Kaya Sultan

Ismihan Kaya Sultan (;   1630/1633 – 28 February 1658) was an Ottoman princess. She was the daughter of Sultan Murad IV and the favorite granddaughter of Kösem Sultan.
The famous Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi wrote about her in his Book of Travels. He described events from her life, including her pregnancy and death. Kaya Sultan was the most well-known child of Sultan Murad IV.

 Early life 
Kaya Sultan was born between 1630 and 1633 to Sultan Murad IV. Like many Ottoman princesses, her marriage was arranged for political reasons. In the early 1640s, a conflict broke out between her mother (possibly Ayşe Sultan, a concubine of Murad IV) and her grandmother Kösem Sultan over who Kaya should marry. Kaya’s mother wanted her to marry Mustafa Pasha, the former sultan’s sword-bearer. This match was supported by the late Murad IV, and Kaya herself said she would marry no one else. Her mother even tried to persuade the new sultan, Ibrahim I, to support the match. However, Kösem Sultan had her own choice: Melek Ahmed Pasha, a man of Abkhazian origin who would later become Grand Vizier. In the end, Kösem's choice won. Kaya was married to Melek Ahmed Pasha in August 1644, when she was around 11 to 14 years old, and he was in his mid-40s. Kaya did not accept the marriage. On the wedding night, she stabbed her husband with a dagger and refused to consummate the marriage. She said it was her right as an imperial princess and that a prophecy warned she would die if she had a daughter with him. Melek Ahmed had to accept her decision because of her royal status.Leslie Peirce. "The Imperial Harem: Women and the Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire" New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. p. 146. .

 Married life 
Despite the difficult beginning, Kaya Sultan’s marriage later became very happy. Melek Ahmed Pasha loved her deeply and treated her with kindness and generosity. Over time, Kaya came to respect her husband and became a great support to him. She helped manage his finances and even gave him advice on political matters, especially before he became Grand Vizier.

After seven years, Kösem Sultan ordered them to fully complete their marriage. Kaya obeyed and soon became pregnant, eventually giving birth to a daughter. This helped her forget the earlier prophecy about dying during childbirth.

The famous traveler Evliya Çelebi admired Kaya Sultan, calling her a symbol of the dynasty’s grace. He said that no other royal couple got along as well as Kaya and Melek. He described her as "a racing lioness, a true daughter of Sultan Murad" and told a story where, while pregnant, she rushed in a carriage to Üsküdar to save her husband, after hearing that someone planned to kill him.

After Kaya's death, Melek Ahmed Pasha was heartbroken. He reportedly threw himself on her coffin and cried without control, even though such emotional displays were not accepted in Ottoman tradition.

 Exile 
In 1647, Sultan Ibrahim, who ruled after the death of Kaya’s father in 1640 and was known for being mentally unstable, decided to officially marry his eighth Haseki, Hümaşah Sultan.

As part of the wedding, Kaya Sultan and her aunts — Ayşe Sultan, Fatma Sultan, and Hanzade Sultan — were forced to serve Hümaşah like maids. They had to stand behind her in silence, holding her jug, soap, basin, and towel. This was a great humiliation for royal princesses.

Even after this, Ibrahim was not pleased. He accused them of being disrespectful to Hümaşah, and exiled them to Edirne. He also took away their lands and jewelry, giving them to Hümaşah instead.Peirce 1993, p. 246.

Some reports say that Ibrahim especially disliked Kaya Sultan.

The next year, after Ibrahim was deposed and executed, Kaya and the other princesses were allowed to return to Constantinople. The new sultan, Mehmed IV, just six years old at the time, took the throne. At first, his grandmother Kösem Sultan (also Kaya’s grandmother) acted as regent. Later, his mother Turhan Sultan took over the regency.Sakaoğlu 2008, p. 235.

 Interpretations of her dreams 
According to Evliya Çelebi’s Book of Travels, Kaya Sultan began having strange dreams and asked her husband, Melek Ahmed Pasha, to interpret them. In one dream, Kaya saw herself walking in a garden with her grandfather, Sultan Ahmed I. At the end of the dream, Ahmed touched her face as a blessing—but his hand was suddenly covered in blood. When Kaya touched her own face, her hand was also covered in blood. She woke up frightened. Melek Ahmed told her to give 1,000 gold coins to the poor, 2,000 coins to her inner and outer palace staff, 300 to Evliya Çelebi, and 100 to Evliya’s sister as alms. Kaya followed these instructions. Later, Melek secretly told Evliya that the dream meant Kaya would die from bleeding during childbirth.

Soon after, Kaya had another dream, and again asked Melek to interpret it. Although Melek tried to comfort her by saying it was nothing serious, Kaya noticed his worried expression and realized he was hiding the truth. After that, Kaya became even more religious and generous, making large donations to Mecca and Medina. It became clear that Kaya Sultan was the wealthiest princess of her time, as seen by her huge charitable donations. She gave away much of her property to her children and servants, and even promised that if her family line ended, all the land income should go to the Holy Cities.

 Death 
Twenty-six days after Melek Ahmed Pasha had a dream that seemed to predict Kaya Sultan’s death during childbirth, she gave birth to a baby girl. Melek gave away many alms to the poor after the birth to show his gratitude.

However, serious complications followed. Kaya’s placenta did not come out and was said to have become "stuck to her heart." That night, the palace midwives and servants tried everything to help her. They wrapped her in blankets and shook her violently, hung her upside down, and even placed her inside a barrel filled with orange-flower water and honey. Kaya suffered these painful treatments for three days and nights. In desperation, the midwives covered their arms in almond oil and reached into her uterus to remove pieces of tissue that looked like liver and rennet.

Despite all efforts, Kaya Sultan died four days after childbirth, on 28 February 1658. 

She was buried in the tomb (türbe) of her uncle, Sultan Ibrahim I, in the Hagia Sophia Mosque.

 After death 
Ottoman princesses were not treated differently from other members of the ruling elite when it came to wealth. The state often viewed a princess’s wealth as something loaned to her, not something she truly owned.

After Kaya Sultan’s death, the Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha ordered that her wealth be confiscated by the state, even though her husband and daughter were still alive.

This action followed the rules of the Ottoman Timar system, where land and wealth were not inherited. Instead, they were reclaimed by the state after a person’s death. If a person’s children later proved useful to the empire, the Sultan could grant them new lands or property.

After Kaya’s death, her husband Melek Ahmed Pasha remarried her aunt, Fatma Sultan, but their marriage was said to be unhappy.

 Issue 
Through her marriage, Kaya Sultan had one son and two daughters:

 Fatma Afife Hanımsultan (1652–1727): She married Süleyman Pasha and became the stepmother to his sons from a previous marriage, Mahmud Bey and Ahmed Bey, but had no children of her own. She was very devoted and took care of her mother's charitable foundations after Kaya's death. She was buried in the Şehzade Mosque.
 Sultanzade Abdullah Bey (1655): He was born prematurely at seven months and sadly died within a day.
 Fülane Hanımsultan (born 24 February 1658 – possibly 1658): Kaya Sultan died four days after giving birth to her. There is no further information about Fülane, so it is believed she died with her mother or shortly after.

 Related pages 
 Ottoman dynasty
 Ottoman Empire
 Princess

 References 

 Bibliography 



Category:1630s births
Category:1659 deaths
Category:Deaths in childbirth
Category:Turkish Muslims