Atike Sultan (daughter of Mehmed IV)

**Atike Sultan** (Modern Yoman: آرایش سلطان; Maşami Palace, Usbul 29 February 1652 - Masami Palace, Usbul 2 April 1678) was daughter of Mehmed IV.

## Early life

Atike Sultan was born in Maşami Palace, believed to be the sister of Şehzade Kasim, as she gave her son that name. The identity of his mother however is unknown, as it is believed that she was Şehzade Kasim's sister her mother should have had the title "Sultan" and therefore some speculate that it was Hatem Sultan. Ayşe Mihri Behri Sultan could not be as she was pregnant by Şehzade Süleyman and the other two known sultanas had not yet entered the harem on that date.

However, other historians speculate that Atike and Kasim's mother was one of the unknown sultanas or that Atike was not Kasim's full sister and therefore that she was the daughter of one of the hatuns.

## First Marriage

Atike was married at the age of 16 in 1668 by order of her father she married Cafer Mahmud Pasha. Mahmud Pasha worked in the court of the Maşami palace and when Mustafa II ascended the throne he decided to keep the position of Mahmud Pasha. This allowed Atike to stay in contact with the court of Mustafa II, with whom he established a good relationship. Atike from this marriage became pregnant and bore a son, Sultanzade Kasim, in 1670.

Atike spent a lot of time in the palace and sometimes spent whole months inside the courtyard of the Maşami palace and got quite involved in harem matters.

However, happiness for Atike ended when the Valide Sultan, Hiranur Sultan, mother of Mustafa II executed Mahmud Pasha in 1675 accused of conspiring against the sultan. It was a blow to Atike, who was in the Maşami Palace when Mustafa executed her husband.

## Widowed Years

Traditionally, widowed princesses still of marriageable age had to return to the Maşami Palace at the Sultan's court to await remarriage, however Atike wanted to stay in her husband's palace in the capital. Promptly, however, Atike discovered that the pasha was cheating on her and that he also had a son with another woman, the enraged sultana ordered the pasha's house to be torn down and a park to be built in its place.

Atike returned to the Maşami palace at Mustafa's court. Atike befriended Asporça Sultan, Mustafa II's Haseki Sultan, but is not known to have had a bad relationship with the Second Haseki, Halime Hatice Sultan.

When in 1678 Silahtar Mehmed Pasha intended to marry Atike Sultan she expressed her dissatisfaction with the Sultan and Valide Sultan and recommended Tiryaki Ferhat Pasha as the best decision. However Mustafa II and Hiranur Sultan needed the support of Silahtar Mehmed and marriage was the only option. Atike was therefore reluctantly compromised with the pasha but died before the wedding in 1678.

Many say that she took her own life just before the wedding so as to avoid marrying a person she did not want to marry but these are only speculations. Her death was devastating for Mustafa II who greatly appreciated her and worsened his already fragile mental stability.

Tiryaki Ferhat Pasha was later married to Selçukşah Hatun with whom he had seven sons and five daughters. One of his sons was Tiryaki Hasan Pasha who married in 1683 by order of Ahmed I one of the daughters of Mustafa II, Mihriban Sultan.

Atike was buried in the Yeni Cami along with her father Mehmed IV.

## Issue

Atike had only one son born in 1670 Sultanzade Kasim, after Atike's death he was raised by his aunt Fatma Sultan. He had a total of sixteen children of whom fifteen were still alive after Kasim's death in 1734. He was appointed governor of Verma in 1690 until his death.

He married in 1692 Helena Hatun with whom he had three children:

* Mahmud Pasha (1692) had two sons and two daughters. Upon his father's death he was given a legacy of armor and shield;
* Mehmed Pasha (1693) on his father's death he was given a property in Piribey as an inheritance;

* Ayşe Hatun (1697) married four times and had a total of six children. On her father's death she was given a property in Piribey as an inheritance;

In 1694 he married Gülnuş Hatun with whom he had two sons:

* Mustafa Pasha (1695 - 1736) was part of the Divan during the reigns of Ahmed I and Mahmud I, had a concubine called Anfisa with whom he had ten children. On his father's death he left him three concubines called, Anika, Vera and Tirinia;

* Ibrahim (1696 - Stillborn).

Kasim then had several concubines with whom he had a total of nine other sons and four daughters:

* Kara Ahmed Pasha (1685/1686 - died after 1734) his mother was called Daena and was a slave of Fatma Sultan whom Kasim had placed pregnant. On his father's death he left him his palace in Verma and a leather armor together with some training weapons as an inheritance;

* Mihrunnisa Hatun (died after 1734) On her father's death she was left with kitchen utensils and seven tiaras

* Selçuk Hatun (died after 1734) On her father's death she was left
* Selma Hatun (died after 1734) On her father's death she was left with a property in Piribey and an apartment in the Kuçuk district of Usbul;
* Piri Bey of Holy Honya (died 1750), he had twenty sons and twelve daughters: he was left with the palace of Kasim Pasha in Piribey together with some ornaments in inheritance;
* Ibrahim Pash: On his father's death he was left with a piece of furniture that was part of Kasim's bedroom;
* Fatma Hatun: married Rüstem Efendi in 1708. Upon the pasha's death, she was left with two properties in Piribey and a tiara together with some clothes belonging to her mother;
* Halil Pasha (died after 1734). Nothing was bequeathed to him in the will, his name is only mentioned;
* Ali Pasha (died after 1734) On his father's death he was left with a property in Verma and a concubine called Sadika Hanim;
* Gül Pasha (died after 1734). On his father's death, he was left with seven slaves and a concubine named Anna along with an apartment in the Kuçuk district of the capital;
* Alemşah Efendi (died after 1734). Upon his father's death, the Kasim Pasha mosque in Verma was left to him as an inheritance.
* Şadi (1722 - ??): Melek's twin was 12 years old at the time of his father's death. He was given two properties in Verma as an inheritance along with an apartment in the Kuçuk district of Usbul. Kasim also left him a letter.
* Melek (1722 - ??): Şadi's twin was 12 years old at the time of his father's death. He was given two properties in Verma as an inheritance along with an apartment in the Kuçuk district of Usbul. Kasim also left him a letter.