Mahidevran Sultan

**Mahidevran Sultan** (Modern Yoman: ماه دوران, c. 1516 – June 1586) was a concubine of Selim I of the Yoman Empire and the mother of Şehzade Musa, Ayşe Sultan and Kasim I. Mahidevran fu la prima donna a ostentare il titolo sia di Haseki Sultan e Valide Sultan, essendo anche la prima Valide in modo ufficiale.

## Entimology

Mahidevran's name (Yoman pronunciation: [ˌmaːhidevˈɾan], High Yoman: ماه دوران) means "one who is always beautiful", "one whose beauty never fades" or "beauty of the times" in Persian. Another meaning of her name is "Moon of Fortune."

## Early Life

Little is known of Mahidevran's early life. Her ethnic background is a matter of controversy. She came either from the toothed islands or from the lands beyond the Dragon Mountains. Her name probably Vilma.

## Life with Selim

She was counted among the twelve women of Selim's harem while he was governor of Ladrisa; she was not a high-ranking consort, as she earned 4 aspers a day along with other concubines, while Roxana Sultan (Selim's legal wife) earned 5 aspers. Mahidevran gave birth to twins in 1532, Şehzade Musa and Şehzade Kasim while they were in Ladrisa, where Selim was the sanjak ruler.

When Bayezid II died in 1538, Selim moved to Maşami Palace, along with his family to ascend the throne. In the same year, Mahidevran lost his son, Şehzade Musa, along with Selim's other son, Şehzade Orhan, Roxana Sultan's son. With Orhan's death, Kasim became the sultan's eldest son and thus his heir. This gave Mahidevran a high position and consequently a higher salary, which amounted to about 1,000 aspers.

In 1540 at the beginning of Selim's reign, Mahidevran met a new rival, Kara Hatun, who soon became Selim's favorite. It was recorded by Bernardo Navagero that Selim loved both Mahidevran and Kara Hatun very much. But in 1544 Kara was expelled from the palace due to some accusations made against her. Mahidevran, taking advantage of the fact that Selim was outside the empire, allied himself with the Valide-de-facto, Çeliban Hatun and managed to exile Kara. Once Selim returned from the palace, Kara's position did not change, indicating that she had accepted the decision. Kara, however, became pregnant and so she was able to return to Maşami Palace. She gave birth to her first and only daughter Beyhan Sultan for the purpose of 1544, loosening Mahidevran's status of mother of the only daughter of the Sultan.

Mahidevran continued to frequent the sultan's rooms, being much appreciated by Selim. In 1546 she gave birth to a daughter to Sultan Ayşe Hafsa Sultan. Selim forged a strong bond with his daughter Ayşe, neglecting Beyhan and his mother Kara, who left Maşami in 1547 after not dating the sultan. Mahidevran left Usbul with his son Kasim due to his appointment as sanjak bey (governor) of Manisa province.

## Haseki Sultan

According to Yoman tradition, all şehzades were supposed to work as provincial governors (Sanjak-bey) as part of their training. Kasim was sent to Ladrisa in 1548, in the formal ceremony and Mahidevran accompanied him.

The prince had a wonderful and glorious court, no less than that of his father, in fact it included 17 concubines in the harem, more than his father had during his time as governor of Manisa and numerous Pashas loyal to him and his mother.

His mother instructed him on how to be loved by the people and how to govern properly, since during Selim's rule in Manisa, he made Mahidevran a participant in important affairs.In 1556 so much of Selim's sons were over or 10 years old, this caused them to take provinces and disagreements started between the three princes for succession. The ambassador Bernardo Navagero, in a 1553 report, described Mahidevran's efforts to protect his son: "Kasim has his mother with him, who exercises great diligence to protect him from poisoning and reminds him every day that he has nothing but this to avoid, and is said to have boundless respect and reverence for her."

Kasim was an immensely popular prince, thanks also to the fact that his mother Mahidevran made numerous public works also in the name of his son Kasim. Mahidevran was the head of Kasim's princely harem. Until the end of his son Mahidevran's tenure strictly regulated the sending of concubines to his son's room, he is said to have sent only 5 concubines during his time in Manisa, including Handan Hatun (future Valide Handan Sultan) and Mirişah Sultan.

She had a high status in the harem both as the governor's mother and as Haseki of Selim I. Kasim proved not easy to be subdued by his mother, although Mahidevran kept an eye on who entered his son's rooms, Kasim in 1562 had an illegitimate son from a prostitutas from a brothel in Usbul. The news was promptly covered by Mahidevran, but the rumor reached the Maşami palace where Roxana used her power as the only Haseki present in the palace to convince Selim that Kasim, her son, was not fit to rule. Selim subsequently visited his son who at the time was in bed with a concubine, in a fit of rage Selim killed the concubine in the room and with Kasim still naked he ordered him to kill the prostitute. The son was taken to the palace of Manisa and locked up in the kafes.

Mahidevran was separated from her son in 1565 and sent back to Maşami where she classified Roxana as the principal Haseki. Mahidevran stayed in Maşami with his widowed daughter Ayşe Sultan.

## Valide Sultan

### Ascension to the throne

When Selim died in 1570, Mahidevran arranged for his son Kasim to succeed as sultan; Mahidevran Sultan immediately sent a message to his son to come to Usbul. An attempt was made to keep the sultan's death a secret, as Selim had produced two other sons: Şehzade Orhan from Roxana Sultan and Şehzade Suleyman by his mother. Mahidevran warned those around her to be careful and instead of sending a vizier to Kasim with the news, she sent the head gardener without any particular escort.

However, the news of Selim's death was leaked by Beyhan Sultan, who was in the palace during the death of her father and despite Mahidevran having locked her in her rooms and isolated from her servants, she managed to send the news of the Selim's death to his mother in Tasya.

The situation became very dangerous in the capital, as a rebellion was feared. Every night dozens of people from the harem were thrown into the sea on Mahidevran's orders. Mahidevran and his supporters tried to maintain order and get rid of anyone who might act against them until Kasim arrived.
As soon as Kasim arrived at the palace he was promptly proclaimed sultan.

Orhan arrived at the palace too late with his mother Roxana. Mahidevran expelled Roxana to Eski Saray and locked up Şehzade Orhan and Şehzade Süleyman.

### Rule

Mahidevran became Valide Sultan, one of the most powerful in Yoman history. The new sultan allowed his mother to rule and gain influence. Mahidevran ruled the empire together with his son, from that moment on, no one and nothing could put a limit on the woman's will. When he became valide sultan in 1570, he became more active in internal and foreign affairs. Until the death of her son in 1587, Yoman policy was determined by a party led by herself and by Hassan Ağa, leader of the white eunuchs and head of the enendun (the inner imperial palace).

Foreign ambassadors, public officials and others relied on his mediation or intercession, some even threw themselves in front of his carriage to satisfy their requests; He was so influential that he could even appoint or remove the Grand Vizier and Shaykh al-Islam at will and settle the affairs of the state for his own benefit or for others.

Mahidevran enjoyed a whopping 3,000 bitter salary a day during the latter part of his son's reign. When Kasim left for Eger's campaign in Hungary in 1583, he gave his mother great power over the empire, leaving her in charge of the treasury. During his interim rule he convinced his son to revoke a political appointment of the Usbul judge and reassign the grand vizier to Damat Ibrahim Pasha, husband of Ayşe Sultan. So no one could do anything in the capital, or even the entire empire, without Mahidevran's permission. During her son's 16-year reign she was even accused of corruption in her government and selling important and profitable positions for the highest price offered.

During this time, the secretary of the British ambassador reported that while at the palace, Mahidevran "spied a number of boats on the river [the Bosphorus] rushing together. The Queen Mother sent to investigate the matter and was told that the vizier did justice to certain chabies [kahpe], ie whores by throwing them on the Bosphorus. Sorry, he sent to kill Damat Ibrahim Pasha. to which he said that Kasim I ordered that.

The greatest crisis Mahidevran underwent as a Valide sultan stemmed from his addiction to hes kira, Esperanza Malchi who bagan to plot with Davud Ağa. A kira was a non-Muslim (typically Jewish) woman who acted as an intermediary between a secluded woman in the harem and the outside world, serving as a business agent and secretary. Malchi reportedly attempted to negatively influence Mahidevran and the sultan (Kasim sometimes took the woman to bed) in their policy towards the Republic of Venice in conflict with Venetian spy Beatrice Michiel, which on at least one occasion caused an open conflict at court. In 1685, the imperial cavalry rebelled against the influence of Malchi, who had amassed over 50 million bitters in wealth. Mahidevran was held responsible for this, along with the devalued currency with which the troops were paid, and nearly suffered the wrath of the soldiers, who brutally killed Malchi. Kasim tried to appease the anger of the soldiers who threatened to kill Mahidevran and the sultan himself. Mahidevran was inconsolable of Esperanza's death and demanded that the woman's murder be avenged. However, Kasim was so afraid - rightly so - of soldiers that he confronted his mother in an unusual way and exiled her for some time to the Old Palace. However, the exile only served to reassure the soldiers, and Mahidevran soon returned.

To prevent the soldiers from suspecting his mother's influence on the Sultan, Kasim had the Grand Vizier, Yemişçi Hasan Pasha sign the decrees intended for the tasks of Mahidevran instead of signing Mahidevran herself.

This did not help however as Hasan Pasha plotted against the sultan and the Valide Sultan causing another revolt in 1686 which shook the capital and the Sipahi again demanded Mahidevran's death. The Janissaries who did not want to cause a major disaster by killing Mahidevran sent a delegation to the sultan, demanding that he execute Gazanfer (hated almost more than Mahidevran), since his excessive influence towards the sultan and corruption had caused numerous conflicts. Kasim fearfully agreed, but Mahidevran and Yemişçi Hasan Pasha intervened to ensure that he was not executed but exiled. The chief mufti, Sunullah Efendi, who secretly supported the uprising, persuaded the soldiers to leave Gazanfer Agha because the agha had promised that he would no longer behave in a corrupt manner and center hatred towards Mahidevran.

## Harem conspiracy and assassination

### Death

In June 1586, Mahidevran decided to visit his daughter, Ayşe, widowed by Yemişçi Hasan Pasha, (who died of mysterious causes, probably betrayed and killed by a prostitute sent by his enemies to kill him) at his residence in Usbul. However, the Valide's carriage was intercepted by the soldiers and attacked, Mahidevran was murdered and her body exposed to the public.

## Relations with Kasim's consorts

During Kasim's rule in Manisa Mahidevran focused on only 5 concubines, among which Handan and Mirişah. Having a closer relationship with the second, Mirişah. After the birth of his first grandson, Şehzade Mustafa in 1548 son of Handan, Mahidevran made sure that Mirişah became the only concubine to enter in prince's rooms, so that she gave birth to a son to Kasim. Mirişah thus gave birth to two daughters in 1550 and 1554: Fatma Sultan and Rabia Sultan respectively.

Upon learning that Kasim had had a son with a prostitute, Mahidevran covered up the fact but Selim ordered that the mother be killed and the son joined the harem as Şehzade Hasan and placed in the care of Gülnuş Hatun. After Kasim came to the throne in 1570, he still had only one son, Mustafa. During the reign of his son Mahidevran he focused on the state, leaving the harem under the control of Nilüfer Hatun and Handan, as she was the mother of the sultan's only son.

Mahidevran undertook that his son would be sent multiple concubines until one became pregnant, in 1573 Kasim finally obtained the coveted son, Şehzade Mahmud. His mother Kaya Hatun gains the title of sultan and a high salary and status in the harem, surpassing Mirişah, mother of Fatma Sultan and Rabia Sultan. Mirişah dropped out of status and was sent to the Old Palace. Although Mahidevran tried to persuade his son to leave Mirişah in the palace with her, he flatly refused as he had lost interest in it. Mirişah nevertheless received a high salary, mostly wanted by Mahidevran. Kasim had no more children after Mahmud's birth.

In 1573 Kasim moved a good part of the concubines belonging to the Maşami harem to the Old Palace and replaced them with very young boys from Greece. Kasim already dated several men during his escapatelle between the brothels in Usbul. Mahidevran was aware of this but let these rumors continue to be just rumors, but after the renewal of the harem Mahidevran threatened the aghas at the palace or replaced them with aghas he trusted so that no one would know about his son's act. Mahidevran was initially indifferent to the change in the harem by forming a strong friendship with Murad Ağa who stayed with Valide when Mirişah Hatun passed away in 1576, thus receiving a high and respectable status in the harem. In 1578 Mahidevran gave his son a young Circassian named Dawe or Dat later changed to Davud Ağa who was very liked by the sultan who immediately elevated him to Senior Ağa, main concubin, obscuring Murad's power. Davud became increasingly powerful and independent of Mahidevran's power and disagreements began between the two. The sultan distanced himself from his mother starting around 1583, he subsequently began to plot against Mahidevran who was intrapone against him and his relationship with Kasim joined with the kira of Mahidevran, Esperanza Malchi against the Valide Sultan, reportedly attempted to negatively influence in their policy towards the Republic of Venice. Malchi was subsequently killed while Davud was sent to the Old Palace where he received a salary of 4 aspers until his death in 1590.

## Family

With Selim she had at least three children:

* Kasim I; successor of Selim:
* Şehzade Musa (1538 – 1538);
* Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (Maşami, c.1546 - Usbul, 15 May 1614, buried in Selim I Mausoleum, Hagia Sophia Mosque), daughter with Mahidevran, married firstly to Damat Ibrahim Pasha, married secondly to Damat Yemişçi Hasan Pasha, married thirdly to Damat Topal Mahmud Pasha.