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Hafsa Sultan

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Not to be confused with Hafsa Hatun or Ayşe Hatun (consort of Selim I).
For other uses, see Ayşe Sultan.
In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is Ayşe Hafsa, the title is Sultan, and there is no family name.
Hafsa Sultan
Portait of Hafsa Sultan
Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Tenure30 September 1520 – 19 March 1534
PredecessorGülbahar Hatun (as Valide Hatun)
SuccessorNurbanu Sultan
BornUnknown
1479
Crimea(?)
Died19 March 1534(1534-03-19) (aged 54–55)
Eski Saray, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Burial
Yavuz Selim Mosque, Fatih, Istanbul
ConsortSelim I
IssueHatice Sultan
Hafize Sultan
Beyhan Sultan
Fatma Sultan
Suleiman I
Full name
English: Ayşe Hafsa Sultan
Ottoman Turkish: حفصه سلطان
HouseOttoman
ReligionSunni Islam (converted)

Ayşe Hafsa Sultan (Ottoman Turkish: حفصه سلطان; "womanly/the living one" and "young lioness"; 1479[1][2] – 19 March 1534[3][4]), was the concubine of Selim I and the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was the first Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. From the accession of her son to the throne in 1520 until her death in 1534, she was one of the most influential women in the Ottoman Empire.

Origins

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From 1466 to 1515, Hafsa Sultan was thought to have been the daughter of Menli I Giray (1445–1515), Khan of the Crimean Tatars. This traditional view, based on accounts by Western writers in the 17th century, is based on the Ottoman history that she was of Christian slave descent.[5][6] A few historians still believe that she was the daughter of Menli I Giray, including Brian Glyn Williams.[7]

According to Resat Kasabar, after the marriage between Selim I and Hafsa Sultan, no Ottoman sultan married a daughter of a Muslim royal family.[8] However, Esin Atil states that she was the daughter of Giray. Others have suggested that a Crimean princess named "Ayse" was one of Selim I's wives and that "Hafsa" may have been of slave descent.[9] Ilya Zaitsev claims that "Ayse (daughter of Mengli-Giray I)" first married the governor of Kef, Sehzade Mehmed, and later married his brother Selim I. This is therefore one of two notable examples of intermarriage between the Giray Khanate and the Ottoman dynasty. The other was the marriage of Selim I's daughter, probably Sadet-Giray, to Geverhan Sultan (but this marriage is not proved).[10] In Alan Fisher's book, Leslie Pearce's book, and Feridun Emesen's book, Hafsa is also said to be of slave descent, not the daughter of the Crimean Khan.[11]

Early life

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Hafsa was born around 1479.[1][2] She became Selim's concubine when Selim was a prince and governor of Trabzon. She and Selim had at least five children, four daughters and one son, Sultan Suleiman I.[12][13]

According to Turkish history, all princes were required to go to the sanjak for training to serve as provincial governors. Hafsa accompanied Suleiman to the sanjak during his early royal duties, first to Kefe in 1509[14] and then to Manisa[15] in 1513.[16] Hafsa knew everything about Suleiman's personal life.[17] In Kefe, Hafsa was paid a monthly allowance of 1,000 aspers, while Suleiman received 600 aspers.[18] In Manisa, Hafsa was first paid 200 aspers,[17] later 600 aspers.  This allowance was the highest allowance in the royal family at that time.[19]

Hafsa was Suleiman's closest confidant and constant companion.[20] According to Guillaume Postel, she is believed to have saved Suleiman from his father's death sentence. She is believed to have told Suleiman to express to his father that he had no interest in succeeding him as sultan. A few years before Selim's death, Selim is said to have tested his son's loyalty by expressing his desire to retire from sultanate rule and asking Suleiman whether he wanted to rule the empire. Postel reported that the princes who had agreed had dire consequences. His mother learned of Selim's plan and told Suleiman to refuse the opportunity, which Suleiman refused. Suleiman stated that even after Selim's death, he did not want to accept such a responsibility.[21]

Valide Sultan

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Bust of Hafsa Sultan in Manisa
The külliye built on the orders of Hafsa Sultan in Manisa. It is part of the Sultan Mosque

After Suleiman's accession to the throne in 1520, Hafsa began living in the Old Palace of Constantinople.[22] After Suleiman's accession, Hafsa assumed a new title as "Mother of the Sultan" (Valide-i Sultan). Although it was not an official title, it became widely influential. Hafsa was probably the first sultanic mother to use this title consistently. Hafsa created an organization of support for various individuals, especially women associated with the dynasty. For example, after her mother's death, she helped the daughters of Prince Alemeshar and supported a female member of the harem of Khair Beg. In her letters to Suleiman, Hafsa mentioned some business matters, addressing Suleiman as "the light of my eyes, the joy of my heart".[23]

In the early years of Suleiman's reign, Hafsa was known as an influential woman, as evidenced by the fact that her son bestowed upon her the title of "Valide Sultan" (Mother Sultan). She is considered the first person in Ottoman history to hold the title of sultana despite not being a member of the dynasty. Her son was like a companion to her and provided security for her during campaigns, and Hafsa's letters reveal a deep bond between them. In one handwritten letter, she tells a light-hearted story about a maid and expresses her regret for not having had the opportunity to see Suleiman. She closes the letter with black beans inside, expresses her love, and says that no jewel is equal to Suleiman.[24] She also tried to prevent the execution of Ferhad Pasha, the husband of her daughter Beyhan.[25][26]

Suleiman had a deep affection for his mother, as is reflected in Bragadin's report of 1526, which describes her as "a very beautiful woman of 48 years, to whom [the Sultan] had great respect and affection". After the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Suleiman took special care to write a letter to his mother expressing his love and respect, and personally informed her of the victory.[27]

Shortly after Suleiman's accession to the throne, Hafsa began construction of a large mosque in Manisa,[28] larger than any built by any of the previous concubines.[29] Construction probably began during Suleiman's reign in Manisa and was completed in 1522–23.[25] The complex included a mosque, a religious college, a dervish dormitory, a primary school, and a soup kitchen, employing 117 workers.  Suleiman later expanded it to include a hospital and a bathhouse named after his mother. Known as the "Sultaniye", this royal mosque had two minarets, usually reserved for sultans. The mosque was built with the wealth acquired from Suleiman's father Selim and later Suleiman. The remaining funds were later donated after the mosque was built.[29]

Hafsa purchased a plot of land for the project in 1518, but the site contained 56 ordinary shops, 11 shops with roofed fronts, and 111 booths in the Urla Bazaar near Izmir. The mosque, which cost 66,690 aspers, provided financial support to most of the people. Hafsa Sultan provided the opportunity to settle around the mosque, providing large amounts of land for rent or sale. Those who shared this land received tax exemptions from the sultan.[30]

He had a kira named Strongilah. She assisted the women in the harem and developed a strong relationship with Hafsa.[31]

Death

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The entrance to the türbe of Hafsa Sultan
Exterior view of Hafsa Sultan Tomb

Hafsa Sultan died on 19 March 1534[3][4] and was buried next to her husband's tomb in the Yavuz Selim Mosque in Istanbul.[3][19] A separate mausoleum was ordered to be built for her and reciters were appointed to recite the Quran at her grave.[3] A significant number of people paid their respects and condolences at her funeral.[27] At her funeral, historian Selalzade Mustafa Çelebi paid tribute to her with wide-ranging praise, comparing her to respected Muslim women. He compared her to Muhammad's first wife Khadija, as well as Fatima and Aisha. He highlighted her asceticism, pious thinking, and her active participation in charities and good deeds.[32]

Issue

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Selim and Hafsa had five children, four daughters and one son:

  • Hatice Sultan (before 1494 - after 1543). She married twice and had five sons and possibly three daughters.[33][34][35]
  • Hafize Hafsa Sultan[36] (before 1494 - 10 July 1538).[37] She married twice and probably had one son.
  • Beyhan Sultan (before 1494 - 1559). She was married to Ferhad Pasha in 1513. She had probably two children.[34][35]
  • Fatma Sultan (before 1494 - 1566). She married three times and probably had two daughters.[38]
  • Suleiman I (6 November 1494 - 6 September 1566), was the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.[39]
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  • In the 2003 TV miniseries Hurrem Sultan, Hafsa Sultan was played by Turkish actress Deniz Turkali.[40]
  • In the 2011 TV series Muhtesem Yuzyil, the role of Hafsa Sultan was played by Turkish actress Nebahat Çehre.[41]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Türe, D.F.; Türe, F. (2011). Women's Memory: The Problem of Sources. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4438-3265-6.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Şahin 2023, p. 35.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Şahin 2023, p. 218.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Peirce 1993, p. 62.
  5. ↑ Alan Fisher (1993). "The Life and Family of Suleyman I". In İnalcık, Halil; Kafadar, Cemal (eds.). Süleymân The Second [i.e. the First] and his time. Isis Press. That she was a Tatar, a daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray, was a story apparently begun by Jovius, repeated by other western sources, and taken up by Merriman in his biography of Suleyman
  6. ↑ Encyclopedia of Islam vol. IX (1997), s.v. Suleyman p. 833
  7. ↑ Glyn Williams, Brian (2001), The Crimean Tatars: The Diaspora Experience and the Forging of a Nation, BRILL, p. 56, ISBN 0295801492, Ottoman princes, such as the future Ottoman Sultans Selim I (who married Mengli Giray Khan's daughter, Hafsa Hatun...)
  8. ↑ Kasaba, Resat (2011), A Moveable Empire: Ottoman Nomads, Migrants, and Refugees, University of Washington Press, p. 44, ISBN 978-0295801490, The last marriage between an Ottoman sultan and a member of a neighboring Muslim royal family was the one between Selim I and Hafsa Sultan, the daughter of the Crimean ruler Mengli Giray Khan.
  9. ↑ Atıl, Esin (1987), The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, National Gallery of Art, p. 27, ISBN 0810918552, Some historians state that she was the daughter of Mengili Giray Han, the ruler of the Crimean Tatars. Others mention that Ayse, another wife of Selim I, was the Crimean princess and give as Hafsa's father a man named Abdulmumin or Abdulhay, and unknown person - suggesting that she was of slave origin.
  10. ↑ Zaytsev, Ilya (2006), "The Structure of the Giray Dynasty (15th-16th centuries): Matrimonial and Kinship Relations of the Crimean Khans", Kinship in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 48th Permanent International Altaistic Conference, Moscow 10-15 July 2005, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, p. 341, ISBN 3447054166, Only two instances concerning the Ottomans are noted. Ayshe (daughter of Mengli-Giray I) was married to şehzade and governor of Kefe Mehmed, and to his brother Selim I later on (917/1511). Sultan Selim's daughter was married to Saadet-Giray.
  11. ↑
    • Alan Fisher (1993). "The Life and Family of Süleymân I". In İnalcık, Halil; Cemal Kafadar (eds.). Süleymân The Second [i.e. the First] and His Time. Istanbul: Isis Press. p. 9. ISBN 975-428-052-5.
    • Emecen, Feridun (2010). "Süleyman I". İslâm Ansiklopedisi. Vol. 38. İslâm Araştırmaları Merkezi. pp. 62–74. Information indicating that she was the daughter of the Crimean Khan or was related to the family of Dulkadıroğlu is incorrect.
    • Peirce 1993, p. 40
  12. ↑ Bostan, M. Hanefi (2019-05-01). "Yavuz Sultan Selim'in Şehzâdelik Dönemi (1487-1512)". Türk Kültürü İncelemeleri Dergisi (in Turkish): 1–86. Archived from the original on 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  13. ↑ Şahin 2023, pp. 34, 124.
  14. ↑ Şahin 2023, p. 68.
  15. ↑ Peirce 1993, p. 61.
  16. ↑ Singer, A. (2002). Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem. SUNY series in Near Eastern Studies. State University of New York Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7914-5351-3.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Şahin 2023, p. 84.
  18. ↑ Şahin 2023, p. 72.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Peirce 1993, p. 52.
  20. ↑ Şahin 2023, pp. 84, 88.
  21. ↑ Peirce 1993, p. 230.
  22. ↑ Şahin 2023, p. 108.
  23. ↑ Şahin 2023, p. 123.
  24. ↑ Şahin 2023, pp. 123–124.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Şahin 2023, p. 124.
  26. ↑ Peirce 1993, p. 79.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Peirce 1993, p. 63.
  28. ↑ Peirce 1993, pp. 199, 200.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Peirce 1993, p. 199.
  30. ↑ Peirce 1993, pp. 199–200.
  31. ↑ Rozen, M. (2010). A History of the Jewish Community in Istanbul: The Formative Years, 1453-1566. Ottoman Empire and its Heritage. Brill. p. 204. ISBN 978-90-04-18589-0.
  32. ↑ Peirce 1993, p. 187.
  33. ↑ Turan, Ebru (2009). "The Marriage of Ibrahim Pasha (c. 1495–1536): The Rise of Sultan Süleyman's Favorite to the Grand Vizierate and the Politics of the Elites in the Early Sixteenth-Century Ottoman Empire". Turcica. 41: 3–36. doi:10.2143/TURC.41.0.2049287.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Turan, Ebru (2009). The marriage of Ibrahim Pasha (c. 1495–1536) – The rise of Sultan Süleyman's favourite to the grand vizierate and the politics of the elites in the early sixteenth-century Ottoman Empire. pp. 14, 25.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Gök, İlhan (2014). II. Bâyezîd Dönemi İn'âmât Defteri ve Ceyb-i Hümayun Masraf Defteri (Thesis). pp. 1464, 1465, 1469.
  36. ↑ Called also Hafise, Hafiza or Hafisa.
  37. ↑ Peirce, Leslie P., The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, Oxford University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-508677-5.
  38. ↑ Ayvansarayî, H.H.; Crane, H. (2000). The Garden of the Mosques: Hafiz Hüseyin Al-Ayvansarayî's Guide to the Muslim Monuments of Ottoman Istanbul. Brill Book Archive Part 1. Brill. p. 175. ISBN 978-90-04-11242-1.
  39. ↑ Usta, Veysel (2019-03-21). "Şehzade Süleyman'ın (Kanuni) Travzon'da Doğduğu Ev Meselesi". Karadeniz İncelemeleri Dergisi. 13 (26). Karadeniz Incelemeleri Dergisi: 397–414. doi:10.18220/kid.562304. ISSN 2146-4642.
  40. ↑ "Hürrem Sultan (TV Series 2003)". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  41. ↑ "The Magnificent Century (2011–2014)". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-02-04.

Sources

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Other websites

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hafsa Sultan.
Ottoman royalty
Preceded by
Gülbahar Hatun 		Valide Sultan
30 September 1520 – 19 March 1534 		Succeeded by
Nurbanu Sultan
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