Hafsa Sultan

Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: حفصه سلطان; "womanly/the living one" and "young lioness"; 1479 – 19 March 1534), was the concubine of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was the first Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. From the accession of her son to the throne in 1520 until her death in 1534, she was one of the most influential women in the Ottoman Empire. Origins From 1466 to 1515, Hafsa Sultan was thought to have been the daughter of Menli I Giray (1445–1515), Khan of the Crimean Tatars. This traditional view, based on accounts by Western writers in the 17th century, is based on the Ottoman history that she was of Christian slave descent. A few historians still believe that she was the daughter of Menli I Giray, including Brian Glyn Williams. According to Resat Kasabar, after the marriage between Selim I and Hafsa Sultan, no Ottoman sultan married a daughter of a Muslim royal family. However, Esin Atil states that she was the daughter of Giray. Others have suggested that a Crimean princess named "Ayse" was one of Selim I's wives and that "Hafsa" may have been of slave descent. Ilya Zaitsev claims that "Ayse (daughter of Mengli-Giray I)" first married the governor of Kef, Sehzade Mehmed, and later married his brother Selim I. This is therefore one of two notable examples of intermarriage between the Giray Khanate and the Ottoman dynasty. The other was the marriage of Selim I's daughter, probably Sadet-Giray, to Geverhan Sultan (but this marriage is not proved). In Alan Fisher's book, Leslie Pearce's book, and Feridun Emesen's book, Hafsa is also said to be of slave descent, not the daughter of the Crimean Khan. Early life Hafsa was born around 1479. She became Selim's concubine when Selim was a prince and governor of Trabzon. She and Selim had at least five children, four daughters and one son, Sultan Suleiman I. According to Turkish history, all princes were required to go to the sanjak for training to serve as provincial governors. Hafsa accompanied Suleiman to the sanjak during his early royal duties, first to Kefe in 1509 and then to Manisa in 1513. Hafsa knew everything about Suleiman's personal life. In Kefe, Hafsa was paid a monthly allowance of 1,000 aspers, while Suleiman received 600 aspers. In Manisa, Hafsa was first paid 200 aspers, later 600 aspers. This allowance was the highest allowance in the royal family at that time. Hafsa was Suleiman's closest confidant and constant companion. According to Guillaume Postel, she is believed to have saved Suleiman from his father's death sentence. She is believed to have told Suleiman to express to his father that he had no interest in succeeding him as sultan. A few years before Selim's death, Selim is said to have tested his son's loyalty by expressing his desire to retire from sultanate rule and asking Suleiman whether he wanted to rule the empire. Postel reported that the princes who had agreed had dire consequences. His mother learned of Selim's plan and told Suleiman to refuse the opportunity, which Suleiman refused. Suleiman stated that even after Selim's death, he did not want to accept such a responsibility. Valide Sultan After Suleiman's accession to the throne in 1520, Hafsa began living in the Old Palace of Constantinople. After Suleiman's accession, Hafsa assumed a new title as "Mother of the Sultan" (Valide-i Sultan). Although it was not an official title, it became widely influential. Hafsa was probably the first sultanic mother to use this title consistently. Hafsa created an organization of support for various individuals, especially women associated with the dynasty. For example, after her mother's death, she helped the daughters of Prince Alemeshar and supported a female member of the harem of Khair Beg. In her letters to Suleiman, Hafsa mentioned some business matters, addressing Suleiman as "the light of my eyes, the joy of my heart". In the early years of Suleiman's reign, Hafsa was known as an influential woman, as evidenced by the fact that her son bestowed upon her the title of "Valide Sultan" (Mother Sultan). She is considered the first person in Ottoman history to hold the title of sultana despite not being a member of the dynasty. Her son was like a companion to her and provided security for her during campaigns, and Hafsa's letters reveal a deep bond between them. In one handwritten letter, she tells a light-hearted story about a maid and expresses her regret for not having had the opportunity to see Suleiman. She closes the letter with black beans inside, expresses her love, and says that no jewel is equal to Suleiman. She also tried to prevent the execution of Ferhad Pasha, the husband of her daughter Beyhan. Suleiman had a deep affection for his mother, as is reflected in Bragadin's report of 1526, which describes her as "a very beautiful woman of 48 years, to whom [the Sultan] had great respect and affection". After the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Suleiman took special care to write a letter to his mother expressing his love and respect, and personally informed her of the victory. Shortly after Suleiman's accession to the throne, Hafsa began construction of a large mosque in Manisa, larger than any built by any of the previous concubines. Construction probably began during Suleiman's reign in Manisa and was completed in 1522–23. The complex included a mosque, a religious college, a dervish dormitory, a primary school, and a soup kitchen, employing 117 workers. Suleiman later expanded it to include a hospital and a bathhouse named after his mother. Known as the "Sultaniye", this royal mosque had two minarets, usually reserved for sultans. The mosque was built with the wealth acquired from Suleiman's father Selim and later Suleiman. The remaining funds were later donated after the mosque was built. Hafsa purchased a plot of land for the project in 1518, but the site contained 56 ordinary shops, 11 shops with roofed fronts, and 111 booths in the Urla Bazaar near Izmir. The mosque, which cost 66,690 aspers, provided financial support to most of the people. Hafsa Sultan provided the opportunity to settle around the mosque, providing large amounts of land for rent or sale. Those who shared this land received tax exemptions from the sultan. He had a kira named Strongilah. She assisted the women in the harem and developed a strong relationship with Hafsa. Death Hafsa Sultan died on 19 March 1534 and was buried next to her husband's tomb in the Yavuz Selim Mosque in Istanbul. A separate mausoleum was ordered to be built for her and reciters were appointed to recite the Quran at her grave. A significant number of people paid their respects and condolences at her funeral. At her funeral, historian Selalzade Mustafa Çelebi paid tribute to her with wide-ranging praise, comparing her to respected Muslim women. He compared her to Muhammad's first wife Khadija, as well as Fatima and Aisha. He highlighted her asceticism, pious thinking, and her active participation in charities and good deeds. Issue Selim and Hafsa had six children, five daughters and one son: Hatice Sultan (before 1494 - after 1543). She married twice and had five sons and possibly three daughters. Hafize Hafsa Sultan (before 1494 - 10 July 1538). She married twice and probably had one son. Beyhan Sultan (before 1494 - 1559). She was married to Ferhad Pasha in 1513. She had probably two children. Fatma Sultan (before 1494 - 1566). She married three times and probably had two daughters. Suleiman I (6 November 1494 - 6 September 1566), was the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. In the other addition, Şah Sultan was a daughter of Selim I and a sister of Suleiman the Magnificent. The identity of her mother is uncertain; most modern historians describe her as the daughter of an unknown concubine of Selim I, although some sources attribute her maternity to Hafsa Sultan. In popular culture In the 2003 TV miniseries Hurrem Sultan, Hafsa Sultan was played by Turkish actress Deniz Turkali. In the 2011 TV series Muhtesem Yuzyil, the role of Hafsa Sultan was played by Turkish actress Nebahat Çehre. References Sources Peirce, L.P. (1993). The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Studies in Middle Eastern history. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-508677-5. Şahin, K. (2023). Peerless Among Princes: The Life and Times of Sultan Süleyman. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-753163-1. Uluçay, Çağatay (2011). Padişahların Kadınları ve Kızları. Türk Tarih Kurumu. Sakaoğlu, Necdet (2008). Bu Mülkün Sultanları. Oğlak Yayıncılık. Other websites "Hafsa Sultan Complex". Archnet. 2005. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2025-02-23.