What did Roksolana die from? Beloved wife of the Turkish Sultan. Biography of Roksolana, life, history
She is the only woman in the Sultan's harem with an official title. She is the Haseki Sultana, and Sultan Suleiman shared his power with her. She is the woman who made the Sultan forget about the harem forever. But in Europe she is better known under the name Roksolana. All of Europe wanted to know the details about the woman who, at the last reception in the palace in a dress of gold brocade, rose with the Sultan to the throne with her face open!
Roksolana
(Hurrem)
Biography
The Avret Bazaar district in Istanbul is named after Roksolana-Khurrem-Sultan, where, according to legend, Nastya Lisovskaya was sold into the harem of the Turkish Sultan, and then, already as Khurrem-Sultan, she erected a mosque, a shelter for the poor, and a hospital. Turks associate her name with a number of architectural monuments in Istanbul and significant economic transformations in the country. The tomb of Roksolana-Khurrem-Haseki is a national shrine of Turkey.
The tomb of her husband Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, with whom she lived in legal marriage for 40 years, and the tomb of Khurrem Sultan are nearby. In the thousand-year history of the Ottoman Empire, the only woman received such an honor was Roksolana.
Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovska I (born around 1506 - died around 1558) was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn - a small town on Western Ukraine, located southwest of Ternopil.
First half of the 16th century was a time when the Turks, together with the Tatars under their control, mercilessly plundered the territories of southeastern Europe. The “Holy War” of Muslims for their faith was aimed at the enslavement of Christians and justified any atrocities. In 1512, a wave of devastating raids reached modern Western Ukraine, which was then under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Historians believe that an army of 25 thousand people took part in this attack. The invaders went from the lower reaches of the Dnieper to the Carpathians. The devastation and grief they brought were so great that they still live in folklore as notches in the memory of Turkish captivity and the image fierce enemy. Sorrowful slave roads stretched across all of Ukraine - to the Crimean city of Kafa (modern Feodosia), to the largest slave market, and then across the sea to Istanbul. This path was made, among other Polonyankas, by a girl, a priest’s daughter from the town of Rohatyn (now Ivano-Frankivsk region) Nastya Lisovskaya.
How Roksolana ended up in the Sultan's harem
It can be assumed that Roksolana-Anastasia ended up in a harem Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent 15-year-old. First, the captive was brought to Crimea, the usual route for all slaves. The Tatars did not drive valuable “live goods” on foot across the steppe, but carried them on horseback under vigilant guard, without even tying their hands, so as not to spoil the delicate girl’s skin with ropes. Struck by the beauty of Polonyanka, the Crimeans decided to send the girl to Istanbul, hoping to sell her profitably at one of the largest slave markets in the Muslim East.
The beautiful captive was sent to the capital of the sultans on a large felucca, and the owner himself took her to sell. By a whim of changeable fate, on the very first day, when the Horde soldier took the captive to the market, she accidentally caught the eye of the all-powerful vizier of the young Sultan Suleiman I, the noble Rustem Pasha, who happened to be there. The Turk was struck by the dazzling beauty of the girl, and he decided to buy her as a gift to the Sultan.
Having learned who the slave was intended for, the merchant presented her to the Sultan as a sign of respect. This turn of affairs made it possible for Roksolana to become the legal wife of Suleiman, which would have been impossible if she had been bought for money. Once in Topkapi, Roksolana put a lot of effort into using her cunning and charm to win the favor of the Sultan.
"Roksolana and the Sultan"
Karl Anton Hackel, 1780
There is a legend about how Hurrem (Hurrem - translated from Persian as “smiling”, “laughing”, “cheerful”) caught the eye of the Sultan. When new slaves (more beautiful and expensive than she) were introduced to the Sultan, a small figure suddenly flew into the circle of dancing odalisques and, pushing away the “soloist,” laughed. And then she sang her song. The harem lived according to cruel laws. And the eunuchs were waiting for only one sign of what to prepare for the girl: clothes for the Sultan’s bedroom or a lace used to strangle the slaves?
The Sultan was intrigued and surprised. And that same evening, Khurrem received the Sultan’s scarf - a sign that in the evening he was waiting for her in his bedroom. Having interested the Sultan with her silence, she asked for only one thing - the right to visit the Sultan’s library. The Sultan was shocked, but allowed it. When he returned from a military campaign some time later, Khurrem already spoke several languages.
She dedicated poems to her Sultan and even wrote books. This was unprecedented at that time, and instead of respect it aroused fear. Her learning, plus the fact that the Sultan spent all his nights with her, created Khurrem's lasting fame as a witch. They said about Roksolana that she bewitched the Sultan with the help of evil spirits. And in fact he was bewitched. In one of her poems, Roksolana wrote, addressing the Sultan: “Let Hurrem be sacrificed for one hair from your mustache.”
Roksolana greedily absorbed everything that she was taught in the palace, took everything that life gave her. Historians testify that after some time she actually mastered the Turkish, Arabic and Persian languages, learned to dance perfectly, recite her contemporaries, and also play according to the rules of the foreign, cruel country in which she lived. Following the rules of her new homeland, Roksolana converted to Islam.
Constant intrigues at Suleiman's court developed Roksolan's abilities as a psychologist. She studied people, their behavior and, as a result, always knew who needed to say what and how to act. So the Sultan soon discovered that it was Hurrem, with her keen mind, who was able to give the best advice in state affairs. The future sultana of the Ottoman Empire was on her guard every minute, because where she had her share of living, only one law was in effect: either they destroy you, or you are destroyed.
By the way, the Slavs were called Roksolans and Rosomans. Word Roksolana- this is a slave (captive), because everyone in Suleiman’s harem was Roksolans.
Sultana-educator
The wedding of Suleiman and Roksolana was celebrated in 1530. This was an unprecedented case in the history of the Ottomans - the Sultan officially married a woman from the harem. Roksolana became for him the embodiment of everything that he loved in women: she appreciated art and understood politics, was a polyglot and a wonderful dancer, knew how to love and accept love. Nothing pleased them more than the opportunity to be alone.
Here is what one foreigner (a British diplomat who served in Istanbul) wrote about the wedding of Suleiman with his concubine Hurrem: “This week an unprecedented event took place in Istanbul: Sultan Suleiman declared his Ukrainian concubine Roksolana sultana, as a result of which a great celebration took place in Istanbul.
Words cannot describe the splendor of the wedding ceremony that took place in the palace. A general procession was organized. At night, all the streets were illuminated. There were entertainments everywhere, with musicians playing. The houses were decorated. The people were delighted. A large platform was built in Sultanahmet Square, in front of which the competition took place.
Roksolana and other concubines came to the celebration. Muslim and Christian knights took part in the competition. Then there was a performance with the participation of tightrope walkers, magicians, wild animals, among which were tall giraffes. There were various rumors about the wedding in Istanbul. However, no one knew exactly what happened."
Titian 1550
Suleiman and Hurrem could talk for hours about love, politics, art... They often communicated in poetry. Roksolana, like a real woman, knew when to remain silent, when to be sad, and when to laugh. It is not surprising that during her reign the dull harem turned into a center of beauty and enlightenment, and the rulers of other states began to recognize her. The Sultana appears in public with an open face, but despite this, she is respected by prominent figures of Islam as an exemplary devout Muslim.
The palace guards idolized the “laughing lady,” who was never seen without a charming smile on her face. Roksolana paid in kind. She built barracks-palaces for the Janissaries, increased salaries and granted new privileges. When Suleiman II, leaving his wife to rule the empire, set out to pacify the rebellious peoples of Persia, he literally scraped out the treasury.
This did not bother the economic spouse. She ordered the opening of wine shops in the European quarter and port areas of Istanbul, after which hard coin began to flow into the treasury of the Ottoman rulers. This seemed not enough, and Roksolana ordered to deepen the Golden Horn Bay and reconstruct the piers in Galata, where not only light or medium-sized, but also large-capacity ships with goods from all over the world soon began to approach. Shopping arcades capitals grew like mushrooms after rain.
The treasury was also full. Now Hurrem Sultan had enough money to build new mosques, minarets, nursing homes, hospitals - a lot of things. The Sultan, returning from another victorious campaign (he did not lose a single battle!), did not even recognize the Topkapi Palace, which was being rebuilt with funds obtained by his enterprising and deified wife.
Roksolana patronized artists, corresponded with the rulers of Poland, Venice, Persia, became famous for her virtue, etc.
Suleiman fought, expanding the borders of the Ottoman Empire. And Roksolana wrote him tender letters.
“My Sultan,” she wrote, “what a boundless and burning pain of parting.” Save me, unfortunate one, and don’t delay your beautiful letters. May my soul receive at least a drop of joy from your messages. When they are read to us, your servant and son Mehmed and your slave and daughter Migrima cry, yearning for you. Their tears are driving me crazy”.
”My dear goddess, my amazing beauty, he answered, mistress of my heart, my brightest month, companion of my deep desires, my only one, you are dearer to me than all the beauties in the world!
Roksolana, having overcome the thousandth barrier of the Sultan's concubines, leaving behind his four wives, became the first and beloved (bash kadyn) wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, whose intelligence and advice he needed no less than her embrace.
Nurturing and implementing insidious plans
Roksolana
Sultan Suleiman was a stern, reserved man. He loved books, wrote poetry, paid a lot of attention to the war, but was indifferent to debauchery. As was expected “according to his position,” he married the daughter of the Circassian Khan Gulbeher, but did not love her. And when he met his Hurrem, he found his only chosen one in her.
Hurrem named her first-born Selim - in honor of her husband's predecessor, Sultan Selim I (1467-1520), nicknamed the Terrible. Roksolana really wanted her little golden-haired Selim to become just like his older namesake.
But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, the beautiful Circassian Gulbeher, was still officially considered the heir to the throne.
Lisovskaya understood perfectly well: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order one of the old wives to be executed.
In a harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat was thrown into it and poisonous snake, they tied the bag and lowered it with a tied stone along a special stone chute into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord.
Therefore, Roksolana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years.
Bloody sacrifices of Roksolana
Roksolana’s first victim was the outstanding Turkish sovereign figure, vizier-philanthropist Ibrahim, who in 1536 was accused of excessive sympathy for France and was strangled on the orders of the Sultan.
Ibrahim's place was immediately taken by Rustem Pasha, with whom Roksolana sympathized. She gave her 17-year-old daughter in marriage to him (Rustem was 39 years old). But he was in great favor at court, close to the throne of the padishah and, most importantly, was something of a mentor and “ godfather"The heir to the throne, Mustafa, is the son of the Circassian Gulbehar, the first wife of Suleiman. Later, Rustem, too, could not avoid the court intrigues of his mother-in-law: using her own daughter as a spy, Roksolana exposed her son-in-law of betraying the Sultan and, as a result, Rustem Pasha was beheaded.
But before that, Rustem Pasha fulfilled his destiny, for the sake of which he was nominated by the insidious mistress. Hurrem and his son-in-law were able to convince the Sultan that the heir to the throne, Mustafa (the son of Suleiman and Gulbeher), had established close relations with the Serbs and was preparing a conspiracy against his father. The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing.
In addition, Roksolana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other “conspirators” that the daughter of Anastasia and the Sultan heard. Therefore, the seeds of evil fell on the fertile soil of extreme suspicion of the despot, who vigilantly guarded his power...
The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, Mustafa, his brothers and the Sultan's grandchildren were strangled with a silk cord. Their mother Gulbeher went crazy with grief and soon died.
One day, Valide Khamse, Suleiman’s mother, who had influence on him, told him everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” executions and his beloved wife Roksolana. After that she lived for less than a month. It is believed that a few drops of poison “helped” her with this...
Thus, over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found. But there is evidence that about forty sons of the Sultan, born to other wives and concubines, were found and killed.
Roksolana never saw her dream come true - she died before her beloved son Selim ascended the throne. He reigned for eight years. And contrary to the Koran, he loved to “take it to his chest,” which is why he remained in history under the name Selim the Drunkard. Academician Krymsky described him as “a degenerate alcoholic and a cruel despot.” Selim's rule did not benefit Turkey. It was with him that the decline of the Ottoman Empire began.
The only thing that can be said to justify Hurrem is that if she had not behaved in this way, the same thing that she did to others would have happened to her. Perhaps, from the point of view of our era, her actions look unacceptable, but in the era of Roksolana this was the only way of survival and self-preservation. For example, fratricide is a way to prevent civil strife that could lead to a split in the state.
Suleiman II's beloved died of a cold in 1558 (according to other versions, 1561 or 1563) and was buried with all due honors. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which Roksolana’s ashes rest in an octagonal stone tomb, next to the also octagonal tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has stood for more than four hundred years. Inside, under the high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana’s favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that his favorite stone was ruby.
Children of Roksolana and Suleiman
|
Roksolana gave birth to six children to the Sultan - Mehmed (1521 - 1543) Suleiman loved his only daughter Miriam most of all. In 1539 she was married to Rustem Pasha, who later became the Grand Vizier. Suleiman also built a mosque in honor of his daughter. Of his father's sons, only Selim survived. The rest died during the struggle for the throne. Including Suleiman’s son from Gulbahar’s third wife, Mustafa. They say that the good Jangir died out of grief for his brother. |
|
Mehmed (Turkish Mehmed) (1521 - 1543)
The eldest son Khyurrem Mehmet was Suleiman's favorite. It was Mehmet Suleiman who prepared for the throne. At the age of 21 he died of a severe cold or smallpox.
He had a beloved concubine, who after his death gave birth to a daughter, Huma Shah Sultan. Mehmet's daughter lived to be 38 years old and had 4 sons and 5 daughters.
There is a legend that when Mehmet was appointed ruler of Manisa, Mahidevran, so that her son Mustafa would not have rivals, sent Mehmet a concubine who was suffering from smallpox. Soon, Mehmet contracted the disease and died. The death of his beloved son plunged Suleiman into inconsolable grief. He sat by Mehmed’s body for three days and only on the fourth day he woke up from his oblivion and allowed the deceased to be buried. In honor of his late son, by order of the Sultan, the huge Shehzade Jami Mosque was erected. Its construction was completed by Sinan in 1548.
Miriam (Mihrimah) (Turkish Mihrimah) (1522 - 1578)
Mihrimah Sultan was not only the only daughter of Sultan Suleiman and his wife, the “laughing” Slav Hurrem Sultan, but also one of the few Ottoman princesses who played an important role in governing the Empire.
Mihrimah was born in 1522 in the Top Kapi palace, 2 years later her mother Hurrem Sultan would give birth to the future padishah Selim. The Sultan-Lawgiver (this is the name under which he will remain in Turkish history textbooks, while Western contemporaries called him neither more nor less than Magnificent) adored his golden-haired daughter and fulfilled all her whims, Mihrimah received an excellent education and lived in the most luxurious conditions.
At the age of 17 in 1539, Mihrimah received a proposal of marriage from the governor of the far eastern province of Diyarbakir, Rüstem Pasha. The wedding of Mihrimah Sultan and Rüstem Pasha, who was nicknamed Lame Rüstem, coincided with the circumcision ceremony of the princes Bayazit and Cihangir and took place in the Hippodrome Square. It is often said that it was Hurrem who gave her daughter in marriage to Rustem Pasha, but it is worth remembering the rules and Islamic traditions of that time, according to which girls were married on the advice of their mother, but only with the consent of the bride’s father, who stipulated all the conditions of the upcoming marriage contract (nikah ). And this proves that, in any case, Rustem Pasha enjoyed great confidence from the Sultan.
After this marriage, Pasha became the chief vizier and from 1544 to 1561, with a two-year break, he was the head of all pashas and the chief vizier of the Empire. Throughout her life, Mihrimah Sultan took an active part in government affairs. It is even mentioned that, insisting on her father’s campaign against Malta, Mikhmimah was ready to build 400 warships with her personal savings. Like her notorious mother, Mikhrimah corresponded with the Polish king Sigmund II. She owned a huge fortune, and naturally wanted to perpetuate her name, primarily in architecture.
Between 1540 and 1548, Mihrimah ordered the most brilliant architect of the Magnificent Porte, Sinan, to build on the other, Asian side of the Bosphorus, in the Istanbul village of Üsküdar, a large charitable complex, including the coastal Üsküdar mosque, a Muslim educational institution - a madrasah, a primary school and a hospital. But this was not enough for the golden-haired princess, and already in 1562 the same Sinan, on the highest hill of Constantinople, in the area of the old fortress gates of Edirnekapi, began to cost another complex, including the Mihrimah mosque, a fountain, baths and a madrasah. After Hurrem Sultan died in 1558, Mihrimah continued to advise his father on the conduct of state affairs. And in 1568, when her brother Selim became the Great Sultan, Mihrimah acts at his court as an authoritative expert in state policy and even performs the functions of the Sultan’s mother, such as managing the entire harem. Mihrimah's husband, lame old Rüstem Pasha, died in 1561. And then two people asked the padishah for her hand. One was an ambitious Croatian, Rüstem Pasha, to whom she was eventually given away, and the other... The other was the famous architect Sinan. He was already over 50. He had been married for a long time. And he was hopelessly in love with the spoiled young princess with golden hair. Mikhryu Mah. That was her name. From Persian it meant the Sun and Moon. According to legend, on the night when the princess was born, her grandmother, the royal mother of Sultan Suleiman, Havsa Ayşe Sultan, saw the moment when the sun was setting and the moon had already risen. This became the name for the newborn. The first mosque, by order of Mihrimah, Sinan, stands in Usküdar. He builds a creation that, according to contemporaries, resembles “a woman in skirts trailing along the ground.” And suddenly, after almost 20 years, in the middle of nowhere, on a deserted, but on the highest hill of Istanbul, a second mosque... Mihrimah Mosque. It's quite small. The only minaret is 38 meters high, and through 61 windows you can see the interior. The dome is elegant, not heavy at all, filled with light. The decorations on the minaret and inside the mosque, vaguely similar to hanging stalactites, were supposed to remind people of the golden hair of the princess, reaching her toes, and the light streaming from the windows, her face, but main secret The brilliant architect can only be seen if you move a considerable distance away from the mosque. |
|
Abdullah (1523-1526)
Died of plague at the age of 3 years.
Selim (Turkish Selim) (May 28, 1524 - December 12, 1574)
Eleventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigned 1566-1574. Selim gained the throne largely thanks to his mother Roksolana. During the reign of Selim II ( state affairs led by the Grand Vizier Mehmed Sokollu) the Sultan never appeared in military camps, did not participate in campaigns, but spent time in a harem, where he indulged in all sorts of vices. The Janissaries did not like him and called him a “drunkard” behind his back. Nevertheless, the aggressive campaigns of the Turks during the reign of Selim continued.
In 1568, the Sultan ended the war with Austria, started by his father. Under the terms of the peace treaty, the old pre-war borders were preserved, but Austria agreed to pay the Ottomans an annual tribute of 30 thousand ducats. The following year, the first military clash between the Turks and Russia took place - they made an attempt to capture Astrakhan, at that time an important center of Caspian trade. The enterprise was conceived on a large scale. 3 thousand diggers went to Azov on 15 galleys, who were tasked with digging a canal between the Don and the Volga. They were accompanied by 5 thousand Janissaries with 50 guns. This small detachment was clearly not enough to besiege such a large city, so the Crimean Khan had to send 30 thousand horsemen to help the Turks. But he was in no hurry to reach the walls of Astrakhan, and therefore the campaign ended in failure. For a month and a half, the Janissaries tried to drag their ships from the Don to the Volga, but were unable to do so. As a result, they arrived at Astrakhan without siege artillery and without provisions. It was not possible to take the city by storm, and the siege, due to lack of food and approaching cold weather, was unsuccessful. The Turks had to retreat. However, large-scale wars with Russia were still ahead. The campaign against Astrakhan was more a test of strength than the result of a systematic policy. The main events of Selim's reign remained wars with traditional opponents in Western Europe and North Africa.
|
In 1570, a war began with Venice, from which the Sultan intended to take away the island of Cyprus (it served as a base for Mediterranean pirates who caused great damage to Turkish trade). The arena of hostilities was the islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas and the eastern coast of the Adriatic. The Spanish King Philip II and the Pope came to the aid of the Venetians. Under their leadership, " Holy League", which included Spain, Malta, Venice, Genoa and Savoy. The war lasted three years. Among the many battles that took place with varying success on land and sea, the most significant was the naval battle that took place on October 7, 1571 near the Greek city of Lepanto. 230 Turkish galleys met here with 208 Venetian and Spanish. The battle was extremely stubborn. Both sides suffered huge losses. (According to the recollections of one of the participants in the battle, the sea around the ships was red with human blood.) Victory remained with the Christians. The Turks lost 200 ships and about 30 thousand killed and wounded. They had not experienced such a stunning defeat for a long time. However, the Ottoman Empire, which was at the peak of its military power, then easily endured such blows. Overall, the Battle of Lepanto did not have the impact that the victors had initially hoped for, and Selim ultimately gained the upper hand in the war. According to the treaty of 1573, Venice not only lost Cyprus, but also had to pay 300 thousand ducats of indemnity. Under him, the interests of Muscovy and Turkey came into conflict for the first time - in the Azov and Astrakhan region. The Grand Vizier even began construction of the Volga-Don Canal, which was supposed to connect the Black and Caspian Seas. The only acquisition under Sultan Selim II was the island of Cyprus, but a major defeat in the naval battle of Lepanto became that happy day for the Christian world when all nations were freed from their delusion - the belief in the invincibility of the Turks. |
Face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Selim II. Son of Roksolana and Suleiman |
Personal life
Selim's wife is Nurbanu Sultan. When Selim became governor of the province, Hurrem Sultan, breaking traditions, did not go with him, but stayed in the Topkapi Palace. Nurbana quickly wrapped up Selim, who was left all alone. When Selim ascended the throne, she easily took over the harem, since at that time Hurrem Sultan had already died and Valide Sultan was not in the harem.
In Selima's harem, Nurbanu was in charge, who, being the mother of his eldest son and heir Murad, held the title of first wife. She was the Sultan's favorite, and he loved her dearly. The Venetian ambassador Jacopo Soranzo wrote in 1566: “It is said that His Majesty passionately and devotedly loves the Haseki, both for her beauty and for her extraordinary intelligence.” In 1559, Selim and Nurbanu had a daughter, Fatima, after which Nurbanu stopped giving birth. Having become the Sultan, Selim took several more concubines into his harem, and they bore him eight more children, including six sons. Nevertheless, Nurbanu was still his favorite. As the Venetian ambassador Angrea Badoara noted in 1573, “she is called the Haseki, and His Majesty favors her in every possible way.”
Shehzade Bayezid (Turkish: Bajezid) (1525 - November 28, 1562)
Bayezid was an incomparably more worthy successor than Selim. Moreover, Bayezid was a favorite of the Janissaries, in whom he resembled his father and from whom he inherited the best qualities of his nature.
But within a few years, a civil war broke out between Selim and Bayezid, in which each was supported by his own local armed forces. Bayezid, after an unsuccessful attempt to kill Selim, hid in Persia with 12 thousand of his people, and began to be considered a traitor in the Ottoman Empire, which at that time was at war with Persia. Selim, with the help of his father's troops, defeated Bayezid near Konya in 1559, forcing him with his four sons and a small but efficient army to seek refuge at the court of the Shah of Iran, Tahmasp.
Here Bayazed was first received with royal honors and gifts due to an Ottoman prince. To this, Bayezid responded to the Shah with gifts, which included fifty Turkmen horses in rich harness and a demonstration of horsemanship by his cavalrymen that delighted the Persians.
This was followed by a diplomatic exchange of letters between the Sultan's envoys, who demanded the extradition or, optionally, execution of his son, and the Shah, who resisted both, based on the laws of Muslim hospitality. At first, the Shah hoped to use his hostage to bargain for the return of lands in Mesopotamia that the Sultan had seized during the first campaign. But it was an empty hope. Bayezid was taken into custody. In the end, the Shah was forced to bow his head to the superiority of the Ottoman armed forces and agreed to a compromise. According to the agreement, the prince was to be executed on Persian soil, but by the people of the Sultan. Thus, in exchange for a large sum of gold, the Shah handed Bayezid over to the official executioner from Istanbul. When Bayezid asked to be allowed to see and hug his four sons before he died, he was advised to “move on to the task ahead.” After that, a cord was thrown around the prince's neck, and he was strangled.
After Bayezid, four of his sons were strangled. The fifth son, only three years old, met, by order of Suleiman, the same fate in Bursa, being given into the hands of a trusted eunuch assigned to carry out this order.
Jahangir (1532 - 1553)
Last Son Suleiman and Hurrem. Born a sick child. He had a hump and other health problems. To drown out the constant pain, Jahangir became addicted to drugs. Despite his age and illness, he was married.
The terrible death (1553) of his brother Mustafa (son of Suleiman from his first wife Makhidevran) provoked by Roksolana so shocked the impressionable Jihangir that he fell ill and soon died. Suleiman, grieving over his unfortunate hunchbacked son, instructed Sinan to erect a beautiful mosque in the quarter that still bears the name of this prince. The Jihangir Mosque, built by the great architect, was destroyed by fire and nothing has survived from it to this day.
Legends about Hurrem Sultan. What really happened?
Legend one. “About the forty offspring of Sultan Suleiman and infanticide”
The legend says: “Hurrem Sultan decided to kill her two sons. Moreover, she convinced her husband, the Sultan, of the need for such a step. Their youngest son Bayazid was saved by a warning from a faithful man: he managed to leave Istanbul and took refuge in Iran. But it is known that, in addition to Roxolana’s sons, the Sultan’s children, born to other wives and concubines, were killed. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country the other sons of Suleiman, whom wives and concubines gave birth to, and to deprive them all of their lives! As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons - all of them, some secretly, some openly, were killed on Roksolana’s orders.”
Historical facts: As you know, all births, deaths, and even more so when it came to ruling dynasty, was subject to clear accounting and control both in harem books and in other documents. Everything was described - from how much flour it took to make dessert for the shekhzade and ending with the main expenses for their maintenance. Moreover, all the descendants of the ruling dynasty necessarily lived at court, in case he had to inherit the throne, because one should not forget about the high infant mortality rate that took place in those days. Also, since the Ottoman dynasty and its possible heirs were in the area of close attention not only of the Muslim East, but also of Christian Europe, their ambassadors informed the European kings about the birth of a child to one or another shah, on the occasion of which they were supposed to send congratulations and a gift. These letters have been preserved in the archives, thanks to which it is possible to restore the number of heirs of the same Suleiman. Therefore, each descendant, and even more so the shehzade, was known, the name of each was preserved in history.
So, Suleiman had 8 sons shehzade, which is recorded in the family tree of the Ottoman family:
- Mahmoud ( 1512 – October 29, 1521 in Istanbul) Proclaimed heir to Vali Ahad on September 22, 1520. Son of Fulane.
- Mustafa ( 1515 - November 6, 1553 in Eregli in Karaman Iran) Proclaimed heir to Vali Ahad on October 29, 1521. Governor of the province of Karaman 1529-1533, Manisa 1533-1541, and Amasya 1541-1553. Son Makhidevran.
- Murad ( 1519 - October 12, 1521 in Istanbul) Son Gulfem.
- Mehmet ( 1521 -November 6, 1543 in Manisa) Proclaimed heir to Vali Ahad on October 29, 1521. Viceroy of Kutahya 1541-1543. Son of Hurrem.
- Abdullah ( before 1522-28 October 1522) Son of Hurrem.
- Selim II ( 1524-1574 ) eleventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Son of Hurrem.
- Bayezid ( 1525 - July 23, 1562) in Iran, Qazvin. Proclaimed 3rd heir of Vali Ahad on November 6, 1553. Governor of Karaman 1546, governor of the provinces of Kutahya and Amasya 1558-1559. Son of Hurrem.
- Cihangir ( 1531 - November 27, 1553 in Aleppo (in Arabic Aleppo) Syria) Governor in Aleppo 1553. Son of Hurrem.
It is also worth remembering that it was Suleiman, and not Hurrem, who executed his two sons, namely Mustafa and Bayazid. Mustafa was executed along with his son (the remaining of the two, since one of them died a year before the death of Mustafa himself), and five of his little sons were killed along with Bayezid, but this happened already in 1562, 4 years after the death of Hurrem .
If we talk about the chronology and causes of death of all the descendants of Kanuni, it looked like this:
- Sehzade Mahmud died of smallpox on November 29, 1521.
- Sehzade Murad died of smallpox before his brother on November 10, 1521.
- Sehzade Mustafa ruler of the province of Manisa since 1533. and the heir to the throne was executed along with his children by order of his father on suspicion of plotting against his father in alliance with the Serbs.
- Sehzade Bayezid "Sahi" executed along with his five sons by order of his father for rebelling against him.
Accordingly, what mythical forty descendants of Sultan Suleiman, killed by Hurrem, are being talked about remains a mystery not only to skeptics, but also to history itself. Or rather, a bike. One of the 1001 tales of the Ottoman Empire.
Legend two. “About the marriage of twelve-year-old Mihrimah Sultan and fifty-year-old Rustem Pasha”
The legend says: “As soon as her daughter was twelve years old, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska offered Mihrimah as a wife to Rustem Pasha, who took the place of Ibrahim, who at that time was already fifty. The difference between the bride and groom of almost forty years did not bother Roksolana.”
Historical facts: Rustem Pasha also Rustem Pasha Mekri (Croatian Rustem-pasa Opukovic; 1500 - 1561) - Grand Vizier of Sultan Suleiman I, Croatian by nationality.
Rustem Pasha married one of the daughters of Sultan Suleiman I - Princess Mihrimah Sultan
In 1539, at the age of seventeen, Mihrimah Sultan (March 21, 1522-1578) married the beylerbey of the province of Diyarbakir, Rustem Pasha. At that time, Rustem was 39 years old.
For those who find simple arithmetic operations of adding and subtracting dates unconvincing, we can only advise using a calculator to instill greater confidence.
Legend three. “About castration and silver tubes”
The legend says: “Instead of a sweet and cheerful laughing enchantress, we see a ferocious, insidious and ruthless survival machine. With the execution of the heir and his friend, a wave of repressions unprecedented in Istanbul began. One could easily pay with one's head for one too many words about bloody palace affairs. They cut off their heads without even bothering to bury the body...
Roksolana’s effective and terrifying method was castration, carried out in the most cruel way. Those suspected of sedition were completely cut out. And after the “operation” the unfortunate people were not supposed to bandage the wound - it was believed that the “bad blood” should come out. Those who still remained alive could experience the Sultana’s mercy: she gave the unfortunate people silver tubes that were inserted into the opening of the bladder.
Fear settled in the capital; people began to fear their own shadow, not feeling safe even near the hearth. The name of the sultana was pronounced with trepidation, which was mixed with reverence.”
Historical facts: The history of mass repressions organized by Hurrem Sultan has not been preserved in any way, either in historical records or in the descriptions of contemporaries. But it should be noted that they have been preserved historical information that a number of contemporaries (in particular Sehname-i Al-i Osman (1593) and Sehname-i Humayun (1596), Taliki-zade el-Fenari presented a very flattering portrait of Hurrem as a woman revered "for her many charitable donations, for her patronage of students and respect for learned men, experts in religion, as well as for her acquisition of rare and beautiful things." If we talk about the historical facts that took place in the life of Hurrem, then she went down in history not as a repressive politician, but as a person involved in charity, she became known for her large-scale projects. Thus, with donations from Hurrem (Kulliye Hasseki Hurrem), the Aksaray district of Istanbul, the so-called Avret Pazari (or women's bazaar, later named after Haseki), was built in Istanbul, containing a mosque, a madrasah, imaret, a primary school, hospitals and a fountain. It was the first complex built in Istanbul by the architect Sinan in his new position as chief architect of the ruling family, and the fact that it was the third largest building in the capital, after the Mehmet II (Fatih) complexes. Suleymanie, testifies to the high status of Hurrem. She also built complexes in Adrianople and Ankara. Among other charitable projects, one can name the construction of hospices and a canteen for pilgrims and the homeless that formed the basis of the project in Jerusalem (later named after Haseki Sultan). ; a canteen in Mecca (under the Haseki Hurrem Emirate), a public canteen in Istanbul (in Avret Pazari), as well as two large public baths in Istanbul (in the Jewish and Aya Sofya quarters, respectively). At the instigation of Hurrem Sultan, slave markets were closed and a number of social projects were implemented.
Legend four. “About the origin of Khyurrem”
The legend says: “Deceived by the consonance of names - proper and common nouns, some historians see Roksolana as Russian, others, mainly French, based on Favard’s comedy “The Three Sultanas,” claim that Roksolana was French. Both are completely unfair: Roksolana, a natural Turkish woman, was bought for the harem as a girl at a slave market to serve as a servant for the dalist women, under whom she held the position of a simple slave.
There is also a legend that pirates of the Ottoman Empire in the suburbs of Siena attacked a castle belonging to the noble and wealthy family of Marsigli. The castle was plundered and burned to the ground, and the daughter of the castle owner - beautiful girl with hair the color of red gold and with green eyes, they brought him to the Sultan's palace. The Family Tree of the Marsigli Family states: Mother - Hannah Marsigli. Hannah Marsigli - Margarita Marsigli (La Rosa), so nicknamed for her fiery red hair color. From her marriage to Sultan Suleiman she had sons - Selim, Ibrahim, Mehmed."
Historical Facts: European observers and historians referred to Sultana as "Roksolana", "Roxa", or "Rossa", since she was assumed to be of Russian origin. Mikhail Litvin, Lithuania's ambassador to Crimea in the mid-sixteenth century, wrote in his chronicle of 1550 "... the beloved wife of the Turkish emperor, the mother of his eldest son and heir, was at one time kidnapped from our lands." Navaguerro wrote of her as "[Donna]... di Rossa", and Trevisano called her "Sultana di Russia". Samuel Twardowski, a member of the Polish embassy to the Court of the Ottoman Empire in 1621-1622, also indicated in his notes that the Turks told him that Roksolana was the daughter of Orthodox priest from Rohatyn, a small town in Podolia near Lviv. The belief that Roksolana was Russian, not Ukrainian origin, probably arose as a result of a possible misinterpretation of the words "Roksolana" and "Rossa". At the beginning of the 16th century in Europe, the word "Roxolania" was used to refer to the province of Ruthenia in Western Ukraine, which was at various times known as Red Rus', Galicia or Podolia (that is, located in Eastern Podolia, which was under Polish control at that time time), in turn, modern Russia at that time was called the Moscow State, Muscovite Rus' or Muscovy. In ancient times, the word Roxolani denoted the nomadic Sarmatian tribes and settlements on the Dniester River (currently in the Odessa region in Ukraine).
Legend five. "About a Witch at Court"
The legend says: “Hurrem Sultan was an unremarkable woman in appearance and very quarrelsome by nature. She became famous for her cruelty and cunning for centuries. And, naturally, the only way she kept the Sultan by her side for more than forty years was through the use of conspiracies and love spells. It’s not for nothing that she was called a witch among the common people.”
Historical Facts: Venetian reports claim that Roksolana was not so much beautiful as she was sweet, graceful, and elegant. But, at the same time, her radiant smile and playful temperament made her irresistibly charming, for which she was named “Hurrem” (“joy-giving” or “laughing”). Hurrem was famous for her singing and musical abilities, the ability to make elegant embroidery, she knew five European languages, as well as Farsi, and was an extremely erudite person. But the most important thing was that Roksolana was a woman of great intelligence and willpower, which gave her an advantage among other women in the harem. Like everyone else, European observers testify that the Sultan was completely smitten with his new concubine. He was in love with his Haseki for many years of marriage. Hence, evil tongues accused her of witchcraft (and if in medieval Europe and the East the existence of such a legend in those days can be understood and explained, then in our time the belief in such speculation is difficult to explain).
And logically we can move on to the next legend directly related to this
Legend six. "About the infidelity of Sultan Suleiman"
The legend says: “Despite the fact that the Sultan was attached to the intriguer Hurrem, nothing human was alien to him. So, as you know, at the Sultan’s court there was a harem, which could not but interest Suleiman. It is also known that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country other sons of Suleiman, whom their wives and concubines gave birth to. As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons, which confirms the fact that Hurrem was not the only love of his life.”
Historical facts: When the ambassadors, Navaguerro and Trevisano wrote their reports to Venice in 1553 and 1554, indicating that “she is very loved by her master” (“tanto amata da sua maesta”), Roxolana was already about fifty and she was next to Suleiman for a long time. After her death in April 1558, Suleiman remained inconsolable for a long time. She was the most great love all his life, his soul mate and lawful wife. Confirmation of this great love Suleiman to Roksolana was prompted by a number of decisions and actions on the part of the Sultan for his Haseki. For her sake, the Sultan violated a number of very important traditions of the imperial harem. In 1533 or 1534 ( exact date unknown), Suleiman married Hurrem, performing an official wedding ceremony, thereby violating the century and a half custom of the Ottoman house, according to which the sultans were not allowed to marry their concubines. Never before had a former slave been elevated to the rank of legal spouse Sultana. In addition, the marriage of Haseki Hurrem and the Sultan became practically monogamous, which was simply unheard of in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Trevisano wrote in 1554 that once he met Roxolana, Suleiman “not only wants to have her as a legal wife, always keep her next to him and see her as a ruler in a harem, but he also does not want to know any other women: he did something that none of his predecessors had done, because the Turks were accustomed to hosting several women in order to have as many children as possible and satisfy their carnal pleasures.” For the sake of love for this woman, Suleiman violated a number of traditions and prohibitions. In particular, it was after his marriage to Hurrem that the Sultan dissolved the harem, leaving only service personnel at court. The marriage of Hurrem and Suleiman was monogamous, which surprised contemporaries a lot. Also, the real love between the Sultan and his Haseki is confirmed by the love letters they sent to each other and have survived to this day. Thus, one of Kanuni’s many farewell dedications to his wife after her death can be considered one of the indicative messages:
“The skies are covered with black clouds, because I have no peace, no air, no thoughts and no hope. My love, the thrill of this strong feeling, so squeezes my heart, destroys my flesh. Live, what to believe in, my love...how to greet a new day. I am killed, my mind is killed, my heart has stopped believing, your warmth is no longer in it, your hands, your light are no longer on my body. I am defeated, I am erased from this world, erased by spiritual sadness for you, my love. Strength, there is no greater strength that you betrayed to me, there is only faith, the faith of your feelings, not in the flesh, but in my heart, I cry, I cry for you my love, there is no ocean greater than the ocean of my tears for you, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska ..."
Legend seven. “About the conspiracy against Shehzade Mustafa and the entire Universe”
The legend says: “But the day came when Roxalana “opened the eyes” of the Sultan to the allegedly treacherous behavior of Mustafa and his friend. She said that the prince had developed close relations with the Serbs and was plotting against his father. The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. In addition, Roksolana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other “conspirators”, which her daughter allegedly heard... A painful silence hung in the palace. What will the Sultan decide? Roxalana’s melodious voice, like the ringing of a crystal bell, murmured caringly: “Think, O lord of my heart, about your state, about its peace and prosperity, and not about vain feelings...” Mustafa, whom Roxalana knew from the age of 4, became an adult. had to die at the request of his stepmother.
The Prophet forbade shedding the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, but by the will of Roxalana, Mustafa, his brothers and children, the grandchildren of the Sultan, were strangled with a silk cord."
Historical facts: In 1553, Suleiman's eldest son, Prince Mustafa, was executed, at that time he was already under forty years old. The first sultan to execute his adult son was Murad I, who ruled at the end of the 14th century, and ensured that the rebellious Savji was put to death. The reason for Mustafa's execution was that he planned to usurp the throne, but, as in the case of the execution of the Sultan's favorite, Ibrahim Pasha, the blame was placed on Hurrem Sultan, who was a foreigner who was near the Sultan. In the history of the Ottoman Empire, there was already a case when a son tried to help his father leave the throne - this is what Suleiman’s father, Selim I, did with Suleiman’s grandfather, Bayezid II. After the death of Prince Mehmed a few years earlier, the regular army really considered it necessary to remove Suleiman from business and isolate him in the Di-dimotihon residence located south of Edirne, in direct analogy with what happened with Bayezid II. Moreover, letters from the shehzade have been preserved, on which the personal seal of the shehzade Mustafa is clearly visible, addressed to the Safavid Shah, which Sultan Suleiman later learned about (this seal has also been preserved and Mustafa’s signature is inscribed on it: Sultan Mustafa, see photo). The last straw for Suleiman was the visit of the Austrian ambassador, who, instead of visiting the Sultan, first went to Mustafa. After the visit, the ambassador informed everyone that Shehzade Mustafa would be a wonderful Padishah. After Suleiman found out about this, he immediately called Mustafa to his place and ordered him to be strangled. Shehzade Mustafa was strangled by order of his father in 1553 during the Persian military campaign.
Legend eight. “About the origin of Valide”
The legend says: “Valide Sultan was the daughter of the captain of an English ship that was wrecked in the Adriatic Sea. Then this unfortunate ship was captured by Turkish pirates. The part of the manuscript that has survived ends with the message that the girl was sent to the Sultan’s harem. This is an Englishwoman who ruled Turkey for 10 years and only later, not finding a common language with her son’s wife, the notorious Roksolana, returned to England.”
Historical Facts: Ayşe Sultan Hafsa or Hafsa Sultan (born around 1479 - 1534) became the first Valide Sultan (queen mother) of the Ottoman Empire, being the wife of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. Although the year of birth of Ayşe Sultan is known, historians still cannot definitively determine the date of birth. She was the daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey.
She lived in Manisa with her son from 1513 to 1520, in a province that was the traditional residence of the Ottoman shehzade, future rulers, who studied there the basics of government.
Ayşe Hafsa Sultan died in March 1534 and was buried next to her husband in the mausoleum.
Legend nine. “About soldering Shehzade Selim”
The legend says: “Selim acquired the nickname “Drunkard” due to excessive consumption of wine. Initially, this love for alcohol was due to the fact that at one time Selim’s mother herself, Roksolana, periodically gave him wine, so her son was much more manageable.”
Historical facts: Sultan Selim was nicknamed the Drunkard, he was so cheerful and did not shy away from human weaknesses - wine and a harem. Well, the Prophet Muhammad himself admitted: “Most of all on earth I loved women and fragrances, but I always found complete pleasure only in prayer.” It should not be forgotten that alcohol was held in high esteem at the Ottoman court, and the lives of some sultans were shorter precisely because of their passion for alcohol. Selim II, being drunk, fell in the bathhouse and then died from the consequences of the fall. Mahmud II died of delirium tremens. Murad II, who defeated the crusaders at the Battle of Varna, died of apoplexy caused by heavy drinking. Mahmud II loved French wines and left behind a huge collection of them. Murad IV caroused from morning to night with his courtiers, eunuchs and jesters, and sometimes forced the chief muftis and judges to drink with him. Falling into binges, he committed such harsh actions that those around him seriously thought that he had gone crazy. For example, he loved to shoot with arrows at people who were sailing on boats past the Topkapi Palace or to run at night in his underwear through the streets of Istanbul, killing anyone who got in his way. It was Murad IV who issued a seditious decree from an Islamic point of view, according to which alcohol was allowed to be sold even to Muslims. In many ways, Sultan Selim’s addiction to alcohol was influenced by a person close to him, in whose hands were the main threads of control, namely the vizier Sokolu.
But it should be noted that Selim was not the first and not the last sultan who revered alcohol, and this did not prevent him from participating in a number of military campaigns, as well as in the political life of the Ottoman Empire. So from Suleiman he inherited 14,892,000 km2, and after him this territory was already 15,162,000 km2. Selim reigned prosperously and left his son a state that not only did not decrease territorially, but even increased; for this, in many respects, he owed the mind and energy of the vizier Mehmed Sokoll. Sokollu completed the conquest of Arabia, which had previously been only loosely dependent on the Porte.
Legend tenth. “About thirty campaigns in Ukraine”
The legend says: “Hurrem, of course, had influence on the Sultan, but not enough to save her fellow countrymen from suffering. During his reign, Suleiman undertook campaigns against Ukraine more than 30 times.”
Historical facts: Restoring the chronology of the conquests of Sultan Suleiman
1521 – campaign in Hungary, siege of Belgrade.
1522 - siege of the fortress of Rhodes
1526 – campaign in Hungary, siege of the Petervaradin fortress.
1526 – battle near the city of Mohács.
1526 – suppression of the uprising in Cilicia
1529 – capture of Buda
1529 – storming of Vienna
1532-1533 - fourth campaign in Hungary
1533 – capture of Tabriz.
1534 - capture of Baghdad.
1538 – ruin of Moldova.
1538 - capture of Aden, naval expedition to the shores of India.
1537-1539 - the Turkish fleet under the command of Hayreddin Barbarossa ravaged and imposed tribute on more than 20 islands in the Adriatic Sea that belonged to the Venetians. Capture of cities and villages in Dalmatia.
1540-1547 - battles in Hungary.
1541 capture of Buda.
1541 – capture of Algeria
1543 - capture of the Esztergom fortress. A Janissary garrison was stationed in Buda, and the Turkish administration began to function throughout the territory of Hungary captured by the Turks.
1548 – passage through the lands of Southern Azerbaijan and capture of Tabriz.
1548 – siege of the Van fortress and capture of the Lake Van basin in Southern Armenia. The Turks also invaded Eastern Armenia and Southern Georgia. In Iran, Turkish units reached Kashan and Qom and captured Isfahan.
1552 – capture of Temesvar
1552 Turkish squadron headed from Suez to the shores of Oman.
1552 - In 1552, the Turks took the city of Temesvár and the Veszprém fortress
1553 - capture of Eger.
1547-1554 – capture of Muscat (a large Portuguese fortress).
1551-1562 the next Austro-Turkish war took place
1554 – naval battles with Portugal.
In 1560, the Sultan's fleet won another great naval victory. Near the coast of North Africa, near the island of Djerba, the Turkish armada entered into battle with the combined squadrons of Malta, Venice, Genoa and Florence
1566-1568 – Austro-Turkish war for the possession of the Principality of Transylvania
1566 – capture of Szigetvár.
During his long, almost half-century rule (1520-1566), Suleiman the Magnificent never sent his conquerors to Ukraine.
It was at that time that the construction of settlements, castles, and fortresses of the Zaporozhye Sich, the organizational and political activities of Prince Dmitry Vishnevetsky arose. In Suleiman’s letters to the Polish king Artykul August II there are not only threats to punish “Demetrash” (Prince Vishnevetsky), but also a demand for a quiet life for the inhabitants of Ukraine. At the same time, in many ways it was Roksolana who contributed to the establishment of friendly relations with Poland, which at that time controlled the lands of Western Ukraine, the native lands of the Sultana. The signing of the Polish-Ottoman truce in 1525 and 1528, as well as the “perpetual peace” treaties of 1533 and 1553, is very often attributed to her influence. Thus, Piotr Opalinski, the Polish ambassador to Suleiman’s court in 1533, confirmed that “Roksolana begged the Sultan to prohibit the Crimean Khan from disturbing the Polish lands.” As a result, the close diplomatic and friendly contacts established by Hurrem Sultan with King Sigismund II, as confirmed by surviving correspondence, made it possible not only to prevent new raids on the territory of Ukraine, but also helped to interrupt the flow of the slave trade from those lands.
Roksolana destroyed the Ottoman Empire
|
One of the most popular characters in Ukrainian history these days is Roksolana. Almost every one of our fellow countrymen has heard something about her, many have even watched a film named after her and telling about the difficult, but full of incredible and piquant adventures, the fate of a young Ukrainian woman - a captive of the Turkish Sultan. If you judge Roksolana by the film where she is played by Olga Sumskaya, then you can imagine our heroine as an exquisite beauty, sophisticated and artistic in nature. However, in fact, Roksolana was outwardly unprepossessing, and as a woman she did not attract much attention from men. Completely different qualities helped her become the Sultan’s beloved wife... Let me cite well-known facts: Roksolana (Anastasia Lisovskaya) was born in the city of Rohatyn in 1505. Anastasia's father was a priest and a heavy alcoholic. Nastya spent her childhood as usual for the children of clergy of that time - reading the Holy Scriptures, prayers and akathists, as well as some secular literature. At the age of fifteen, she was kidnapped by the Crimean Tatars and sold into Turkish slavery, or rather in grief to the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. From this moment the most incredible adventures of Roksolana in Turkey begin. Anastasia Lisovskaya was an exceptionally strong-willed and decisive girl, naturally prone to intrigue, adventurism and nymphomania. While in the harem, she quickly learned to manipulate her husband and his closest relatives, as well as the highest dignitaries and courtiers of the Ottoman Empire. To understand the mechanisms of Roksolana’s rise at the Sultan’s court, you need to know the morals and customs that then reigned among the Turkish nobility and in the royal family. Under Sultan Selim the Terrible, who was Roksolana’s husband Suleiman’s father, Turkey reached the highest peak of its imperial power. During his reign, the Ottoman Porte conquered Syria, Egypt and part of Persia; on the site of modern Ukraine, lands controlled by Turkey extended almost to Kyiv. These territorial acquisitions doubled the size of the state. |
“To rule is to punish severely,” the Sultan liked to say. Selim was a strong ruler, but he had some vicious human weaknesses. He was a homosexual... It was the presence in his character of an unhealthy sexual craving that explains the fact that Selim had a whole harem of boys whom he for some reason emasculated... When, during the next war, Selim captured all the wives of the Persian Shah, he did not count them to his harem, and having ordered to undress, he kicked out. He gave only the most beloved wife of Shah Ismail to his nobleman... Selim's court consisted largely of noble Turks of non-traditional sexual orientation, as well as foreigners, primarily of Slavic origin.
With the coming to power of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Turkish court in its, so to speak, qualitative composition has changed little. Although Suleiman himself paid attention exclusively to women, he democratically allowed people of unconventional orientation into his retinue... Here is how the German envoy to Turkey Buzbek wrote about Suleiman: “Even in his youth, he did not experience a vicious passion for boys, in which almost all Turks wallow.” .
Sultan Suleiman was a good poet. He, a melancholy and dreamy man, was characterized by frequent depression and philosophical disappointments with life... Knowing the Ukrainian language perfectly (spoken by his own guardsmen - the Janissaries), Suleiman sometimes loved to listen to blind kobzars. Wandering through the streets of the Turkish capital, they sang drawn-out songs about the exploits of the glorious Turkish lads, the same Janissaries who bravely slaughtered on the battlefields Zaporozhye Cossacks and bringing home rich spoils of war...
Suleiman the Magnificent, like many men inclined to the arts, loved strong-willed, intelligent, sensual and educated women - women capable of commanding. This explains the fact that Roksolana managed to make the young Sultan fall in love with her so easily. Apparently, Anastasia Lisovskaya, in addition to remarkable sexuality, also possessed powerful “animal magnetism” - the ability to psychologically subjugate a man, turn him into her complete slave...
Commanding the heart of the “ruler of half the world,” it was not difficult for Roksolana to deal with all her competitors at the Turkish court. With the help of subtle and extremely insidious intrigues, she managed to become the de facto sovereign ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
Among the highest Turkish aristocracy there were quite a few people of Slavic nationality, especially Ukrainians and Poles. Polish intelligence officer Mikhail Litvin wrote the following about this: “All the ministers of these tyrants, eunuchs, secretaries and knowledgeable people and their special army - the Janissaries, who from childhood are trained in military knowledge and discipline, those who choose military leaders and barons - all of them come from our blood. Roksolana actively took advantage of the opportunities of the court Slavic “party”, while she manipulated Turkish viziers and ministers like pieces on a chessboard.
Having given birth to a son, Selim, from Suleiman, our illustrious compatriot immediately set about eliminating competitors who could lay claim to the Turkish throne. In addition to Roksolana, the Sultan had another beloved wife: a Circassian woman who gave birth to his first child, Mustafa. My father loved Mustafa very much. The people simply adored him. And Mustafa would have become the real ruler of Turkey - ruthless and bloodthirsty, but, as they say, it was not destiny... Having eliminated the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, a protege of the “Circassian party” (he was found hanged with a silk cord), Roksolana achieved the appointment of “her man” to this position - Rustem Pasha, who was a Serb by nationality. Soon the new Grand Vizier married the daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman, thus becoming related to the royal family and becoming a person personally interested in the success of the intrigues of his tireless mother-in-law. However, he himself participated in these intrigues... Here is what the Venetian ambassador Navajero wrote about this in February 1553: “All the intentions of the mother, whom the great sovereign loves so much, and the plans of Rustem, who has such great power, are directed towards only one goal: make his relative Selim heir.”
When Suleiman’s Circassian wife realized that she would soon suffer the same fate as the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, she attacked Roksolana with her fists. There was a fight in which the native of the Caucasus took the upper hand. This whole story continued in the Sultan’s chambers: the guiltily humble Roksolana silently showed her master a clump of hair torn out from her by a ferocious Circassian woman, and she, in turn, screamed hysterically, proving that the Ukrainian steppe woman was plotting intrigues throughout the court and weaving treacherous conspiracies. To end the strife in the harem, Suleiman, without hesitation, sent the Circassian woman along with his son Mustafa to a remote fortress, while Roksolana remained in the Sultan’s palace.
After some time, the people began to develop a strong belief that Mustafa could in the future become a great ruler of Turkey and that it was high time for his loser father, as they say, to retire... Unfortunately for himself, Mustafa had a low opinion of his father, he and didn't hide it. Publicly, he more than once showed his contempt for his parent, considering him a weak-willed person seeking to rule over everyone except his own wife... Soon the heir to the Turkish throne was summoned to his father. By order of Suleiman, Mustafa, who hastily arrived at the Sultan's chambers, was strangled by the Janissaries using a silk cord...
Upon learning of Mustafa's death, Roksolana rejoiced: her plan was a success... Now the road to the Turkish throne was open for her son Selim.
Selim II ruled Turkey for only eight years. He died early and recent years He devoted his entire life to bloody terror against the disobedient and to alcoholism. Under his rule, the Turkish Empire began an inglorious path to its end. Roksolana’s grandson, Murad the Third, began drinking from childhood. Being a faithful drinking companion of his father, he adopted from him not only a hereditary disease, but also methods of governing the state: cutting off the heads of his subjects for the slightest offense. In those days, Turkish rulers developed a “fashion” for powerful and strong-willed wives. Selim, Murad, and subsequent rulers of Turkey acquired their own “Roksolans”. Each new sultana, with her intrigues and adventures, destroyed the statehood as best she could. This period Turkish history called the “era of privileged women.” From then until the time of the Turkish Revolution, most of the rulers of the Ottoman Porte were heavy drinkers. Thanks to the alcoholism gene passed on by Roksolana to the Turkish ruling dynasty, Turkey suffered major defeats in military campaigns and on the world diplomatic stage throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The Turkish Empire, decomposed and morally undermined from within by Anastasia Lisovskaya, in those days ceased to pose any serious threat to the world superpowers, including the Russian Empire. The annexation of the Novorossiysk region and Crimea to Russia is the result not only of outstanding victories of Russian commanders, but also a consequence of the pernicious influence of Roksolana on the ruling circles of the Ottoman ports of the 16th century.
cinema
Magnificent Century
The producer of the series is Timur Savdzhi. Directed by Brothers Yagmur and Durul Taylan. Writers: Meral Okay, Yilmaz Sahin
"Magnificent Century"- Turkish historical-epic saga in the genre of action-packed drama
Based on the series Magnificent Century"based on real events taking place in the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire. In those days, the Tatars raided, robbed, burned lands, and sold beautiful girls into harems. This happened with the main character of the series, world-famous Roksolana. She was very young ended up in Istanbul among the same unfortunate captives.
The beauty is presented as a gift to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She is destined for the fate of another concubine. However, the young girl turned out to be not a timid girl; thanks to her subtle mind, ingenuity and perseverance, Roksolana was able to become the official wife of the Sultan himself and gain unlimited power.
Of course, not everything was easy on the path of Roksolana, who, after converting to Islam, even had to forget her native name and become Hurrem.
The main character has to overcome many obstacles on the way to her happiness. The harem is full of envious women. Intrigues are constantly woven here, flattery and bribery reign. Sometimes Roksolana will have to act cruelly, but this is the only way she can carry out her plans.
The Magnificent Century is a historical series. It not only talks about one of the most famous women of that time, but also introduces viewers to the way of life, captivates with the splendor of the costumes and the realistic setting. Each new episode intrigues, fascinates, reveals secrets and presents new mysteries.
The Magnificent Century won hundreds of thousands of fans around the world after its release. This series is one of the most expensive Turkish series.
|
Actor Halit Ergenc as Sultan Suleiman IThe leading actor of Sultan Suleiman I was born on April 30, 1970, in Istanbul. Halit's father is Turkish actor Sait Ergench, from whom the future star of the oriental series apparently inherited his talent. After all, initially, Halit did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps, the guy dreamed of conquering the sea, because Istanbul is filled with dreams of a career as a sailor. Halit studied at a regular school, and then in 1988 he entered the Istanbul technical university to make your dream come true. But after the first year of study he left the university to study opera at the Mimar Sinan University. At the same time, the guy gets a job as a marketer and PC operator. At the University of Mimara Sinana begins creative life young talent. The actor discovered good vocal abilities, after which he managed to work with singers Aishe Pekkan, Leman Sam, with whom Halit collaborates both as a vocalist and even as a dancer. In 2008, Halit Ergenc first married Gizem Soysal, but the marriage was short-lived and soon broke up. Some time after the divorce, the actor again walks down the aisle with Berguzar Korel. The couple had a son, whom the lovers named Ali. The turning point Halit Ergenç's life began in 1996, when he began his career in the theater, receiving the main role in the musical “The King and I”. Later he leaves for New York and plays in the famous musical “The Adventures of Zack.” Then the actor’s business goes uphill. The producers of the series “Black Angel” (Kara Melek) notice his talent and offer him the main role. From this moment on, Halit Ergench became famous in Turkey. All this time, Halit continued to play in the theater, in various productions, for example, he appeared in the play “Kiss Me Kat.” And after success on TV, viewers begin to notice their favorite actor in films. For example, one of the famous roles in the film “My Father and My Son” in 2005 brought Halit unprecedented success. In 2011, a fateful series called “The Magnificent Century” was released, in which Halit plays the main role of Sultan Suleiman I. This is Khalit's first work, which brought the actor world fame. The charismatic image of the 40-year-old handsome man won many women's hearts. In addition, the success of the series owes to Halit for his excellent acting, which has been recognized several times. Also, in 2011, a feature drama called “The Guest” was released, where the viewer was shown another romantic story with the participation of the beloved hero of the series “The Magnificent Century”. Halit Ergench, who plays the role of Suleiman the Magnificent in the Turkish TV series “The Majestic Century. Roksolana,” has not shaved his beard for three years. “The producers wanted to show my character as close to historical descriptions as possible, and I decided to grow my beard to the same size as my character, who lived 500 years ago,” said Halit Ergench. — Of course, Suleiman gets older in every episode and the time will come when my beard will need the help of make-up artists to add gray hair. I'm used to a beard and it doesn't bother me at all. My wife says she doesn’t even remember me without a beard anymore... |
|
Actress Meryem Sahra Uzerli as RoksolanaMeryem Sahra Uzerli (Turkish Meryem Sahra Uzerli) (born 1983) is a German actress of Turkish origin. Acts in theater, film and television. Meryem Uzerli was born on August 12, 1983 in Kassel, Germany. Userli's first year in Hamburg, out of 10 that she lived there, was spent between chapel and school. In three years she graduated from school and took part in small theater projects. She received her basic education in Hamburg. From a young age, I passionately dreamed of becoming an actress and thoughtfully and seriously mastered the basics of this profession. After completing her studies, she became a theater actress. The news of the filming of the series The Magnificent Century found Meryem at work in Frankfurt, where the young woman was doing voice-over work for films. Filming was about to begin in Turkey and the actress, who speaks many languages, decided to try her hand at the casting. Although it was the Turkish language that was not the most perfect in Meryem’s treasury of knowledge. But those who don’t take risks don’t drink champagne! She already had numerous roles in films and TV series, several theater productions, but the casting for participation in the “Magnificent Century” was too tough. For several months, actresses from all over the world: America, Great Britain, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria and many other regions offered their services in working on the role of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. But the victory went to Meryem, she was the actress who so brilliantly played the role of Roksolana. Initially, the actress was not confident in her abilities - the main problem was her command of the Turkish language, but this soon even became her advantage. The role of Alexandra - Khyurrem - is the role of a Russian slave, and the fact that Miryem Uzerli initially spoke with an accent gave Khyurrem even more authenticity and originality in her performance. The actress brilliantly passed the casting and since then we have seen her in the TV series “The Magnificent Century” in the role of Hurrem Haseki Sultan, the lover of the great Sultan Suleiman I. According to Uzerli, if she herself had a chance to live during the “Magnificent Century”, and they were personally acquainted with Hurrem, she would prefer not to have anything to do with her at all. It is impossible not to respect Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, but this is a bomb ready to explode at any moment. And Meryem doesn’t like bombs at all, she prefers harmony in life. She believes that success cannot be achieved by any means, and other people should not suffer for it. For Meryem strong point is a good knowledge of your capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for mental growth. Meryem believes that modern life extremely confused, there is pressure all around: work, money, relationships, family. This era is full of its own rules and difficulties. |
News of the series "Magnificent Century"
- Meryem Uzerli suddenly left the set due to a conflict with the producers, and the creators of the series found themselves in a difficult situation. Due to the sudden departure of Meryem Uzerli, the creators of the series had to quickly rework the script. Timur Savci, one of the producers of “The Magnificent Century,” invited his neighbor, actress Vahide Gerdum, to play Khyurrem. Vahide Gürdem plays the role of older Hurrem Sultan. Her heroine is 15 years older than the heroine Meryem Uzerli.
- Fans of “The Magnificent Century” on social networks are persuading Meryem Uzerli to return to the series. Fans do not accept the new Hurrem - Vahide Gerdyum. Previously, Uzerli stated that there was a time when she wanted to commit suicide, unable to withstand the busy schedule of filming the series. Meryem left the project and is preparing for childbirth. She will raise the child herself - her boyfriend left the star after he found out about her pregnancy. The actress is ready to return to filming only for a double fee.
Roksolana in dictionaries and encyclopedias
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska(Turkish Hurrem Haseki Sultan), known in Europe as Roksolana(lat. Roxolana; real name unknown, according to literary tradition, birth name Anastasia or Alexandra Gavrilovna Lisovskaya; c. 1502 or c. 1505 - April 15 or 18, 1558) - concubine and then wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Haseki, mother Sultan Selim II.
Role in history
Professor of history, author of a work on the Sultan's harem, Leslie Pierce, notes that before Hurrem, the sultans' favorites played two roles - the role of the favorite and the role of the mother of the heir to the throne, and that these roles were never combined. Having given birth to a son, the woman ceased to be a favorite, going with the child to a remote province, where the heir was to be raised until he took his father’s place. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was the first woman who managed to simultaneously play both roles, which caused great irritation to the conservative court. When her sons reached adulthood, she did not follow them, but remained in the capital, only occasionally visiting them. This can largely explain the negative image that has formed around Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. In addition, she violated another principle of the Ottoman court, which was that one favorite of the Sultan should have no more than one son. Unable to explain how Hurrem was able to achieve such a high position, contemporaries attributed to her the fact that she had simply bewitched Suleiman. This image of an insidious and power-hungry woman was transferred to Western historiography, although it underwent some transformation.
Role in culture
Unlike all her predecessors, as well as the mothers of Shehzade, who had the right to erect buildings only within the province in which they lived with their sons, Hurrem received the right to build religious and charitable buildings in Istanbul and other major cities Ottoman Empire. She created charitable foundation his name (Turkish Kulliye Hasseki Hurrem). With donations from this fund, the Aksaray district or women's bazaar, later also named after Haseki (Turkish: Avret Pazari), was built in Istanbul, the buildings of which included a mosque, a madrasah, an imaret, a primary school, hospitals and a fountain. It was the first complex built in Istanbul by the architect Sinan in his new position as chief architect of the ruling house, and also the third largest building in the capital, after the Mehmet II (Turkish: Fatih Camii) and Suleymaniye (Turkish: Suleymanie) complexes. Other charitable projects of Roksolana include complexes in Adrianople and Ankara, which formed the basis of the project in Jerusalem (later named after Haseki Sultan), hospices and canteens for pilgrims and the homeless, a canteen in Mecca (under the emiret of Haseki Hurrem), a public canteen in Istanbul ( in Avret Pazari), as well as two large public baths in Istanbul (in the Jewish and Aya Sofya quarters.
"Wikipedia"
* * *
Roksolana(Persian Rouschen, i.e. light) - beloved wife of Sultan Soliman II, born around 1505, died in 1561; according to some sources, she came from Russia, according to others, from Italy; abducted and brought into Soliman's harem in 1520, she managed to achieve unlimited influence over the Sultan. Wanting to deliver the throne to her son, the future Sultan Selim II, she forced the Sultan to condemn the Grand Vizier Ibrahim to execution, and then the Sultan’s eldest son and heir to the throne, Mustafa; Soliman's second son fled to Persia. Roksolana even formed a conspiracy against the Sultan himself, with the goal of placing Selim on the throne; the conspiracy was discovered, but Roksolana managed to remain unpunished.
Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907.
* * *
The legend identifies Roksolana with Anastasia, the daughter of priest Lisovsky from the city of Rohatyn; historical Roksolana was captured by the Tatars and brought to the Sultan's harem around 1520; quickly achieved significant influence.
Ukrainian universal dictionary-encyclopedia
* * *
ROXOLANA(1505-1561) Wife of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She was distinguished by her beauty, intelligence, and musical talent. Played an outstanding role in the political life of Turkey in the 1520-1550s. The construction of a number of architectural monuments in Istanbul is associated with her name.
Historical explanatory terminological dictionary of Ukraine
* * *
Tatar, Turkish and other conquerors called all Slavs Roxolans: Russians, Ukrainians, etc.
Roksolany- Sarmatian cattle-breeding tribe, led the union of tribes in the Northern Black Sea region (2nd century BC - 4th century AD). Conquered by the Huns.
Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Roksolany(revxinals) - a Sarmatian tribal union that roamed between the Dnieper and Don. In the first centuries new era gradually moved west, to the borders of the Roman Empire.
Historical dictionary b
Meaning of the name Roksolana
Origin of the name Roksolana
The roots of the meaning of the female name Roksolana go far into the past. According to some sources, the name Roksolana comes from an old Slavic-Tatar name. The secret of the name lies in its origin, the number of syllables and sounds. All this determines the character, habits, even the future profession and family life of a person with the rare name Roksolana.
This name has not yet become widespread, it has a tremendous impact on the psyche and can be indispensable for those who want to be visible. The fact is that having heard a name once, a second time a person begins to perceive it as something familiar, they say, he’s already heard it somewhere about this woman, they say, I don’t remember where, but once I heard it, it means she’s a famous person, and maybe even outstanding. Of course, if the name were not so sonorous, if it were not for this consonance and at the same time sharp contrast with the familiar Oksana, everything would be different, but it provides a person with enormous opportunities for fame.
Character of the name Roksolana
In disputes, Roksolana will prefer to find a compromise, using a soft approach to achieve agreement; if it is noticed that the dispute is flaring up, he will move aside in time. Roksolana usually has many friends and acquaintances, so she does not suffer from loneliness.
Career of a person named Roksolana
If Roksolana wants to achieve success in her career, then she should learn to concentrate as much as possible and gain perseverance. As soon as you start doing what you love, life itself will provide an opportunity to earn money from creative work, and this will automatically increase your comfort level.
Roksolana(Hurrem, according to literary tradition, birth name Anastasia or Alexandra Gavrilovna Lisovskaya; d. April 18, 1558) - concubine and then wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, mother of Sultan Selim II.
Origin
Information about origin Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska quite contradictory. There are no documentary sources or even any reliable written evidence talking about Hurrem’s life before entering the harem. At the same time, its origin is known from legends and literary works, mainly of Western origin. Early literary sources do not contain information about her childhood, limiting themselves to mentioning her Russian origin. The first details about Hurrem's life before entering the harem appear in literature in the 19th century. According to Polish literary tradition, her real name was Alexandra and she was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn (Ivano-Frankivsk region). In Ukrainian XIX literature centuries she has been called Anastasia. According to Mikhail Orlovsky’s version, set out in the historical story “Roksolana or Anastasia Lisovskaya”, she was not from Rohatyn, but from Chemerovets (Khmelnitsky region). At that time, both cities were located on the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. In Europe, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was known as Roksolana. This name was invented by the Hamburg ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbeck, author of the Latin-language Turkish Notes. In this essay, based on the fact that Hurrem came from what is now Western Ukraine, he called her Roksolana, referring to the name of these lands popular in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 16th century - Roksolania.
Sultana-educator
The wedding of Suleiman and Roksolana was celebrated in 1530. This was an unprecedented case in the history of the Ottomans - the Sultan officially married a woman from the harem. Roksolana became for him the embodiment of everything that he loved in women: she appreciated art and understood politics, was a polyglot and a wonderful dancer, knew how to love and accept love.
This is what one foreigner (British diplomat) wrote about the wedding of Suleiman with his concubine Hurrem: “ This week an unprecedented event took place in Istanbul: Sultan Suleiman declared his Ukrainian concubine Roxolana sultana, as a result of which a big celebration took place in Istanbul.Words cannot describe the splendor of the wedding ceremony that took place in the palace. A general procession was organized. At night, all the streets were illuminated. There were entertainments everywhere, with musicians playing. The houses were decorated. The people were delighted. A large platform was built in Sultanahmet Square, in front of which the competition took place.Roksolana and other concubines came to the celebration. Muslim and Christian knights took part in the competition. Then there was a performance with the participation of tightrope walkers, magicians, and wild animals. There were various rumors about the wedding in Istanbul. However, no one knew exactly what happened ».
Suleiman and Khurrem could talk for hours about love, politics, art... They often communicated in poetry. Roksolana, like a real woman, knew when to remain silent, when to be sad, and when to laugh. It is not surprising that during her reign the dull harem turned into a center of beauty and enlightenment, and the rulers of other states began to recognize her. The Sultana appears in public with an open face, but despite this, she is respected by prominent figures of Islam as an exemplary devout Muslim. When Suleiman II, leaving his wife to rule the empire, set out to pacify the rebellious peoples of Persia, he literally scraped out the treasury. This did not bother the economic spouse. She ordered the opening of wine shops in the European quarter and in the port areas of Istanbul, after 
causing hard coin to flow into the treasury of the Ottoman rulers. This seemed not enough, and Roksolana ordered to deepen the Golden Horn Bay and reconstruct the piers in Galata, where not only light or medium-sized, but also large-capacity ships with goods from all over the world soon began to approach. The capital's shopping arcades grew like mushrooms after rain. The treasury was also full. Now Hurrem Sultan had enough money to build new mosques, minarets, nursing homes, hospitals - a lot of things. The Sultan, returning from yet another victorious campaign, did not even recognize the Topkapi Palace, which was being rebuilt with funds obtained by his enterprising and deified wife. Suleiman fought, expanding the borders of the Ottoman Empire. And Roksolana wrote him tender letters.
”My Sultan, - she wrote, - what a boundless and burning pain of parting. Save me, unfortunate one, and don’t delay your beautiful letters. May my soul receive at least a drop of joy from your messages. When they are read to us, your servant and son Mehmed and your slave and daughter Migrima cry, yearning for you. Their tears are driving me crazy”.
”My dear goddess, my amazing beauty, - he answered, - mistress of my heart, my brightest month, my deepest desires companion, my only one, you are dearer to me than all the beauties in the world!”
Bloody sacrifices of Roksolana
Hatching evil plans. Sultan Suleiman was a stern, reserved man. He loved books, wrote poetry, paid a lot of attention to the war, but was indifferent to debauchery. As was expected “according to his position,” he married the daughter of the Circassian Khan Gulbeher, but did not love her. And when he met his Hurrem, he found his only chosen one in her. Hurrem named her first-born Selim - in honor of her husband's predecessor, Sultan Selim I, nicknamed the Terrible. Roksolana really wanted her little golden-haired Selim to become just like his older namesake. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, the beautiful Circassian Gulbeher, was still officially considered the heir to the throne.
Lisovskaya understood: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order one of the old wives to be executed. In the harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat and a poisonous snake were thrown into the same bag, the bag was tied, and along a special stone chute they lowered it with a tied stone into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord. Therefore, Roksolana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years. 
Victims of Roksolana. Roksolana’s first victim was the outstanding Turkish sovereign figure, vizier-philanthropist Ibrahim, who in 1536 was accused of excessive sympathy for France and was strangled on the orders of the Sultan. Ibrahim's place was immediately taken by Rustem Pasha, with whom Roksolana sympathized. She gave her 12-year-old daughter in marriage to him. Later, Rustem, too, could not avoid the court intrigues of his mother-in-law: using her own daughter as a spy, Roksolana exposed her son-in-law of betraying the Sultan and, as a result, Rustem Pasha was beheaded. But before that, Rustem Pasha fulfilled his destiny, for the sake of which he was nominated by the insidious mistress. Hurrem and his son-in-law were able to convince the Sultan that the heir to the throne, Mustafa, had established close relations with the Serbs and was preparing a conspiracy against his father. The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, Mustafa, his brothers and the Sultan's grandchildren were strangled with a silk cord. Their mother Gulbeher went crazy with grief and soon died.
One day, Valide Khamse, Suleiman’s mother, who had influence on him, told him everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” executions and his beloved wife Roksolana. After that she lived for less than a month. It is believed that a few drops of poison “helped” her with this... Over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found. But there is evidence that about forty sons of the Sultan, born to other wives and concubines, were found and killed. Roksolana never saw her dream come true - she died before her beloved son Selim ascended the throne. He reigned for eight years. And contrary to the Koran, he loved to “take it to his chest,” which is why he remained in history under the name Selim the Drunkard. Academician Krymsky described him as “a degenerate alcoholic and a cruel despot.” Selim's rule did not benefit Turkey. It was with him that the decline of the Ottoman Empire began. Suleiman II's beloved died of a cold in 1558 and was buried with all due honors. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which Roksolana’s ashes rest in an octagonal stone tomb, next to the also octagonal tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has stood for more than four hundred years. Inside, under the high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana’s favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that his favorite stone was ruby. 
Children of Roksolana and Suleiman
Roksolana gave birth to the Sultan six children - five sons and one daughter Miriam (Mihrimah):
Mehmed (1521 - 1543)
Mihrimah (1522 - 1578)
Abdallah (1523 - 1526)
Selim (28 May 1524 - 12 December 1574)
Bayezid (1525 - November 28, 1563)
Jahangir (1532 - 1553)
Suleiman loved his only daughter Miriam most of all. In 1539 she was married to Rustem Pasha, who later became the Grand Vizier. Suleiman also built a mosque in honor of his daughter. Of his father's sons, only Selim survived. The rest died during the struggle for the throne. Including Suleiman's son from Gulbahar's third wife - Mustafa. They say that the good Jangir died out of grief for his brother.
Mehmed (1521 - 1543). The eldest son Khyurrem Mehmet was Suleiman's favorite. It was Mehmet Suleiman who prepared for the throne. At the age of 21 he died of a severe cold or smallpox. He had a beloved concubine, who after his death gave birth to a daughter, Huma Shah Sultan. Mehmet's daughter lived to be 38 years old and had 4 sons and 5 daughters.
Miriam (1522 - 1578). Mihrimah Sultan was not only the only daughter of Sultan Suleiman and his wife, the “laughing” Slav Hurrem Sultan, but also one of the few Ottoman princesses who played an important role in governing the Empire. Mihrimah was born in 1522 in the Top Kapi palace, 2 years later her mother Hurrem Sultan would give birth to the future padishah Selim. The Sultan-Lawgiver adored his golden-haired daughter and fulfilled all her whims. Mihrimah received an excellent education and lived in the most luxurious conditions.
Abdullah(1523-1526). Died of plague at the age of 3 years. 
Selim(28 May 1524 - 12 December 1574). Eleventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigned 1566-1574. Selim gained the throne largely thanks to his mother Roksolana. During the reign of Selim II, the Sultan never appeared in military camps, did not participate in campaigns, but spent time in a harem, where he indulged in all sorts of vices. The Janissaries did not like him and called him a “drunkard” behind his back. Nevertheless, the aggressive campaigns of the Turks during the reign of Selim continued. Selim's wife - Nurbanu Sultan. When Selim became governor of the province, Hurrem Sultan, breaking traditions, did not go with him, but stayed in the Topkapi Palace. Nurbana quickly wrapped up Selim, who was left all alone. When Selim ascended the throne, she easily took over the harem, since at that time Hurrem Sultan had already died and Valide Sultan was not in the harem. In Selima's harem, Nurbanu was in charge, who, being the mother of his eldest son and heir Murad, held the title of first wife. She was the Sultan's favorite, and he loved her dearly.
Shehzade Bayezid(1525 - November 28, 1562). Bayezid was an incomparably more worthy successor than Selim. Moreover, Bayezid was a favorite of the Janissaries, in whom he resembled his father and from whom he inherited the best qualities of his nature. But a few years later a civil war broke out between Selim and Bayezid, in which each was supported by his own local armed forces. Bayezid, after an unsuccessful attempt to kill Selim, hid in Persia with 12 thousand of his people, and began to be considered a traitor in the Ottoman Empire, which at that time was at war with Persia. Selim, with the help of his father's troops, defeated Bayezid near Konya in 1559, forcing him with his four sons and a small but efficient army to seek refuge at the court of the Shah of Iran, Tahmasp. This was followed by a diplomatic exchange of letters between the Sultan's envoys, who demanded the extradition or, optionally, execution of his son, and the Shah, who resisted both, based on the laws of Muslim hospitality. At first, the Shah hoped to use his hostage to bargain for the return of lands in Mesopotamia that the Sultan had seized during the first campaign. But it was an empty hope. Bayezid was taken into custody. According to the agreement, the prince was to be executed on Persian soil, but by the people of the Sultan. Thus, in exchange for a large sum of gold, the Shah handed Bayezid over to the official executioner from Istanbul. When Bayezid asked to be allowed to see and hug his four sons before he died, he was advised to “move on to the task ahead.” After that, a cord was thrown around the prince's neck, and he was strangled. After Bayezid, four of his sons were strangled. The fifth son, only three years old, met, by order of Suleiman, the same fate in Bursa, being given into the hands of a trusted eunuch assigned to carry out this order.
Jahangir(1532 - 1553). The last son of Suleiman and Hurrem. Born a sick child. He had a hump and other health problems. To drown out the constant pain, Jahangir became addicted to drugs. Despite his age and illness, he was married.
The terrible death of his brother Mustafa, provoked by Roksolana, shocked the impressionable Jihangir so much that he fell ill and soon died. Suleiman, grieving over his unfortunate hunchbacked son, instructed Sinan to erect a beautiful mosque in the quarter that still bears the name of this prince. The Jihangir Mosque, built by the great architect, was destroyed by fire and nothing has survived from it to this day. 
Roksolana destroyed the Ottoman Empire
Roksolana (Anastasia Lisovskaya) was born in the city of Rohatyn in 1505. Anastasia's father was a priest and a heavy alcoholic. Nastya spent her childhood as usual for the children of clergy of that time - reading the Holy Scriptures, prayers and akathists, as well as some secular literature. At the age of fifteen, she was kidnapped by the Crimean Tatars and sold into Turkish slavery, or rather in grief to the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. From this moment the most incredible adventures of Roksolana in Turkey begin. Anastasia Lisovskaya was an exceptionally strong-willed and decisive girl, naturally prone to intrigue, adventurism and nymphomania. While in the harem, she quickly learned to manipulate her husband and his closest relatives, as well as the highest dignitaries and courtiers of the Ottoman Empire. To understand the mechanisms of Roksolana’s rise at the Sultan’s court, you need to know the morals and customs that then reigned among the Turkish nobility and in the royal family. Under Sultan Selim the Terrible, who was Roksolana's husband Suleiman's father, Turkey reached the highest peak of its imperial power. During his reign, the Ottoman Porte conquered Syria, Egypt and part of Persia; on the site of modern Ukraine, lands controlled by Turkey extended almost to Kyiv. These territorial acquisitions doubled the size of the state. Selim was a strong ruler, but he had some vicious human weaknesses. He was a homosexual... It was the presence in his character of an unhealthy sexual craving that explains the fact that Selim had a whole harem of boys whom he for some reason emasculated... When, during the next war, Selim captured all the wives of the Persian Shah, he did not count them to his harem, and having ordered to undress, he kicked out. He gave only the most beloved wife of Shah Ismail to his nobleman... Selim's court consisted largely of noble Turks of non-traditional sexual orientation, as well as foreigners, primarily of Slavic origin. 
With the coming to power of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Turkish court in its, so to speak, qualitative composition has changed little. Although Suleiman himself paid attention exclusively to women, he democratically allowed people of unconventional orientation into his retinue... Here is how the German envoy to Turkey Buzbek wrote about Suleiman: “Even in his youth, he did not experience a vicious passion for boys, in which almost all Turks wallow.” . Sultan Suleiman was a good poet. He, a melancholic and dreamy man, was characterized by frequent depression and philosophical disappointments with life... Knowing the Ukrainian language perfectly, Suleiman sometimes liked to listen to blind kobzars. Wandering through the streets of the Turkish capital, they sang drawn-out songs about the exploits of the glorious Turkish lads, the same Janissaries who bravely slaughtered the Zaporozhye Cossacks on the battlefields and brought home rich spoils of war...
Suleiman the Magnificent, like many men inclined to the arts, loved strong-willed, intelligent, sensual and educated women - women capable of commanding. This explains the fact that Roksolana managed to make the young Sultan fall in love with her so easily.
Commanding the heart of the “ruler of half the world,” it was not difficult for Roksolana to deal with all her competitors at the Turkish court. With the help of subtle and extremely insidious intrigues, she managed to become the de facto sovereign ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Among the highest Turkish aristocracy there were quite a few people of Slavic nationality, especially Ukrainians and Poles. Roksolana took advantage of the opportunities of the court Slavic “party”, while she manipulated Turkish viziers and ministers like pieces on a chessboard.
Having given birth to a son, Selim, from Suleiman, our illustrious compatriot immediately set about eliminating competitors who could lay claim to the Turkish throne. In addition to Roksolana, the Sultan had another beloved wife: a Circassian woman who gave birth to his first child, Mustafa. My father loved Mustafa very much. The people simply adored him. And Mustafa would have become the real ruler of Turkey - ruthless and bloodthirsty, but, as they say, it was not destiny... Having eliminated the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, a protege of the “Circassian party”, Roksolana achieved the appointment of “her own man” to this position - Rustem Pasha, who by nationality was Serb. Soon the new Grand Vizier married the daughter of Roksolana and Suleiman, thus becoming related to the royal family and becoming a person personally interested in the success of the intrigues of his tireless mother-in-law. However, he himself participated in these intrigues... Here is what the Venetian ambassador Navajero wrote about this in February 1553: “All the intentions of the mother, whom the great sovereign loves so much, and the plans of Rustem, who has such great power, are directed towards only one goal: make his relative Selim heir.” 
When Suleiman’s Circassian wife realized that she would soon suffer the same fate as the Grand Vizier Ibrahim, she attacked Roksolana with her fists. There was a fight in which the native of the Caucasus took the upper hand. This whole story continued in the Sultan’s chambers: the guiltily humble Roksolana silently showed her master a clump of hair torn out from her by a ferocious Circassian woman, and she, in turn, screamed hysterically, proving that the Ukrainian steppe woman was plotting intrigues throughout the court and weaving treacherous conspiracies. To end the strife in the harem, Suleiman, without hesitation, sent the Circassian woman along with his son Mustafa to a remote fortress, while Roksolana remained in the Sultan’s palace. Upon learning of Mustafa's death, Roksolana rejoiced: her plan was a success... Now the road to the Turkish throne was open for her son Selim.
Selim II ruled Turkey for only eight years. He died early and devoted the last years of his life entirely to bloody terror against the rebellious and to alcoholism. Under his rule, the Turkish Empire began an inglorious path to its end. Roksolana’s grandson, Murad the Third, began drinking from childhood. From his father, he adopted not only a hereditary disease, but also methods of governing the state: cutting off the heads of his subjects for the slightest offense. In those days, Turkish rulers developed a “fashion” for powerful and strong-willed wives. Selim, Murad, and subsequent rulers of Turkey acquired their own “Roksolans”. Each new sultana, with her intrigues and adventures, destroyed the statehood as best she could. This period of Turkish history is called "the era of privileged women." From then until the time of the Turkish Revolution, most of the rulers of the Ottoman Porte were heavy drinkers. Thanks to the alcoholism gene passed on by Roksolana to the Turkish ruling dynasty, Turkey suffered major defeats in military campaigns and on the world diplomatic stage throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The Turkish Empire, decomposed and morally undermined from within by Anastasia Lisovskaya, in those days ceased to pose any serious threat to the world superpowers, including the Russian Empire. The annexation of the Novorossiysk region and Crimea to Russia is the result not only of outstanding victories of Russian commanders, but also a consequence of the pernicious influence of Roksolana on the ruling circles of the Ottoman ports of the 16th century.
Roksolana (Hurrem, according to literary tradition, birth name Anastasia or Alexandra Gavrilovna Lisovskaya; d. April 18, 1558) - concubine and then wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, mother of Sultan Selim II.
Information about the origin of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska is quite contradictory. There are no documentary sources or even any reliable written evidence talking about Hurrem’s life before entering the harem. At the same time, its origin is known from legends and literary works, mainly of Western origin. Early literary sources do not contain information about her childhood, limiting themselves to mentioning her Russian origin. The first details about Hurrem's life before entering the harem appear in literature in the 19th century. According to Polish literary tradition, her real name was Alexandra and she was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn (Ivano-Frankivsk region). In Ukrainian literature of the 19th century she is called Anastasia. According to Mikhail Orlovsky’s version, set out in the historical story “Roksolana or Anastasia Lisovskaya”, she was not from Rohatyn, but from Chemerovets (Khmelnitsky region). At that time, both cities were located on the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. In Europe, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was known as Roksolana. This name was invented by the Hamburg ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbeck, author of the Latin-language Turkish Notes. In this work, based on the fact that Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska came from what is now Western Ukraine, he called her Roksolana, referring to the popular name for these lands in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 16th century - Roksolania.
The wedding of Suleiman and Roksolana was celebrated in 1530. This was an unprecedented case in the history of the Ottomans - the Sultan officially married a woman from the harem. Roksolana became for him the embodiment of everything that he loved in women: she appreciated art and understood politics, was a polyglot and a wonderful dancer, knew how to love and accept love.
Here is what one foreigner (British diplomat) wrote about the wedding of Suleiman with his concubine Hurrem: “This week an unprecedented event took place in Istanbul: Sultan Suleiman declared his Ukrainian concubine Roksolana sultana, as a result of which a great celebration took place in Istanbul. Words cannot describe the splendor of the wedding ceremony that took place in the palace. A general procession was organized. At night, all the streets were illuminated. There were entertainments everywhere, with musicians playing. The houses were decorated. The people were delighted. A large platform was built in Sultanahmet Square, in front of which the competition took place. Roksolana and other concubines came to the celebration. Muslim and Christian knights took part in the competition. Then there was a performance with the participation of tightrope walkers, magicians, and wild animals. There were various rumors about the wedding in Istanbul. However, no one knew exactly what happened."
Suleiman and Khurrem could talk for hours about love, politics, art... It is not surprising that during her reign the dull harem turned into a center of beauty and enlightenment, and the rulers of other states began to recognize her. The Sultana appears in public with an open face, but despite this, she is respected by prominent figures of Islam as an exemplary devout Muslim. When Suleiman II, leaving his wife to rule the empire, set out to pacify the rebellious peoples of Persia, he literally scraped out the treasury. This did not bother the economic spouse. She ordered the opening of wine shops in the European quarter and port areas of Istanbul, after which hard coin began to flow into the treasury of the Ottoman rulers. This seemed not enough, and Roksolana ordered to deepen the Golden Horn Bay and reconstruct the piers in Galata, where not only light or medium-sized, but also large-capacity ships with goods from all over the world soon began to approach. The capital's shopping arcades grew like mushrooms after rain. The treasury was also full. Now Hurrem Sultan had enough money to build new mosques, minarets, nursing homes, hospitals - a lot of things. The Sultan, returning from yet another victorious campaign, did not even recognize the Topkapi Palace, which was being rebuilt with funds obtained by his enterprising and deified wife.
Sultan Suleiman was a stern, reserved man. He loved books, wrote poetry, paid a lot of attention to the war, but was indifferent to debauchery. As was expected “according to his position,” he married the daughter of the Circassian Khan Gulbeher, but did not love her. And when he met his Hurrem, he found his only chosen one in her. Hurrem named her first-born Selim - in honor of her husband's predecessor, Sultan Selim I, nicknamed the Terrible. Roksolana really wanted her little golden-haired Selim to become just like his older namesake. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, the beautiful Circassian Gulbeher, was still officially considered the heir to the throne.
Lisovskaya understood: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order one of the old wives to be executed. In the harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat and a poisonous snake were thrown into the same bag, the bag was tied, and along a special stone chute they lowered it with a tied stone into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord. Therefore, Roksolana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years.
Roksolana’s first victim was the outstanding Turkish sovereign figure, vizier-philanthropist Ibrahim, who in 1536 was accused of excessive sympathy for France and was strangled on the orders of the Sultan. Ibrahim's place was immediately taken by Rustem Pasha, with whom Roksolana sympathized. She gave her 12-year-old daughter in marriage to him. Later, Rustem, too, could not avoid the court intrigues of his mother-in-law: using her own daughter as a spy, Roksolana exposed her son-in-law of betraying the Sultan and, as a result, Rustem Pasha was beheaded. But before that, Rustem Pasha fulfilled his destiny, for the sake of which he was nominated by the insidious mistress. Hurrem and his son-in-law were able to convince the Sultan that the heir to the throne, Mustafa, had established close relations with the Serbs and was preparing a conspiracy against his father. The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, therefore, by order of Suleiman, Mustafa, his brothers and the Sultan's grandchildren were strangled with a silk cord. Their mother Gulbeher went crazy with grief and soon died.
One day, Valide Khamse, Suleiman’s mother, who had influence on him, told him everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” executions and his beloved wife Roksolana. After that she lived for less than a month. It is believed that a few drops of poison “helped” her with this... Over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found. But there is evidence that about forty sons of the Sultan, born to other wives and concubines, were found and killed. Roksolana never saw her dream come true - she died before her beloved son Selim ascended the throne. He reigned for eight years. And contrary to the Koran, he loved to “take it to his chest,” which is why he remained in history under the name Selim the Drunkard. Academician Krymsky described him as “a degenerate alcoholic and a cruel despot.” Selim's rule did not benefit Turkey. It was with him that the decline of the Ottoman Empire began. Suleiman II's beloved died of a cold in 1558 and was buried with all due honors. Suleiman I - in 1566. He managed to complete the construction of the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque - one of the largest architectural monuments of the Ottoman Empire - near which Roksolana’s ashes rest in an octagonal stone tomb, next to the also octagonal tomb of the Sultan. This tomb has stood for more than four hundred years. Inside, under the high dome, Suleiman ordered to carve alabaster rosettes and decorate each of them with a priceless emerald, Roksolana’s favorite gem.
When Suleiman died, his tomb was also decorated with emeralds, forgetting that his favorite stone was ruby.
Roksolana gave birth to six children to the Sultan - five sons and one daughter Miriam (Mikhrimah). Suleiman loved his only daughter Miriam most of all. Mihrimah Sultan was not only the only daughter of Sultan Suleiman and his wife, the “laughing” Slav Hurrem Sultan, but also one of the few Ottoman princesses who played an important role in governing the Empire. In 1539 she was married to Rustem Pasha, who later became the Grand Vizier. Suleiman also built a mosque in honor of his daughter. Of his father's sons, only Selim survived. The rest died during the struggle for the throne. Including Suleiman's son from Gulbahar's third wife - Mustafa. They say that the good Jangir died out of grief for his brother.
The story of Roksolana is known throughout Europe. And especially this one historical figure popular in the Slavic world. Moreover, the story of Roksolana is increasingly attracting attention in connection with the sensational TV series “The Magnificent Century”. Increasingly, fans of the series are wondering what the real biography of Haseki Hurrem Sultan was.
From Anastasia to Khyurrem
It is traditionally believed that Roksolana was born in a small town in modern western Ukraine, into the family of a priest. For the first years of her life, the girl’s name was Anastasia (or Alexandra) Lisovskaya. However, in early age she was stolen during one of their raids and subsequently resold several times in slave markets. From this moment the story of Roksolana the slave begins.
Meeting Prince Suleiman
However, fate was extremely favorable to the girl, who was very young at that time. Somewhere in 1517, she ended up as a concubine in the Manisa palace, where at the same time the Sultan’s son and future heir to the empire Shehzade Suleiman lived. Very soon the young prince's concubine becomes his favorite. This is exactly how the story of Roksolana was born, who later became greatest woman East. It is interesting that here the future monarch met another slave of European origin, who was also destined to become one of the most important
faces of the Ottoman ports. We are talking about the brilliant vizier of Suleiman - Ibrahim Pasha.
History of Roksolana's reign
In 1520, Sultan Selim I dies, and his son Suleiman takes the throne. Roksolana was already his favorite by that time, and in 1521 she gave birth to his son Mehmet. Three years later they have another son, who will be named Selim. At the same time, in accordance with the traditions of the Muslim East, Hurrem was not the only wife of the Sultan. Moreover, her favoritism caused jealousy and hatred on the part of other wives. A particularly fierce rivalry developed between Roksolana and the Circassian Makhidevran. This competition found its way into gossip and mutual insults, and sometimes even led to fights. The heat was added by the fact that it was Makhidevran’s son, Mustafa, who was the first-born of the Sultan and successor to the throne. This could not suit the ambitious and treacherous Slav woman. After several years of desperate intrigue, Roksolana came out
the winner of this struggle. Mustafa and his mother were sent from the royal palace to Manisa. For Makhidevran, this actually meant exile. And a few years later, rumors began to circulate throughout the empire that Mustafa was allegedly preparing a coup against his father. Shehzade was accused of conspiracy and executed in 1553. This finally cleared the path to power for one of Khyurrem’s sons. Her eldest son Mehmet never became Sultan, since he died back in 1543. However, Selim was destined to become the next sultan.
The last years of the Sultana
Roksolana, whose life story knew both difficult and brilliant episodes, actually managed palace and state affairs for almost thirty years. Her husband, Suleiman the Magnificent, spent almost his entire life on military campaigns, largely relying on his beloved wife in internal affairs. Roksolana died of natural causes in 1559.
Any Hollywood script pales in comparison with the life path of Roksolana, who became the most influential woman in history great empire. Her powers, contrary to Turkish laws and Islamic canons, could only be compared with the capabilities of the Sultan himself. Roksolana became not just a wife, she was a co-ruler; they did not listen to her opinion - it was the only one that was correct and legal.
Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya (born c. 1506 - d. c. 1562) was the daughter of the priest Gavrila Lisovsky from Rohatyn, a small town in Western Ukraine, located southwest of Ternopil. In the 16th century, this territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was constantly subjected to devastating raids Crimean Tatars. During one of them in the summer of 1522 young daughter the clergyman was caught by a detachment of ludolov. Legend has it that the misfortune happened just before Anastasia’s wedding.
First, the captive ended up in Crimea - this is the usual route for all slaves. The Tatars did not drive valuable “live goods” on foot across the steppe, but carried them on horseback under vigilant guard, without even tying their hands, so as not to spoil the delicate girl’s skin with ropes. Most sources say that the Crimeans, struck by the beauty of Polonyanka, decided to send the girl to Istanbul, hoping to sell her profitably at one of the largest slave markets in the Muslim East.
“Giovane, ma non bella” (“young, but ugly”), Venetian nobles said about her in 1526, but “graceful and short in stature.” None of her contemporaries, contrary to legend, called Roksolana a beauty.
The captive was sent to the capital of the sultans on a large felucca, and the owner himself took her to sell her - history has not preserved his name. On the very first day, when the Horde took the captive to the market, she accidentally caught the eye of the all-powerful vizier of the young Sultan Suleiman I, the noble Rustem, who happened to be there - Pasha. Again, the legend says that the Turk was struck by the dazzling beauty of the girl, and he decided to buy her to give a gift to the Sultan.
During this era, the sultan was Suleiman I the Magnificent (Luxurious), who ruled from 1520 to 1566, considered the greatest sultan of the Ottoman dynasty. During the years of his rule, the empire reached the apogee of its development, including all of Serbia with Belgrade, most of Hungary, the island of Rhodes, significant territories in North Africa to the borders of Morocco and the Middle East. Europe gave the Sultan the nickname Magnificent, while in the Muslim world he is more often called Kanuni, which translated from Turkish means Lawgiver.
“Such greatness and nobility,” the report of the 16th-century Venetian ambassador Marini Sanuto wrote about Suleiman, “was also adorned by the fact that he, unlike his father and many other sultans, had no inclination towards pederasty.” An honest and uncompromising ruler a fighter against bribery, encouraged the development of the arts and philosophy, and was also considered a skilled poet and blacksmith - few European monarchs could compete with Suleiman I.
According to the laws of faith, the padishah could have four legal wives. The children of the first of them became heirs to the throne.
Or rather, one first-born son inherited the throne, and the rest often faced a sad fate: all possible contenders for supreme power were subject to destruction.
In addition to wives, the Commander of the Faithful had any number of concubines that his soul desired and his flesh required. IN different times under different sultans, from several hundred to a thousand or more women lived in the harem. In addition to women, the harem consisted of a whole staff of castrati eunuchs, maids of various ages, chiropractors, midwives, masseuses, doctors and the like.
But no one except the padishah himself could encroach on the beauties belonging to him. All this complex and hectic economy was supervised by the “chief of the girls” - the eunuch of Kyzlyaragassy.
However, amazing beauty alone was not enough: the girls destined for the padishah’s harem were required to be taught music, dancing, Muslim poetry and, of course, the art of love. Naturally, the course of love sciences was theoretical, and the practice was taught by experienced old women and women experienced in all the intricacies of sex.
Rustem Pasha decided to buy a Slavic beauty. But her Krymchak owner refused to sell Anastasia and presented her as a gift to the all-powerful courtier, rightly expecting to receive for this not only an expensive return gift, as is customary in the East, but also considerable benefits.
Rustem Pasha ordered it to be fully prepared as a gift to the Sultan, in turn hoping to achieve even greater favor with him. The padishah was young, he ascended the throne only in 1520 and greatly valued feminine beauty, and not just as a contemplator.
In the harem, Anastasia receives the name Khurrem (laughing). And for the Sultan, she always remained only Khurrem. Roksolana, the name under which she went down in history, is just the name of the Sarmatian tribes in the 2nd-4th centuries AD, who roamed the steppes between the Dnieper and Don, translated from Latin as “Russian”. Roksolana will often be called, both during her life and after her death, nothing more than “Rusynka” - a native of Rus' or Roxolanii, as Ukraine was previously called.
The mystery of the birth of love between the Sultan and a fifteen-year-old unknown captive will remain unsolved. After all, there was a strict hierarchy in the harem, and anyone who violated it would face severe punishment. Often - death. The female recruits - adzhemi, step by step, first became jariye, then shagird, gedikli and usta. No one except the mouth had the right to be in the Sultan's chambers. Only the mother of the ruling sultan, the valide sultan, had absolute power within the harem, and decided who and when to share a bed with the sultan from her mouth. How Roksolana managed to occupy the Sultan’s monastery almost immediately will forever remain a mystery.
There is a legend about how Hurrem came to the attention of the Sultan. When new slaves (more beautiful and expensive than she) were introduced to the Sultan, a small figure suddenly flew into the circle of dancing odalisques and, pushing away the “soloist,” laughed. And then she sang her song. The harem lived according to cruel laws. And the eunuchs were waiting for only one sign - what to prepare for the girl - clothes for the Sultan's bedroom or a cord used to strangle the slaves. The Sultan was intrigued and surprised.
And that same evening, Khurrem received the Sultan’s scarf - a sign that in the evening he was waiting for her in his bedroom. Having interested the Sultan with her silence, she asked for only one thing - the right to visit the Sultan’s library. The Sultan was shocked, but allowed it. When he returned from a military campaign some time later, Khurrem already spoke several languages. She dedicated poems to her Sultan and even wrote books.
This was unprecedented at that time, and instead of respect it aroused fear. Her learning, plus the fact that the Sultan spent all his nights with her, created Khurrem's lasting fame as a witch. They said about Roksolana that she bewitched the Sultan with the help of evil spirits. And in fact he was bewitched.
“Finally, let us unite with soul, thoughts, imagination, will, heart, everything that I left mine in you and took with me yours, oh my only love!”, the Sultan wrote in a letter to Roksolana. “My lord, your absence has kindled a fire in me that does not go out. Have pity on this suffering soul and hurry up your letter so that I can find at least a little consolation in it,” answered Khurrem.
Roksolana greedily absorbed everything that she was taught in the palace, took everything that life gave her. Historians testify that after some time she actually mastered the Turkish, Arabic and Persian languages, learned to dance perfectly, recite her contemporaries, and also play according to the rules of the foreign, cruel country in which she lived. Following the rules of her new homeland, Roksolana converted to Islam.
Her main trump card was that Rustem Pasha, thanks to whom she got to the palace of the padishah, received her as a gift, and did not buy her. In turn, he did not sell it to the kyzlyaragassa, who replenished the harem, but gave it to Suleiman. This means that Roxalana remained a free woman and could lay claim to the role of the padishah’s wife. According to the laws of the Ottoman Empire, a slave could never, under any circumstances, become the wife of the Commander of the Faithful.
A few years later, Suleiman enters into an official marriage with her according to Muslim rites, elevates her to the rank of bash-kadyna - the main (and in fact, the only) wife and addresses her “Haseki,” which means “dear to the heart.”
Roksolana’s incredible position at the Sultan’s court amazed both Asia and Europe. Her education made scientists bow down, she received foreign ambassadors, responded to messages from foreign sovereigns, influential nobles and artists. She not only came to terms with the new faith, but also gained fame as a zealous orthodox Muslim, which earned her considerable respect at court.
One day, the Florentines placed a ceremonial portrait of Hurrem, for which she posed for a Venetian artist, in an art gallery. It was the only female portrait among the images of hook-nosed, bearded sultans in huge turbans. “There was never another woman in the Ottoman palace who had such power” - Venetian ambassador Navajero, 1533.
Lisovskaya gives birth to the Sultan four sons (Mohammed, Bayazet, Selim, Jehangir) and a daughter, Khamerie. But Mustafa, the eldest son of the padishah’s first wife, Circassian Gulbekhar, was still officially considered the heir to the throne. She and her children became mortal enemies of the power-hungry and treacherous Roxalana.
Lisovskaya understood perfectly well: until her son became the heir to the throne or sat on the throne of the padishahs, her own position was constantly under threat. At any moment, Suleiman could be carried away by a new beautiful concubine and make her his legal wife, and order one of the old wives to be executed: in the harem, an unwanted wife or concubine was put alive in a leather bag, an angry cat and a poisonous snake were thrown in there, the bag was tied and a special stone chute was used to lower him with a tied stone into the waters of the Bosphorus. The guilty considered it lucky if they were simply quickly strangled with a silk cord.
Therefore, Roxalana prepared for a very long time and began to act actively and cruelly only after almost fifteen years! Her daughter turned twelve years old, and she decided to marry her to... Rustem Pasha, who was already over fifty. But he was in great favor at court, close to the throne of the padishah and, most importantly, was something of a mentor and “godfather” to the heir to the throne, Mustafa, the son of the Circassian Gulbehar, Suleiman’s first wife.
Roxalana's daughter grew up with a similar face and chiseled figure to her beautiful mother, and Rustem Pasha with great pleasure became related to the Sultan - this is a very high honor for a courtier. Women were not forbidden to see each other, and the sultana deftly found out from her daughter about everything that was happening in the house of Rustem Pasha, literally collecting the information she needed bit by bit.
During a meeting with her husband, Roxalana secretly informed the Commander of the Faithful about the “terrible conspiracy.” Merciful Allah granted her time to learn about the secret plans of the conspirators and allowed her to warn her adored husband about the danger that threatened him: Rustem Pasha and the sons of Gulbehar planned to take the life of the padishah and take possession of the throne, placing Mustafa on it!
The intriguer knew well where and how to strike - the mythical “conspiracy” was quite plausible: in the East during the time of the sultans, bloody palace coups were the most common thing. In addition, Roxalana cited as an irrefutable argument the true words of Rustem Pasha, Mustafa and other “conspirators” that the daughter of Anastasia and the Sultan heard. Therefore, the seeds of evil fell on fertile soil!
Rustem Pasha was immediately taken into custody, and an investigation began: Pasha was terribly tortured. Perhaps he incriminated himself and others under torture. But even if he remained silent, this only confirmed the padishah in the actual existence of a “conspiracy.” After torture, Rustem Pasha was beheaded.
Only Mustafa and his brothers remained - they were an obstacle to the throne of Roxalana’s first-born, red-haired Selim, and for this reason they simply had to die. Constantly instigated by his wife, Suleiman agreed and gave the order to kill his children. The Prophet forbade the shedding of the blood of the padishahs and their heirs, so Mustafa and his brothers were strangled with a green silk twisted cord. Gulbehar went crazy with grief and soon died.
The cruelty and injustice of her son struck Valide Khamse, the mother of Padishah Suleiman, who came from the family of the Crimean khans Giray. At the meeting, she told her son everything she thought about the “conspiracy,” the execution, and her son’s beloved wife Roxalana. By a strange coincidence, Valide Khamse, the Sultan’s mother, lived less than a month after the said conversation...
The Sultana ordered to find in the harem and throughout the country the other sons of Suleiman, whom his wives and concubines gave birth to, and to deprive them all of their lives. As it turned out, the Sultan had about forty sons - all of them, some secretly, some openly, were killed by order of Lisovskaya.
Thus, over forty years of marriage, Roksolana managed the almost impossible. She was proclaimed the first wife, and her son Selim became the heir. But the sacrifices did not stop there. Roksolana's two youngest sons were strangled. Some sources accuse her of involvement in these murders - allegedly this was done in order to strengthen the position of her beloved son Selim. However, reliable data about this tragedy has never been found.
She was no longer able to see her son ascend the throne, becoming Sultan Selim II. He reigned after the death of his father for only eight years - from 1566 to 1574 - and, although the Koran forbids drinking wine, he was a terrible alcoholic. One day his heart simply could not stand the constant excessive libations, and in the memory of the people he remained as Sultan Selim the drunkard.
No one will ever know what the true feelings of the famous Roksolana were. What is it like for a young girl to find herself in slavery, in a foreign country, with a foreign faith imposed on her. Not only not to break, but also to grow into the mistress of the empire, gaining glory throughout Asia and Europe. Trying to erase the shame and humiliation from her memory, Roksolana ordered the slave market to be hidden and a mosque, madrasah and almshouse to be erected in its place. That mosque and hospital in the almshouse building still bear the name of Haseki, as well as the surrounding area of the city.
Her name, shrouded in myths and legends, sung by her contemporaries and covered in black glory, remains forever in history.
Related articles
The best amulets against the evil eye and damage Amulet against the evil eye with hands for children
How to read the Psalter correctly
Delicious dishes with sausages
A glimpse of Bella. Romantic chronicle. A glimpse of genius. Messerer about Akhmadulina Boris Messerer glimpse of Bella romantic chronicle
I dreamed that I was sailing on a boat on the river
How to cook beef entrecote in a frying pan
About the company Foreign language courses at Moscow State University
Which city and why became the main one in Ancient Mesopotamia?
Why Bukhsoft Online is better than a regular accounting program!
Which year is a leap year and how to calculate it