We knew very little about the Ottoman Empire. We were practically not familiar with the life of the sultans who ruled the state several centuries ago. This gap in our knowledge was slightly filled when the series “The Magnificent Century” was released, in which the life of Suleiman I the Magnificent and his concubine Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska was presented. After watching it, many people realized that the history of the Ottoman Empire and the life of the harems are actually very exciting. When the series ended, its creators decided to remove the sequel. New heroes were presented to the audience. One of the main personalities is the Valide Safiye Sultan. Her life was interesting and eventful.
The origin of the Sultana
Valide Safiye was at one time one of the most important figures of the Ottoman Empire. She was born around 1550. Historians believe that Safiye was of Venetian origin. She, according to some versions, was the daughter of Leonard Baffo, who was the Venetian governor of Corfu. Muslim pirates captured her at about the age of 13 and brought her to Istanbul.
Subsequently, the girl was bought by the Mihrimah Sultan. The daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska made such an acquisition in order to make a gift to her nephew Murad III, born of Selim II and Nurban-Sultan. So the future Safiye-Sultan got into the Ottoman Empire and the palace. At first she had a different name. Her name was Sofia. In the palace she received a new name - Safiye. It meant "pure, naive, innocent beauty."
Beloved sultan
The present presented to Murad III was pleasant. Safiye became the only lover of the Sultan. In 1568, she gave birth to Shehzade Mehmed III. For many years, the Sultan loved Safiye. Later, children were born to Safiye Sultan, but they all died very early, not having lived even a few years. Nurbanu-Sultan advised her son - to take other concubines for the benefit of the dynasty.
Relations between Murad III and Safiye changed when Esmehan Sultan, the sister of the Sultan, brought new slaves to the harem. In the life of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, new beautiful and young concubines appeared. Safiye was worried about this, but she tried not to show her jealousy. Murad greatly respected her for her wisdom. He consulted with her, listened to her opinion. Murad was not officially married to Safiye, but despite this, everyone considered her the wife of the Sultan.
About Nurbanu Sultan
The Nurbanu Sultan saw how Safiye affects her son. She constantly tried to distance the concubine from the Sultan and undermine her power over him. Valide Nurbanu-Sultan acted together with her daughters, she bought slaves from all over the world and gave them to her son.
Throughout her life, the Nurbanu Sultan had unlimited power. If Safiye-Sultan wanted to do something at this time, then she would not have succeeded. The Sultan loved his mother. Her death was a great blow to him. He arranged a magnificent funeral for his mother. He later ordered the construction of a mosque in honor of the Nurban Sultan. With its grandeur, the structure surpasses the Suleyman mosque. And regarding Safiye, it is worth noting that power passed to her only after the death of Murad’s mother.
The formation of the Valide Sultan
In 1595, Sultan Murad III died. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire was Mehmed III. According to the biography, Safiye-Sultan became a valid, because it was her son who ascended the throne. The mother was not afraid of a conspiracy from her immediate family. Mehmed III from the first days took care of his safety. He committed the largest fratricide in the history of the Ottomans - he ordered the suffocation of 19 brothers. In the modern world, such an act seems terrible, but earlier it was a custom that all sultans followed.
Pregnant favorites of Murad III were also killed. They were drowned in the Bosphorus by order of the young Sultan. Those who could have been feared were also thrown into the sea. The remaining concubines of the Sultan, wives and daughters were taken to Eski Sarai. The Safiye Sultan remained in the palace. She received tremendous power and income.
Influence on son
Valide Safiye subjugated her son. This is evidenced by many historical sources. Warlords often complained about her. They said that the Sultana ruled over Mehmed III and misled him. The Sultan respected his mother and followed her advice.
Safiye sought to embody her desires, but she did not always act independently. She took some measures through other people, so as not to cause the anger of the Sultan to herself. One example can be given. Mehmed III, a year after the start of the reign, decided to organize a campaign against the Habsburgs. Valide Safiye Sultan worried about her son. She did not want him to go to war. Valide talked with the concubine, whom the young Sultan was very fond of, and ordered her to tell Mehmed so that he would not go on a campaign. The girl spoke with the Sultan, but it cost her her life. An enraged Mehmed killed the concubine.
The Sultana could not dissuade her son from the war, but this does not mean that she did not have power. Her power was embodied in many other matters. Valide corresponded with the Queen of England Elizabeth I. They respected each other, discussed business matters, exchanged luxurious gifts. The power of the valid was also reflected in the construction of the New Mosque in Eminenu.
Life in the Old Palace
The validity of Safiye ended with the death of her son. This event happened in 1603. The young shehzade Ahmed I, who at that time was only 13 years old, ascended the Ottoman throne. He was born from Mehmed III and Handan Sultan. It was she who became the new valid. The almighty once Safiye was sent to the Old Palace on the orders of Ahmed.
Former valid, having lost its power, was forced to stop the construction of a mosque on the banks of the Golden Horn. The unfinished building was transferred to the power of the natural elements, because of which it began to decay and collapse. Safiye spent the rest of his life in the Old Palace. She received money during the reign of Ahmed I and after his death during the reign of Mustafa I. All payments were recorded in documents. At the end of 1618, this information already ceased to be found. In this regard, historians date the death of Safiye Sultan in 1618. Thus ended the era of this great woman.
Safiye in the "Magnificent Century"
Viewers were able to learn about such a famous personality of the Ottoman Empire as Safiye when watching the series “The Magnificent Century”. The young concubine of young Murad was played by Gozde Turker - actress. The audience saw the Safiye Sultan in the series in which shekhzade came to the palace with his mother Nurbanu Sultan.
In the series, Murad met with Mihrimah-Sultan, who asked about his opinion about the presented gift. Shehzadeh announced that Safiye-khatun became the sun of his happiness and that soon the first shekhzade would be born. The Nurbanu Sultan was worried about such a gift, because the concubine could follow the orders of the Mihrimah Sultan. Later in the series they showed a conversation to Nurban and Safiye. It was clear from him that the concubine was a strong and far from stupid girl who knew that someday her era would come.
Safiye in the continuation of the series
In the continuation of the series “The Magnificent Century,” Safiye-Sultan (the role was played by Hulia Avshar) appears before the audience in adulthood. She is seen as a strong woman who does not want to lose her power and goes to any measures for the sake of this. The plot of the series is slightly at odds with historical information. In it, viewers see that after the beginning of the reign of Ahmed I, Safiye has been in the palace for a long time. She holds a harem in her hands, weaves intrigues, does not allow Handan Sultan to power.
In the series, Ahmed I respects Safiye and does not see in it any danger to himself. However, anything can be expected from valid. If necessary, she could find a way to kill Ahmed I. Only Kyosem, the beloved concubine of the Sultan, can get rid of the sultana. Only after her intrigues, which made it possible to find out the truth, were they sent to the Old Palace.
From the foregoing, we can conclude that the history of the Safiye Sultan is interesting. From a young and inexperienced concubine a wise woman grew up, who was able to achieve a lot in her life, something that other slaves could only dream of.