Hürrem Sultan

Hürrem Sultan (Turkish pronunciation:   1500 – 18 April 1558, birthname unknown, according to later traditions either Alexandra Lisowska/La Rossa or Anastasia, also known as Roxelana, was the favorite consort and later the legal wife of  Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and the mother of Mehmed, Mihrimah, Abdullah,  Selim II., Bayezid and Cihangir of the Ottoman Empire. She was one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history and a prominent figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women . She achieved power and influenced the politics of the Ottoman Empire through her husband and played an active role in state affairs of the Empire.In the Istanbul harem, Hürrem Sultan was a very influential rival for Mahidevran Sultan. Hürrem gave birth to her first son Mehmed in 1521 (who died in 1543) and then four other sons including Selim (future Sultan Selim II) in 1524, destroying Mahidevran’s status of being the mother of the sultan’s only son. The rivalry between the two women was partially suppressed by Ayse Hafsa Hatun, Suleiman’s mother,but after her death in 1534, as a result of the bitter rivalry a fight between the two women broke out, with Mahidevran beating Hürrem. This angered Suleiman, who subsequently sent Mahidevran to live with her son, Şehzade Mustafa, in the provincial capital of Manisa. This exile was shown officially as the traditional training of heir apparents, Sanjak Beyligi. Many years later, towards the end of Suleiman’s long reign, the rivalry between his sons became evident. Furthermore, both Hürrem Sultan and the grand vizier rüstem Pasha (Hürrem's son-in-law) turned him against 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. After the death of Mustafa, Mahidevran Gülbahar lost her state in the palace (as being the mother of the heir apparent) and moved to Bursa.

By:Greta Palinkas