Sultanate of Women

The Sultanate of Women (Turkish:

Kadnlar Saltanat) was the nearly 130-year period during the 16th and
17th centuries when the women of the Imperial Harem of
the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political inuence over state matters and over the (male) Ottoman
sultan, starting from the reign of Suleiman the Magnicent.[1] Many of the Sultans during this time were
minors and it was their mothers, the Valide Sultans, or
their wives, the Haseki Sultans, who eectively ruled the
Empire.[2] Most of these women were of slave origin,
which was often the case in general for consorts of Ottoman sultans.

extended military campaigns, especially after the failure

of the Siege of Vienna.[5] The vastness of the empire also
made the Beylerbeylik system increasingly impractical,
and as such the princes began to move back to the capital. However, with their primary military and economic
strength neutralized, there was no longer a need for the
practice of fratricide.
In addition, Suleimans reign famously marked the merging of the imperial harem into the palace and political sphere, as he became the rst sultan to be ocially
married, to the woman later known as Hrrem Sultan.
Though controversial even at the time, this act, combined
with the centralization of the imperial dynasty, brought
the women of the harem closer to real power than they
had ever been.[6] As the royal princes lost power from the
loss of their governance, their wives and mothers gained
signicantly, using their princes status and connections
to inuence court and imperial decisions. In the late
16th century, Murat III even moved his personal residence from the palace, where he had previously been surrounded by exclusively-male servants and courtiers, to the
harem itself. Thus, by the turn of the 1600s, the wife and
mother of the sultan became two of the most prominent
and inuential positions in government, in practice if not
in law.

Early years

The period commonly known as the Sultanate of Women

was novel for the Ottoman Empire, but not without precedent. The Seljuks, predecessors to the Ottoman Empire,
often had women of nobility playing an active role in public policy and aairs, despite the concern of other male
ocials.[3] Indeed, even the early Ottoman Empire, some
women held visible positions of power, as evidenced by
the North African traveler Ibn Battuta when he saw the
conquered city of Iznik being commanded by one of the
consorts of the sultan.[4]
However, during the fourteenth century, the agency of
women in government began to shrink considerably. This
was the age of Ottoman expansion, and as such, most Sultans elected to lead from the horse, moving with a court
of advisors, viziers, and religious leaders as the army conquered new lands.[5] In addition, Ottoman policy from
the fteenth century onward was to send young princes
and their mothers to provincial governorships in Anatolia. In eect, this kept all of the women with connection
to the higher levels of government far away from any place
where they could hold meaningful power. Whats more,
the practice of fratricidein which an ascendant sultan
would execute all his brothers to secure his thronemade
the mothers and wives of princes even more dependent on
their men.[5]

By the rst half of the 17th century, six sultans had

reigned, each of whom was either a child or incompetent.
As such, the valide sultan ruled virtually unopposed, both
during their sons rule, and during interregnum.[7] However, such radical prominence was not easily accepted by
all. Even with a direct connection to the sultan, the valide
sultan often faced opposition from his viziers, as well as
the danger of public opinion. Where their male predecessors had won favor with the public through military conquest and charisma, female leaders had to rely on imperial ceremonies and the construction of monuments and
public works.[5]

Fortunes began to change, however, with the beginning

of the 16th century, and the concurrence of two signicant events: the end of Ottoman expansion, and the merging of the imperial harem into the palace proper. During
the reign of Suleiman the Magnicent, it became clear
that the empire had reached its outer limits, with borders stretching thousands of miles in nearly every direction, the sultan simply could no longer aord to go on

Despite the practice of seclusion, imperial women often

found ways to eectively leverage their public appearance. In one account, several noblemen had traveled to
the capital to complain about an Anatolian judge who was
in the practice of taking bribes. When they were taken to
see the sultan however, they found him on a boat in the
middle of the Golden Horn, and had to yell to even be
heard. But when they came across Saye Valide Sultan,

2 Political signicance

REACTIONS

traveling in her carriage, she listened to their plea, and tradition for the charitable works of future queen mothultimately granted it.[8]
ers.
Other imperial women, such as Turhan Sultan contributed to the empires defense, spending large amounts
of money on the reconstruction and fortication of key
military strongholds. Some even symbolically participated in warfare as well. When her son Mehmed IV
returned from a successful military campaign, she had
a royal procession arranged to retrace his warpath, and
share in the glory of his victory.[5]
Weddings were also a common cause for celebration, and
an opportunity for imperial women to promote charity
while displaying their wealth and power. At one wedding
as the daughter of Murad III was about to be wed to a
prominent admiral, she had newly minted coins given out
to all the onlookers, some making o with whole skirtfulls of wealth.[5]
And the death of an imperial wife or sultans mother could
be even more extravagant. In one instance, the death of
Hrrem Haseki Sultan brought throngs of mourners out
to the streets, including the sultan himself, who was traditionally supposed to seclude himself in the palace during
the funeral of a family member. Once again, during the
ceremony coins and food were distributed to the attendees, to pay tribute to the queens generous and caring
nature.[5]
And ultimately, the most long-lasting accomplishments
of many wifes and mothers sultans were their large
public works projects. Often constructed as mosques,
schools, or monuments, the construction and maintenance of these projects provided crucial economic circulation during a time otherwise marked by economic stagnation and corruption, while additionally leaving a powerful and long-lasting symbol of the sultanates power and
benevolence. While the creation of public works had always been an obligation of the sultanate, sultanas such as
Suleimans mother and wife undertook projects that were
larger and more lavish than any woman before them, and
most men as well.[5]

4 Role of Hrrem Sultan

Breaking with two centuries of Ottoman Tradition, a former concubine became the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman
the Magnicent, much to the astonishment of observers
in the palace and in the empire. It made Suleiman the
rst emperor to have a wed wife since Orhan Gazi and
strengthened Hrrem Sultan high position in the palace.
She quickly came to the attention of her master, and attracted the jealousy of her rivals. She soon proved to be
Suleimans favourite consort or Haseki Sultan. The title Haseki Sultan was rst used in 16th century for Hrrem Sultan. Thus in power struggle apparently instigated by Hrrem, Suleiman had Pargali Ibrahim Pasha
murdered and replaced with her sympathetic son-in-law,
Rstem Pasha. Furthermore, both Hrrem Sultan and
Rstem Pasha and her daughter Mihrimah Sultan turned
Suleiman against ehzade Mustafa and Mustafa was accused of causing unrest. During the campaign against
Safavid Persia in 1553, because of a fear of rebellion, Sultan Suleiman ordered the execution of Mustafa. In 2007,
Muslims in Mariupol, a port city in Ukraine, opened a
Mosque to honor Hrrem Sultan.

5 Mihrimah Sultan as the only

princess in Sultanate of women

Mihrimah Sultan was born in Istanbul on 21 March

1522 and died on 25 January 1578. Mihrimah traveled throughout the Ottoman Empire with her father
as he surveyed the lands and conquered new ones. In
Constantinople on 26 November 1539, at the age of 17,
Mihrimah Sultan married Rstem Pasha (1505-10 July
1561), the Grand Vizier under Suleiman. She had access to considerable economic resources and often funded
major architectural projects. Her most famous foundation are the two Istanbul Mosque Complexes that bear
3 Role of Aye Hafsa Sultan
her name. The most famous mosque of Constantinople
is Mihrimah Sultan Mosque. Historians say that Hrrem
The rst such woman given the title of valide sultan was Sultan well trained her daughter.
Aye Hafsa Sultan, originally a Crimean Tatar princess
and the mother of Suleiman the Magnicent. She accompanied her son when he was appointed governor of
Manisa at the age of 17 (1503) and on his succession to 6 Reactions
the throne in 1520 took charge of the imperial harem in
Istanbul. Although there is some uncertainty about when Although it was a time of unprecedented power for
the sultans harem actually came to take up residence at royal women, they were not without signicant opposiTopkap Palace, she is credited with being an adviser to tion. Though openly opposing the imperial women was
her son, practically a co-regent, until her death in 1534. out of the question, many politicians and political adShe was probably the rst valide sultan to have had built a visors published treaties decrying the perceived corruplarge complex consisting of a mosque, a primary school, tion of government, calling for reform that demanded
a college and a hospice in Manisa. In doing so, she set the women not interfere in the aairs of government and

8.2

Literature

sovereignty.[8] To foreign ambassadors and emissaries

however, many were more direct. On one occasion, when
a Venetian ambassador tried to send a letter to the queen
sultan through the grand vizier, the vizier refused to transmit the letter, claiming that the queen mother was nothing more than a slave, and held no power of her own.[5]
Of course, such passionate denial implies that in fact, the
valide sultan held a great deal of authority which the vizier
resented. And in point of fact, many foreign ambassadors
at the time reported to their own countries that if one
wanted to do business with the Ottoman Empire, they
ought to go to the Sultans mother before any other.[9]

Powerful sultanas during the period

Hrrem Sultan, received 2,000 aspers a day as a
Haseki Sultan.
Mihrimah Sultan, received 600 aspers a day as an
imperial princess.
Nurbanu Sultan, received 2,000 aspers a day as a
Valide Sultan.
Saye Sultan, received 3,000 aspers a day as a Valide
Sultan.
Handan Sultan, recevied 1,000 aspers a day as a
Valide Sultan, acted as a co-regent for Ahmed I.
Halime Sultan, received 3,000 aspers a day as a
Valide Sultan, acted as a regent for Mustafa I.
Ksem Sultan, received 3,000 aspers a day as a
Valide Sultan, acted as a regent for Murad IV and
Mehmed IV.
Turhan Hatice Sultan, received 2,000 aspers a day
from 1648-1651, then received 3,000 aspers a day
until her death, acted as a regent for Mehmed IV.

8
8.1

References
Notes

[1] P. S. Garbol (29 December 2009). The Womens Sultanate. Xlibris Corporation. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-45351607-2.
[2] John Freely (2011). A History of Ottoman Architecture.
WIT Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-84564-506-9.
[3] Lambton, Ann (1988). Continuity and Change in Medieval
Persia. SUNY Press.
[4] Battuta, Ibn (1962). The Travels of the Ibn Battuta. Cambridge. pp. 451454.

[5] Peirce, Leslie (1988). Shifting Boundaries: Images of

Ottoman Royal Women in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
Critical Matrix: Princeton Working Papers in Womens
Studies.
[6] Lewis, Bernard (1962). Ottoman Observers of Ottoman
Decline. Islamic Studies I.
[7] Peirce, Leslie (1993). The Imperial Harem: Women and
Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University
Press.
[8] Selaniki, Mustafa. Mustafa Selanikis History of the Ottomans.
[9] de Busbecq, Ogier Ghiselin. The Turkish Letters of
Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq: Imperial Ambassador at Constantinople 1554-1562.

8.2 Literature
lhan Akit. The Mystery of the Ottoman Harem.
Akit Kltr Turizm Yaynlar. ISBN 975-7039-268
Leslie P. Peirce. The Imperial Harem: Women and
Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press (1993). ISBN 978-0-19-508677-5

9 External links
Channel 4 History | The sultanate of women

10

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10.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Sultanate of Women Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Women?oldid=740383218 Contributors: Edward, Bender235,

CeeGee, Woohookitty, Saposcat, Graham87, Rjwilmsi, Gryndor, Quiddity, Bgwhite, Hairy Dude, Sardanaphalus, Jagged 85, Ala.foum,
Mukadderat, OttomanReference, Cydebot, Deliogul, Nitchell, Wimstead, Baristarim, TXiKiBoT, Carillonatreides, SPQRobin, Flavius Belisarius, Mimihitam, Dallyripple, G.-M. Cupertino, Denisarona, Boneyard90, Excirial, Alexbot, Phso2, Addbot, ,
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10.2

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