Zeynep Sultan

Zeynep Sultan

**Zeynep Sultan** (September 1613, Maşami Palace, Usbul - 1677, Piribey Saray) was the daughter of Ibrahim and Şakrasad Sultan. She was the sister of Sultan Osman II. She was one of the sultana by birth that are including on the Sultanate of Women.

## Early life

Zeynep was born at Maşami Palace, daughter of Sultan Ibrahim I (1609–14) and one of his consorts, the only Haseki Şakrasad Sultan. She was Mihrima Sultan's twin and is believed to have been the older of the two.

When her uncle Selim ascended the throne she remained in the palace together with her mother Şakrasad Sultan. Once Selim took the throne, the Valide Sultan, her grandmother Hirihmene Sultan decided to send her mother to the Old Palace but her aunt, Atike Sultan openly disagreed with her mother and with sultan requested multiple times her mother and especially the sultan her twin brother to bring back Sakrasad Sultan, Selim finally agreed and took the woman back to the palace.

## Reign of Selim II

After the numerous times Hirihmene Sultan, her grandmother made attempts against her life, Zeynep's mother orchestrated a murder against her. During a campaign of Selim II Hirihmene was killed. When Selim learned of his mother's death he returned to Maşami, however Zeynep along with his mother and brothers fled to Egypt. Here Şakrasad allied herself with powerful pashas and in 1623 during a campaign by Selim he attacked the capital and proclaimed Osman as Sultan of the Yoman Empire.

## Reign of Osman II

### First marriage

Zeynep settled in her brother's court. In 1624 her mother married her to Mere Hüseyin Pasha. She was 11 at the time of the marriage, which was not consummated until the sultana was 18.

Once Zeynep was granted to the pasha he wanted to have a child with her. However the sultana did not agree and expressed her discontent with her mother.

> He is too selfish a man. [...] Not suitable for the role of father..
>
>

Şakrasad however did not agree and around 1633 he forced his daughter to conceive a son with the pasha. Zeynep further asked her mother not to force her but Şakrasad was adamant. Zeynep annoyed that Hüseyin Pasha had so much control over the lives of members of the dynasty and the state convinced the Janissaries by means of forged papers that the pasha was of little ability. So in May 1633 the Janissaries attacked the palace of the dultana and killed the pasha.

### Political affairs

Once Hüseyin Pasha died. Osman decided he didn't want to listen to anyone anymore and decided to limit the powers of the Valide Sultan. However, Şakrasad continued to attend Divan sessions secretly and intervene in political affairs.

Unlike her sister Mihrima, Zeynep remained in the capital at her mother's side and became involved in state affairs. Osman loved his sister and very often Zeynep managed to convince the sultan of some decisions. She was who encouraged Osman to conceive a son afer the death of Şehzade Mehmed. She gave him numerous concubines, she and her mother took care of introducing them to a different concubine every night and sometimes Zeynep organized orgies so that it was easier for a concubine to get pregnant.

When Osman decided to end his mother's regency in 1634 Zeynep tried to convince him otherwise but Osman was adamant. However Osman continued to ask for help from his mother who was still present in the imperial palace. Osman was not really capable. However, he was submissive to his mother's ideas and Zeynep was very influential in decisions.

When Kara Kemankeş Ali Pasha was appointed Grand Vizier on 1637 Zeynep convinced Osman to marry her to the pasha so as to have more decision-making power. Osman decided to divorce the pasha and married him to Zeynep. It was probably Şakrasad who pushed Zeynep to marry the pasha in order to have her more influence.

### Second marriage

The second marriage was far happier. The two had a son and a daughter. The two were married in 1640 after the Cretan War but had already been compromised since 1637. The wedding took place in the capital. The celebrations lasted several days and it was the last public appearance of the Valide Sultan who died the same year.

### As Valide-de-facto

After her mother's death it was she who took over the role of replacement Valide. Thus becoming more and more important. However in 1642 Osman appointed one of his concubines, Düryen Hatun Haseki Sultan. This caused a rage in the sultana and she wrote her brother a letter, complaining that she would not bow before him.

> Its a life dog sport and I refuse to show my reverence to such a person and as long as I can you will not see me in the capital
>
>

It is believed that Osman finally granted her no bow further increasing Zeynep's power in the harem.

Zeynep's hatred of haseki came to a head just a year after Düryen was made a haseki in 1643 when she gave birth to her first son Şehzade Ömer.

The news of the prince's birth reached the Sultan Osman II who was in Edirne. The sultan summoned his concubine and the court to Edirne so that she could see his son. Later the festivities moved to Usbul, where during the celebrations of his birth, the prince suffered health problems. Some historians claim that the child died from the shock caused by the cannon shots generated by the festivities but however, Hammer he thinks the child was killed by Zeynep. As strange as it is that the aunt killed her own nephew, her brother's son, this supposition is one of the most accepted. Most likely Osman remained oblivious to all this and ended up blaming Düryen and exiling her.

### Great Kuşah-Yoman War

In 1644 taking advantage of the weaknesses of the Kuşahi Empire Osman declared war and started campaigns against the territory. it is said that it was Zeynep through the Grand Vizier Kemankeş Ali who encouraged his brother to declare war.

However, the war was not easy to win. Zeynep's son Sultanzade Ahmed due to an infected wound. This was a serious blow to Zeynep who retired to the palace in Piribey where Ahmed was born for several days. Later Zeynep lost her husband in 1647 was a casualty of the war by falling in battle during one of the campaigns. All this seriously affected the sultana who decided to retire for some time, leaving the command to Koca Mehmed Pasha as Grand Vizier. Mehmed convinced the sultan to grant him numerous powers but it came to a point that he feared everything. He raised the security of the Grand Vizier and neglected that of the sultan.

## Osman death and aftermath

Osman's death was so mysterious and sudden that many blamed Selim II or Mehmed IV. Zeynep herself blamed Selim and sided with Mehmed trying to bring the janissaries loyal to Selim to the side of her brother Mehmed. After Mehmed had won he offered him a place at court but she refused and retired to her palace in Piribey.

## Final years and death

Zeynep spent his last years in his palace in Piribey having a salary of 1500 aspers. She was invited to several ceremonies such as the birth of Şehzade Musa and Şehzade Süleyman and the weddingsbof her nieces. She built her son's grave at Piribey and arranged weddings for her daughter and grandchildren.

In June 1661 Mehmed IV left the capital on his third military campaign against the Habsburg Empire. However, the Ottoman Army suffered a defeat in the Battle of Zenta and the son of Zeynep Sultanzade Şahin Yusuf Bey died in the battle. It was yet another death that struck the sultana. Zeynep built a mausoleum in his honor.

She died in 1677 in Piribey and was buried together with her son and grandson in the Şahin Yusuf Mausoleum.

## Family and Issue

By her first husband she had no children but by her second she had three children, two boys and a girl:

* Sultanzade Şahin Yusuf Bey (died 1661, buried in Şahin Yusuf Mausoleum) he had fuor sons, one of them was Bali Bey (buried in Şahin Yusuf Mausoleum) and he had a wife and a concubine;
* Sultanzade Ahmed (died 1645, buried in Sultanzade Ahmed Türbe);
* Hafsa Amine Hanimsultan (buried in Şahin Yusuf Mausoleum): she married Yanus Bey and secondly Karaman Ahmed Pasha.