Hançerli Gevherhan Sultan

**Hançerli Gevherhan Sultan** (Ottoman Turkish; کوھرخان سلطان با خنجر; "*Gem of the Khan*"; 1485, Manisa - April 1533) was the daughter ofŞehzade Kasim, son of Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire and his wife Gülruh Hatun.

## Life

Gevherhan Sultan was born in Manisa in 1485. Her father was Şehzade Kasim the governor of the province, while her mother was Gülruh Hatun. He had one blood brother, Şehzade Musa and possibly another blood sister.

### First marriage

Gevherhan married at the age of five to her cousin Sultanzade Mustafa Bey, son of Ayşe Sultan, daughter of Murad II in 1495, he was also five or seven years old and the marriage was consummated around 1499, then they had two sons, Sultanzade Kasim Bey in 1500, probably in honor of his father and Sultanzade Mahmud Bey. The marriage seemed happy but ended in divorce.

### Second marriage

In 1506 she remarried Koca Mustafa Pasha, the pasha was 65 years old and Gevherhan was his fourth wife, Mehmed only married her because the pasha had a large fortune to inherit. It is said that the pasha wanted to take advantage of her on one occasion but Gevherhan took a dagger and threatened him that if he touched her he would have him executed, thus receiving the nickname of *Hançerli* (with the dagger). This is an example of the exercised right of the sultanas not to be forced to consummate the marriage. Gevherhan was widowed in 1508 and became very wealthy and financed many public works and the construction of a school between 1508 and 1509. During her second marriage she bought or received as a gift Ayşe Sultan, originally called Alix or Alixandra. It is believed that Geverham gave her the name Ayşe in honor of her half-sister Ayşe Hundi Sultan or her aunt Ayşe Sultan, mother of her first husband. Gevherhan educated the girl and later gave her as a gift to Sultan Bayezid via Despina Sultan or Pargali Ibrahim Pasha.

### Third marriage

In 1510/11 at the age of 25 or 26 she married Güzelce Hasan Bey, Geverham was partially happy, although the pasha was 10 years her senior he was known to be good-looking and highly coveted by Turkish noblewomen. The two tried to have children but the newborns died days after giving birth, it is believed that the pasha was sterile since even during his second marriage to Hatice Sultan, daughter of Murad II they did not even have children. Gevherhan and the pasha were divorced in 1516, possibly on the grounds that they were childless.

## Family

She was married firsty to Sultanzade Mustafa Bey and they had two sons:

* Sultanzade Kasim Bey (1500 - 1548) he married Katun Hatun before 1533, they attended the funeral of Geverhan Sultan in 1533.
* Sultanzade Mahmud Bey (died after 1533)

She and her third husband, Güzelce Hasan Bey tried to have a child, a total of four children were born, including twins who all died within days of birth.

## Death and Burial

Gevherhan subsequently retired to Bursa, where he led a spiritual life. He died during Bayezid's reign in 1533. Ayşe Sultan wrote to Bayezid:

> "I came to know that Geverhan who was like a mother to me has reunited with Allah [...] I will pay homage to her by taking care of her grave as she took care of me"
>
>

She was buried in the mausoleum of Şehzade Şehinşah, her uncle, and all her possessions were donated to the poor as directed by her.