[Ottoman Empire] Sultanate of Women by StoriaGold on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Name: Hurrem Sultan
Dynasty: Ottoman
Born: c. 1502–1506
Died: 15 April 1558
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxelana

Name: Nurbanu Sultan
Dynasty: Ottoman

Born: c. 1525–1530
Died: 7 December 1583

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurbanu_Sultan

Name: Safiye Sultan
Dynasty: Ottoman
Born: c. 1550
Died: after 1619
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safiye_Sultan_(mother_of_Mehmed_III)

Name: Kösem Sultan
Dynasty: Ottoman

Born: c.1589
Died: 2 September 1651

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6sem_Sultan

The Sultanate of Women was a period when some consorts, mothers, sisters and grandmother of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence.

This phenomenon took place from roughly 1534 to 1683, beginning in the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent with his marriage to Hürrem Sultan and ending with the death of Turhan Sultan. These women were either the consorts - either wives or concubines - of the Sultan, referred to as haseki sultans, or the mothers of the Sultan, known as valide sultans. Many of them were of slave origin, as was expected during the sultanate, since the traditional idea of marriage was considered inappropriate for the sultan, who was not expected to have any personal allegiances beyond his governmental role.

During this time, haseki and valide sultans often held political and social influence, which allowed them to influence the daily running of the empire and undertake philanthropic works as well as to request the construction of buildings such as the large Haseki Sultan Mosque complex and the prominent Valide Sultan Mosque, also known as the Yeni Mosque (Yeni Cami), at Eminönü.