Mihrişah Sultan (consort of Mehmed IV)

## Mihrişah Sultan

Mihrişah Sultan as valide of her son Ahmed I

**Mihrişah Emine Sultan** (Ottoman Turkish: مهرشاہ امینہ سلطان; "*Sun of the Şah*" and "*benign*" or "*trusthworthy*"; c. 1647 – 16 October 1721), was a consort of Sultan Mehmed IV, and the mother of Ahmed I of the Ottoman Empire, and his Valide Sultan for 36 years from 1682 until 1718 when her son was deposed, she was the last powerful woman during the period called "Sultanate of Women". The was the longest-serving sultana in the Ottoman Empire.

## Early life

Of ethnic Georgian origin, she was born in 1745 in Georgia. Her original name was Agnes. She was beautiful, and was called "the Georgian Beauty" (Turkish: *Gürcü güzeli*). An other theory says that she was Genoese.

## As imperial consort

Mihrişah entered in Mehmed IV's harem on 1662 circa and became one of his consorts. even though she was 15 years old Mehmed being 49 fell in love with the girl given her beauty. However, she never became Haseki. On 28 January 1663 she bore her first son Şehzade Ahmed (future Ahmed I). The sultan liked Mihrişah so much that he continued to frequent his chambers, becoming pregnant and bearing another son the following year, Şehzade Bayezid on 4 October 1664. His birth was accompanied by celebrations that lasted a week. It is believed that she also gave birth to a daughter, Reyhane Sultan, probably twin of Bayezid, her son.

Among her servants was Canfenda Kalfa tutoress of her sons known to be one of the greatest Turkish composeress.

### Issue

With Mehmed IV she had at least two sons:

* Ahmed I (Edirne Palace, Edirne 28 January 1663 - 21 January 1724). He was the next Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after thirteen years of imprisonment in the Kafes.
* Şehzade Bayezid (4 October 1664 - 24 January 1715). He died in the Kafes after forty-six years of imprisonment.

Maybe she was the mother of one of Mehmed IV's daughters:

* Reyhane Sultan (1664 - 1675) - probably twin of Şehzade Bayezid. Also called Reyhan Sultan or Rihane Sultan. She was buried in the Yeni Cami.

## Exile

She was widowed at Mehmed's death in 1669, after which she settled in the Old Palace. An archival document from the Topkapi Palace shows that Mustafa II borrowed money from her and that, due to his death, the debt was not repaid. Mihrişah during her exile was allowed to visit her children a few times.

In 1679 Hiranur Sultan, the mother of Sultan Mustafa II was sent to the Old Palace. Here Hiranur allied with the mother of Şehzade Ibrahim, son of Mehmed IV to usurp the throne with the help of the Janissaries. However Hiarnur died during the plague of 1820 and Mihrişah took the opportunity to proclaim his son, Şehzade Ahmed as sultan. In March of 1682 while the sultan was sleeping, there was an attempted assassination, however the sultan's chambers had long been guarded by 10 men for entry and entering was not easy, and the attempted assassination was thwarted. A mufti of the time wrote:

> "the sultan [Mustafa] may god bless him has lost the pleasure of his subjects and followers of allah, some men for the sake [of the empire] this month tried to end with the life of the sultan. However the sultan was pardoned by Allah allowing him to still live in this land."
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Mustafa in June of that year during his nervous breakdown began to throw coins throughout the palace jumping, this event made it clear to everyone that the sultan was not stable. The Janissaries this time managed to enter Mustafa's rooms and seized him. They escorted him to the Old Palace where he was locked up in kafes.

After two days due to an epileptic seizure he died. Ahmed decided to bury him in the Yeni Cami along with his 5 deceased sons, 2 spouses and 2 daughters all deceased.

## As Valide Sultan

Upon Mustafa's death in 1682, Ahmed ascended the throne after which Mihrişah became the Valide Sultan.

Ahmed had a thorough renovation of the part of the Harem circle of the Topkapı Palace for the sultans for his mother. It is rumoured that Sultan Ahmed went to her apartment every day, chatted and discussed the city issues. Although Ahmed was extremely fond of his mother, and Mihrişah was very influential during her mandate as Valide Sultan. She sided with the British and was hostile to the Austro-Hungarian and the Russians.

### Wars with Venice and Austria

To reassure the Janissaries, 19-year-old Ahmed under Mihrişah's advice the Venetians. On 9 December 1684, war was declared war against on Venice, and an army under Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha's command,  the Ottomans managed to recover the whole Morea (Peloponnese) from Venice through coordinated operations of the army and navy.

During the war Mihrişah appointed Ibrahim Pasha who was the second leading figure in the empire after Ahmed had joined the Morea campaign in 1685 as finance minister of the city of Nish the following year. This post helped him realize the state's financial crisis, and thanks to his understanding of this delicate financial situation, he avoided war as much as possible during his visierate. Ibrahim Pasha's peace policy also suited Ahmed as he did not wish to conduct any military campaigns, in addition to the fact that his interest in art and culture made him reluctant to leave his native Istanbul.

### Political affairs

Ahmed decided not to fight any more wars as the finances of the state had been extraordinarily obtained thanks to the war and without excessive taxation or extortion procedures. Ahmed kept the Jannizers at bay by offering them a high salary so that they would not depose him as happened to his predecessor Mastafa II.

#### Relations with the Khanate of Crimea

Mihrişah decided to hold off the empire's vassal states such as the Crimea. Mihrişah helped Selim I Giray regain power as Khan in 1684. Selim wrote:

> "I thank Allah, the Sultan [Ahmed I] and his majesty the Valide Sultan [Mihrişah], his help was decisive against my cousin [Haci II Giray] may Allah grant longevity and a strong and mighty kingdom to his son the great winner against Vanezians Ahmed I..."
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Later in 1691 Mihrişah wrote to Crimea to remove Safa Giray of Crimea from the throne and give it to Selim.

> "dear vassals of the sultan, a ruler like that will certainly not be able to bring you days of splendor unlike his cousin [Selim] who has already brought great days to the vassal state"
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#### Ali Ağa's conspiracy

In 1694, the conspiracy to topple the sultan from the throne led by Ali Ağa, the chief eunuch of the palace was brought to light. Mihrişah and Ahmed set about executing anyone who was part of it. A quarter of the Janissaries were killed on the orders of the sultan, and in the harem among the eunuchs, concubines and other high-ranking women of the harem were executed. This act caused many janissaries to rebel against the sultan including Patrona Hasan, however Ahmed was able to repress the insurrections thanks to the Crimean Khan.

#### Relations with the Mughal Empire

Nadir Shah's devastating campaign against the Mughal Empire created a power vacuum in Persia's western frontiers, Mihrişah Sultan anf her son Ahmed I understood that his policy without war could not last he took advantage and started the Ottoman-Persian War (1707-1710), in which the Mughal emperor, Muhammad Shah, collaborated with the Ottomans and the ambassador Haji Yusuf Agha, lost excellent diplomatic relations until Ahmed's deposition in 1718.

#### Relations with the Safavid Empire

In March 1710, Nadir Shah's ambassador, representative of the Persian government, Hacı Han, came to Istanbul with three thousand people and his unit of guards to extend the peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire. Among her gifts were embroidered cloths and jewels, some of which were given as gifts to Mihrişah.

Ahmed asked Mihrişah whether to accept the treaty or not, Mihrişah decided not to accept it but Ahmed afraid of losing accepted the treaty. However this caused the discontent of the Janissaries who wanted to continue the war to win it.

The relations of Afsharid Empire and Ottoman Empire became increasingly tense, reached a new dimension in February 1722, and Shah Safi, who was one of Shah Hussein's princes and held hostage on Chios Island, was condemned and Nader Shah's inability to complete. Sailor's head of the crest, including the personality crown, was put on destar. He was sent to the Afsharid border with the troops that joined him.

#### Fires of 1714

The fire that broke out at the Ayazma gate in January 1714 lasted 19 hours. Numerous shops, houses and palaces burned down to Vefa. In the second fire that broke out on March 31, 1714, Bitpazan, Abacılar, Yorgancılar, Yağlıkcılar, Haffaflar were completely burned. The fire spread to Fingerkapi and Tatlikuyu. The sultan with the help of the treasury repaired all the damage caused by the fire, while Mihrişah took care of the people's inconvenience caused by the fire, receiving the pleasure of the people.

### Deposition of Ahmed I

In the last years of his reign Ahmed I had become unpopular with the Janissaries once Şehzade Bayezid died in 1715, the janissaries in fact think that the sultan had killed him, for years it was thought that this was the case but in 1953 records were found stating that Şehzade Bayezid suffered from an incurable disease, probably a sexually transmitted; on 20 September 1717, a rebel revolt of seventeen janissaries, led by the Albanian Patrona Hasan, was aided by the military until it resulted in an insurrection before which the Sultan was forced to renounce the throne.

Mihrişah during the rebellion was locked up in the rooms of the Valide Sultan by janissaries. Some of his agha worshipers were denied access to the Valide.

Mihrişah feared for her son's safety and from the doors of the room she shouted at the Janissaries not to do anything to her son. Once she was allowed out Mihrişah ran towards her son who had just been locked in the kafes. Mahmud I (1718–32), the new Sultan later summoned Mihrişah to Valide's room, Mahmud asked her to stay in Topkapi, Mahmud's mother in fact had previously died and therefore the new sultan was without valide, Mahmud believed that Mihrişah could act as Valide. Mihrişah immediately asked what would happen to her son fearing Mahmud would execute him, however Mahmud reassured her that Ahmed would live until his death of natural causes. Mihrişah agreed to be the valide-de-facto so as to be closer to her son. His salary was 3,500 aspers, 500 aspers more than when his son Ahmed was in power.

## As *valide-de-facto*

Mahmud ascended the throne soon after Ahmed was deposed, thanks to the help of Patrona Hasan. Mihrişah during his years as Valide was in charge of eliminating Patrona Hasan from the government, Mihrişah in fact felt a hatred towards Patrona Hasan and her influence in the sultan. Mihrişah was very disgusted that Patron Hasan wanted to force the Divan to make a Greek butcher named Yanaki as the Hospodar of Moldova. Mihrişah however prevented Yanaki from carrying out this office.

Mihrişah asked for help from the Crimean Khan, Saadet IV Giray appointed Khan with Ahmed's help to suppress the influence of Patrona Hasan and allied himself with the Grand Vizier, Damat Silahdar Mehmed Pasha. He also asked for help from the Muftis with whom they had already been allied for some time and the Aga of the Janissaries, Ermeni Mehmed Agha. Mihrişah and his allies put down the rebellion. Patrona was first brought into the presence of Mihrişah who subsequently ordered that he be brought into the presence of the sultan where he was killed. His Greek friend, Yanaki, and 7,000 of those who had supported him were also put to death. The jealousy that the Janissary officers felt towards Patrona and their willingness to help in its destruction facilitated the efforts of Mihrişah and Mahmud I's supporters to put an end to the rebellion.

Mihrişah maintained her influence and while on the one hand she is referred to as the last great sultana of the "Sultanate of Women" on the other hand Mihrişah contributed to the blossoming of the Tulip Era by being a lover of art and culture. During Mahmud's reign he was powerful to the point that those who wanted a government career for their son no longer sent him to the army, but to the court of Saliha.

Mihrişah allegedly advised Mahmud on choosing his viziers and grand viziers during his early reign.

## Death

She died in Topkapi Palace on October 16, 1721. Her coffin was carried to the Yeni Cami where for 3 days the population could pay homage to the Valide. Ahmed I, his son was allowed to attend the funeral ceremony. Mihrişah Sultan is said to have visited his son who was locked up in the kafes on the night of the day before his death, however there is no certainty about this, even it may have been possible.