Mihriali Hatun

**Mihriali Fatma Hatun** (Modern Yoman: محریالی فاطما خاتون, "sublime sun" and "one who abstains"; 1248 – 1303) was a yoman princess, daughter of Işa I. She was the wife of Cardalışah Bey, the first beylerbey of Aember.

## Marriage

She was first mentioned in 1254 when her grandfather Orhan I betrothed her to Cardalışah Bey, the source stating that she was six years old at the time and thus suggesting that she was born around 1248. The marriage was not consummated until 1262 and since Cardalışah was beylerbey of Aember Mihriali had to move to the palace of the Beylerbey of Aember.

Cardalışah in 1265 executed three pashas belonging to his Council without asking permission. An enraged Işa called him to the capital and threatened him. Mihriali therefore out of fear that Işa executed her husband she tried to give advice to her husband. Cardalışah initially refused and did not pay attention to her, but little by little he began to accept his wife's advice. The historian Korkut Pasha stopped mentioning her and she was lost until Mahmud's reign when she reappeared.

## Issue

She had at least six children who were still alive in 1288.

* Süleyman Pasha: he participated in the War of Redsons.
* Orhan Pasha: he participated in the War of Redsons.
* Selçuk Hatun
* Selma Hatun
* Menekşe Hatun
* Selim Bey: he participated in the War of Redsons.

## War of Redsons

When his half-brothers Mehmed Bey and Mahmud Bey returned to the borders of the empire Murad declared war on them and forced his sisters to take sides. While her other sisters swore loyalty to Murad and later betrayed him in favor of Mehmed and Mahmud, she and her sisters Hatice Hatun and Salça Hatun remained faithful to him.

Mihriali's loyalty was probably towards Murad, this is suggested both by the fact that being the wife of the beylerbey of Aember she and her husband sent a quantity of men to war and whether she feared that her husband would be executed by Murad for treason, Mahmud's treatment of her after his accession suggests that she was loyal to Murad.

During the battle of Barsa the Janissaries, led by Hundi Hatun, had in mind to betray Murad in favor of Mehmed Bey however according to Lamar Efendi (end of the 14th century) Mihriali convinced part of the Janissaries to follow Murad and stop the traitor Janissaries thus dooming the life of his brother Mehmed Bey. Simran, a historian of the 16th century, claims that the death of his nephew Abdülmecid Çelebi was her fault, clearly she did not order his death but according to Simran the men who clashed with Abdülmecid came from the province of Aember.

## Supposed imprisonment and death

When Mahmud won against Murad's troops Mürçi states that Mihriali he was in the Türfeş Palace but following the advice of his servants he abandoned the palace and left for Aember. She then continues by saying that Mahmud reached her only 3/4 weeks after his appointment Mahmud. Mahmud was angry with the cheating sisters (Hatice, Salça and Mihriali herself) but was especially angry with her according to Murçi and Lamar Efendi.

It is unknown what the cause of her imprisonment was, Simran claims that Mahmud blamed her for her son's death while Lamar claims that Mahmud blamed her for Mehmed Bey's death. However, many think that the imprisonment was only a house arrest similar to that of Salça Hatun, or that it never happened and that it was a later invention, in fact all the sources attesting to this are after the reign of Ömer Bey.

Lamar Efendi says that Mihriali died around 1303 and was buried by Mahmud in the Mausoleum of Işa I.