Handan Sultan
| Handan Sultan | |
|---|---|
 The türbe of Handan is located next to that of Mehmed III in the courtyard of Hagia Sophia | |
| Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire | |
| Tenure | 22 December 1603 – 26 November 1605 |
| Predecessor | Safiye Sultan |
| Successor | Halime Sultan |
| Born | Helen[1] 1574 Greece |
| Died | November 26, 1605 Istanbul, Ottoman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Mehmed III, Ottoman Sultan |
| Issue | Ahmed I, Ottoman Sultan |
| Religion | Islam previously Greek Orthodox Christian |
Handan Sultan (fully Devletlu İsmetlu Handan Valide Sultan Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri; ca. 1574 – 26 November 1605;[2] Handan meaning "joyful") was the mother of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I and his Valide Sultan from 22 December 1603 until 26 November 1605.
Life
She was either an Greek Orthodox Christian or a Muslim. Some sources have claimed that she was ethnically Greek, originally named Helena. Other sources say that she was an ethnic Circassian, originally named Handan and was born in Caucasus. She was married to Mehmed in 1589 by Servazad Hatun who was the daughter of Mustafa Pasha, brother of Mahidevran Sultan.
Some sources say that it was Safiye Sultan, who presented Handan to her son Mehmet III to concurrence Halime Sultan, his first wife and the future Valide Sultan of Mustafa I.
According to some other sources, she was also the mother of Ottoman Sultan Mustafa I, but this is not proven. She prevailed upon her son Ahmed I to save the life of Mustafa I by making him abolish "the law on the immediate execution of the brothers of the Ottoman Sultans" upon his accession to the Ottoman throne. The law was initially put into effect by Fatih Sultan Mehmed for the purpose of preventing probable fighting among the Sultan's brothers who were the potential claimants to the Ottoman throne.[1][3]
During the first two years of the reign of Sultan Ahmed I, she was the Vâlide Sultân, being his mother.
The contemporary historian Ibrahim Pecevi questioned her wisdom. Leslie Peirce points out that Ahmed I tended to disregard her advice.[4] While respecting the tradition that a mother's right is God's right, he ingeniously circumvented her will. She did not manage to receive either influence or economic funds as had the two previous Valide Sultans. Her salary was only 1000 akçes even though she acted as the co-regent as the Valide Sultan during the first two years of the regency of her son Sultan Ahmed I while the grandmother Safiye Sultan was receiving 3000 akçes during the same period.
Handan died at the Imperial palace in 1605, at 30 year old, probably poisoned, she was given big funerals and everybody recognized the Valide's great wisdom and soft caracter.
In popular culture
In the 2015 TV series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, Handan Sultan is portrayed by Turkish actress Tülin Özen.
See also
- Ottoman Empire
- Ottoman dynasty
- Ottoman family tree
- List of Valide Sultans
- List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire
- Line of succession to the Ottoman throne
- Ottoman Emperors family tree (simplified)
- List of consorts of the Ottoman Sultans
Further reading
- Peirce, Leslie P., The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-508677-5 (paperback).
- Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi, Nesil Yayınları (Ottoman History with Illustrations, Nesil Publications), 15th Ed., 2009, ISBN 978-975-269-299-2 (Hardcover).
References
- ^ a b Meram, Ali Kemal (1977). Padişah Anaları: Resimli Belgesel Tarih Romanı (in Turkish). İstanbul: Öz Yayınları. p. 244. OCLC 8825122.
- ^ Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor, ed. (1987). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936. Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-08265-6. [page needed]
- ^ İnal, Günseli; Özdem, Filiz; Işın, Mary; Semiramis Arşivi (2005). Semiramis: Sultan'ın Gözünden Şenlik (in Turkish). İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları. p. 27. ISBN 9789750809286.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Peirce, Leslie Penn (1993). The Imperial Harem : Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Studies in Middle Eastern history. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-508677-5. [page needed]
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