Mahidevran Sultan. Biography: palace intrigues of the magnificent century

Mahidevran Sultan, whose biography is widely known to our contemporaries thanks to the series “The Magnificent Century,” - who was she really? Surely, many of the fans of the popular movie wondered about the real prototype of the Sultan's concubine - the character represented on the screen. Let's try to figure it out.

Mahidevran Sultan. Biography: harem and palace intrigues

The future wife of Suleiman came from the Circassian princely family of the Kanukovs. In her own family, she was the sister of the elder prince in the family of Maashuk Kanukov. Her other name was Gulbahar, which is translated from Circassian as "spring rose."

Presumably, she was born in 1481. As a teenager, she became the concubine of Suleiman the Magnificent, who by that time was just preparing to take the state throne (Suleiman became a sultan only after the death of his father Selim in 1520). Their common firstborn was born in 1515. Moreover, despite the fact that Gulkhabar was only the third wife, her son became the first-born male for Suleiman, and therefore, the main contender for the throne in the future. However, Mahidevran Sultan, whose biography is also known thanks to palace intrigues, very soon found a dangerous rival in the harem.

This rival became very famous in Europe, and even more so in the Slavic world, Roksolana. In the palace of the Ottoman dynasty, her name was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan. She very quickly won the love and trust of Suleiman I. And in 1521 she gave birth to his son Mehmet, then Selim. Roxolana was a very ambitious woman, and very soon she was seized by the idea of ​​placing her own son on the throne. Looking ahead, we’ll say that she succeeded: Mehmet died in 1543, but Selim nevertheless became the next sultan of the Ottoman Empire. In the meantime, the rivalry between the two women flared up more and more. Jealousy and enmity repeatedly led to gossip, mutual insults and even fights. However, Roksolana, who won the heart of the Sultan, still managed to win this fight. The result of the feud for Mahidevran was that she was exiled with her son Mustafa to reside in the province of Manisa, where the latter became a sultan governor. A few years later, Mustafa was executed in 1553, accused of conspiracy against his father.

Mahidevran Sultan. Biography: cause of death and last years of life

The rest of life turned out to be very vague for the ex-wife of the Sultan. She spent it in the provinces: first in Manisa, later in Bursa. In 1566, the throne was occupied by the son of Roksolany-Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Selim II. He appoints the maintenance of Mahidevran as the widow of the Sultan. She dies of old age in 1581, at the age of 83, having survived both her husband, and the eternal rival, and her own son, and even Selim II, the son of her opponent. As mentioned above, Mahidevran Sultan, whose biography has long been well known among the eastern peoples, was today glorified thanks to the popular series.

Mahidevran Sultan. Actress: biography

Her image in the series "The Magnificent Century" was brilliantly played by German actress of Turkish origin Asie Nur Fettahoglu. She is 32 years old today. The actress grew up in a migrant family in the city of Duisburg and gained popularity due to filming in the series.