreign aristocrats. She became the most powerful and influential woman in Ottoman history, as well as a prominent and controversial figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women. She was the first imperial wife to receive the title of Haseki Sultan. She stayed at the Sultan's court for the rest of her...View all