There are many fascinating aspects of the Ottoman Empire which we are going to discover this summer. One of them is the Sultanate of Women, the period from 1520 to 1656, when the Sultans’ wives and mothers wielded significant political power.
Noble Turkish Woman having Coffee - Wonder how heavy her Turban is ...
Most people are puzzled when hearing the story. The Ottoman Empire is perceived as a Muslim States where women’s influence was severely limited until Kemal Atatürk started to reform the country and established women's rights. But Turkey is not just another Muslim country – its culture was formed on Eurasia’s steppes. This heritage was never lost.
We talked about the origin of Turkish People in blog F - 212. Turks were neighbours of the Mongols and lived in the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia. They were nomads who moved from pasture to pasture following the seasons. Their life was based on sheep, camels and horses. Men were in charge of the livestock. The women run the yurts, protected the wealth and raised the children. Every man was a warrior. During times of war or raids, they made up the army. Turkish men were often away from home for months if not for years.
Mongols and Turks could easily switch between peace time and military duty
Young girls were thus trained the same way as boys. They were excellent riders, as skilled in the use of bow and arrow as the boys, they knew how to fight with a sword and some were even excellent wrestlers. Turkish women were well capable to defend their yurts and had a reputation as ferocious fighters. During times of prolonged absence of men, Turkish women conducted the political affairs of their clans and took care of the children's military training.
Mongol Women in Military Garb - their Turkish Cousins must have looked the same
Women were equal partners and enjoyed rights the Chinese, Arab or Byzantine women could only dream of. They participated in the legal system, could buy and sell properties in their own name, owned their own money and were not forced to remarry when their husband passed away. When Turkish people converted to Islam around 950 AD, nobody ever asked the women to veil their faces. It was just not compatible with their tradition.
There are many Tales about Turkish Warrior Princesses - this is a Mongol Princess though
The strong position of women in traditional Turkish society was the base for the Sultanate of Women. Already in the Seljuk Empire, which preceded the Ottoman Empire by 200 years, women held powerful positions at court. In the beginning, the Ottoman State was small and the Sultans conducted both military as domestic duties from their capital in Bursa, a Byzantine town conquered in 1326. But as the Empire expanded and the capital moved from Bursa to Constantinople, things started to change. Already Sultan Mehmed, the Conqueror of Istanbul, was strongly influenced by his mother who raised him deep in the province.
Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent added the red and orange Parts to the Ottoman Empire
The bridge to the Sultanate of Women was indeed the established Turkish tradition to put mothers in charge of the upbringing of their sons. Being far away from Constantinople, they had to build a network for the dangerous time of succession when their child’s life was at risk. Every new sultan was expected to kill all his brothers to eliminate any political rival. Weaving a network of political connections was the mothers only hope and chance to influence succession and thus protect the life of their sons.
By 1520, when Suleiman the Magnificent ascended to the throne, the Empire had grown considerably. During his 46 years in power, it expanded even further. The Sultan was often away from Istanbul and needed loyal people to govern in his absence. Due to the tradition of fratricide, the Sultan had no male blood-relatives like brothers or uncles to whom he could turn. It was thus logic that Suleiman chose his wife – something he also could justify as an old Turkish tradition.
A young Slave being sold - Jean-Léon Gérôme's Painting dates from the 19th Century
Before Suleyman, Ottoman Sultans did not marry. They had a harem of slaves who did not stay around once pregnant. As ever so often, “when love takes over”, world history changes. In his harem in the Topkapi Palace, Suleiman met Roxelana, a slave captured in then Polish Ruthenia (today Slovakia). Her Turkish name was Hurrem, the “cheerful, joyful girl”. She captured Suleiman’s heart.
Roxelana or Hurrem Sultana became Haseki Sultana
As exception to Ottoman protocol, she could stay in the harem after the birth of her first son. Later, Suleyman freed her from slavery. The two married and had six children, five sons and one girl. Suleyman created a new title of Haseki Sultana, “Imperial Consort” in 1534 for her. It was the second highest position in the Ottoman Empire. Most importantly, she ranked above Valide Sultan, the Sultan’s mother.
The Harem was far more than just the Wome's Quarter
It was here were many political decisions were taken
Roxelana became Suleyman’s close advisor. She had her own seal and influenced decisions on state affairs to a degree that every official went to her first to clear his proposals. Whilst not being a formal member of the state council, she “secretly” participated in the meetings behind a wire-meshed window. She was primarily involved in matters of international politics and key government appointments. Through her influence, she became the “Eminence Gris” in the Ottoman Empire. When she passed away in 1558, her daughter Mihrimah Sultana stepped in and advised her father the same way until he died.
Mihrimah Sultan, Suleyman's influential Daughter
Most people believe that Roxelana was the most powerful Sultana in the Ottoman Empire. The title may, however, go to Nurbanu who was - most likely - of Venetian origin. She was captured in Paros by the Turkish Admiral Barbarossa during one of his raids and sold as slave girl into Selim’s harem. Through her intelligence, wit and beauty, she became his favorite consort. As his father Suleyman, Selim II freed Nurbanu (the name means queen of light) from slavery and married her in 1566. They lived in the Top Kapi Palace where she stepped into the shoes of Roxelana’s daughter Mihrimah. She managed the diplomatic relations with Venice, corresponded actively with Catharina di Medici, the French Queen, and Queen Elizabeth from England. When her husband Selim II passed away in 1574, she hid him in a trunk filled with ice until she could install her son, Murad II, as a ruler. She was an even closer advisor to her son.
Nurbanu, wife of Sultan Selim II, and also Haseki Sultan
The influence of women fizzled out by the end of the 17th century, when the Ottoman' military power declined, the Sultans spent more time in Istanbul and started losing battles. Many clerics and conservative Turks blamed the women for this turn of events. Whilst the conservatives were able to exclude the women from power, they were not able to reverse the course of history. The Ottoman Empire became more and more bureaucratic and in the 19th century was called "the sick man of Europe”. So much for using gender in power politics. Useless. Talent matters. Not gender.
There is a good article on the following website:
Or for the one's who prefer to watch it on YouTube: