The series "The Magnificent Century" brought fame to Turkish actors and allowed them to find fans around the world. The historical background of the events, beautiful outfits, harem intrigues, excellent actors - few remained indifferent to the oriental tale. Among the characters stands out a cute girl with a charming smile, which in the blink of an eye turns into an imperious woman, bearing plans for revenge. What is she really - Hatice Sultan, whose biography has so many white spots and whose life was sacrificed to the Ottoman dynasty?
Greatness of the Ottomans
The first quarter of the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire was marked by the ascension to the throne in 1520 of the tenth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty - Suleiman the Magnificent (Kanuni). It was under him that the brilliant Porta reached its peak. Moving to Europe, conquering new lands and expanding the borders of the state, terrifying sea raids led by the legendary Barbarossa, the commander of the Port fleet, a total of 13 military campaigns were made, making the world shudder at the mention of the Ottoman Empire. Historians are interested not only in the image of Kanuni himself, but also in his family. The half-sister of Sultan Suleiman Hatice is a bright representative of the ruling dynasty of that time. In her life there was a lot of greatness and luxury, and as much tears and suffering.
Hatice Sultan - Princess of the Great Dynasty
Suleiman's sister was born in 1496 in Edirne, a city in the north-west of modern Turkey. The name of Hatice is associated with the Islamic religion. That was the name of the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad. From early childhood, the girl was surrounded by luxury and honor. To offend a member of the Dynasty meant to offend the Sultan himself, therefore, universal respect and worship of Hatice were ensured. According to the story, in addition to Suleiman, she had three more brothers (who died at an early age) and four sisters - Fatima, Beihan, Shah and Hafsa.
Hatice Sultan (photo of the actress playing the role in the "Magnificent Century", can be seen above) has a reputation for meek temper and calm character. Despite the universal love of her relatives, the matured girl was waiting for the same fate as her blood sisters. Due to the established family traditions, the daughters of the Sultan were married to high politicians. This was done for the benefit of the Dynasty.
Daughter of Selim the Terrible and the powerful Aisha
The beautiful sultana was distinguished not only by loveliness. In some matters, she was characterized by perseverance, and ambition, and arrogance, nurtured in the field of worship and adoration. If you recall the parents of Hatice, it becomes clear that it could not be otherwise. Father - Selim I Yavuz - a formidable conqueror of Eastern Europe. During the struggle for the throne, he got rid of all male-related relatives in order to avoid attempts on the throne. He left a strong country and army to his son Suleiman. Khatija's mother, Aisha Hafsa Sultan, is the daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli from the Gerey dynasty. From her youth she was distinguished by beauty, a proud disposition and iron will. It was for her sake that Suleiman the Magnificent subsequently established the honorary title of Valide Sultan, that is, the mother of the ruling Ottoman monarch.
After arriving in the harem, Aisha Hafsa immediately won the heart of Selim Khan, and later gave her first child and 8 more children. After the death of her husband, she enjoyed great respect during the reign of her son, allowing herself sometimes to interfere in state affairs. In such conditions, Khatija Sultan grew up, whose biography still causes controversy and controversy, since few confirmed historical facts have reached our time.
Ibrahim Pasha and Hatice Sultan
The first marriage of the Ottoman princess did not work out. The elderly Iskender Pasha, who became her husband, did not live even a year after the wedding. The young widow returned to her mother and lived with her in Manisa until her accession to the throne of Suleiman. This historical information is not in doubt. But then the researchers of the Ottoman dynasty disagree. According to one version, several years later, Khatija Sultan married Ibrahim Pasha. By that time, he had become the vizier of the empire and a close friend of Suleiman. Another version is that the young woman did not marry anymore, lived with a harem, had no children, and the wife of Pargaly Ibrahim was a Muslim woman named Muhsine.
More plausible seems the first scenario. This is evidenced by the documents of the vizier himself, in which Hatice is mentioned, as well as unprecedented festivities arranged by the Sultan on the occasion of the wedding. Magnificent celebrations lasted for half a month and demanded large expenses from the treasury. As a gift from the ruler, Ibrahim Pasha and Khatija Sultan received a beautiful palace that has survived to our time (Museum of Islamic Art). But at the same time, the reason for the marriage is seriously questioned. Allegedly flared up love of extraordinary power served to form a new family. But it is also likely that the sultan married his sister in order to bring Ibrahim closer to himself and strengthen his position.
Happy unhappy life
Khatija Sultan biography recalls that money is not everything. Even with material wealth and social standing, one can be deeply unhappy. For a long time the couple did not have children, that is, a full-fledged family did not work. But Hatice, unlike other Muslim women, was spared from rivals. According to tradition, married a daughter and sister of the Dynasty had to be free from family ties (or quickly get rid of them). He was not allowed to marry other girls, as is customary in Islam. In the case of treason, any blood sultana had the exclusive right to divorce an unfaithful lover. This threatened the disgraced spouse with big troubles, right up to the death penalty, so adultery was rare.
In the series "The Magnificent Century," Ibrahim cheats on Hatice with a maid. The Sultana learns about this, but does not dare to divorce. Wounded pride allows her to just vent anger at her husband’s mistress. And really, such the history of Hatice Sultan based on information confirming that Pasha was cheating on her.
Children Hatice Sultan
A few years after the wedding, the couple still got their own children. From the point of view of history, this is again conflicting information. There is only one similarity - Hatice and Ibrahim had three children. According to some sources, their firstborn died in infancy, and later the twins Osman and Khurydzhikhan were born (this version is considered in the series). According to other sources, the first and only son was Mehmed, and his two daughters were Fulan and Hanım. Moreover, it is alleged that Hanim Sultan is buried next to Roksolana. Apparently, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska took part in the fate of the girl after the death of her parents. More children of Khatija Sultan do not appear anywhere. It is assumed that one of them lived a long enough life, and someone died from smallpox before the mother.
Beginning of the End
The year 1536 has come. By this time, Ibrahim Pasha, the son of a poor sailor, was not only the chief vizier, serasker, but also the closest friend of the sultan. Together with Suleiman, they dined, hunted, shared leisure, discussed ambitious plans. Kanuni made an oath to Ibrahim to protect him from everyone, even from himself. But power spoils people. It got to the point that the great vizier began to call himself Sultan Serasker, which was immediately reported to Suleiman. This was the beginning of the end. Ibrahim lost the trust of the overlord and was executed by his order. There is a version that, along with the vizier, his little son was executed.
If you look at the whole history of the Ottomans, you should not be surprised. The empire was allowed to execute the heirs and take the lives of their offspring in order to avoid rebellion and a military coup. Hatice was left alone with the children, in her grief, her beloved and loving brother "supported" her. Not accepting the loss of her husband, the sultana did not marry anymore. And two years later, Hatice, not recovering from the tragedy, left this world. There is no exact evidence of the reason for this. The death of Hatice Sultan in the series "The Magnificent Century" is presented in the form of suicide (poisoned by poison). But most are inclined to believe that the loss of Ibrahim led her to depression and to such a sad end.
Another opinion
It is always difficult to talk about events that took place more than five hundred years ago. After such a period of time, a historical character, especially well-known, acquires a large number of fictions and conjectures, so it is sometimes difficult to separate the grains from the chaff. But not everyone dares to deny the existence of a person about whom books have been written and films made. However, such a person was found in Turkey. The historian and researcher Guven Aykan insists that Suleiman Kanuni did not have a sister named Hatice Sultan, whose biography is known to many. He refers to documents of the Ottoman rule. In particular, in the works of Nasuh-effendi (and he was, it turns out, a historian), Hatice is not mentioned at all. This version is also supported by the fact that the burial place of the famous sultana has not been established for certain. It is assumed that she rests in the tomb of her parents.
The image of Hatice Sultan in culture
Be that as it may, but Khatija Sultan fell in love with the audience. Her role in the series "The Magnificent Century" was brilliantly performed by Selma Ergech - actress and model.
In other lesser-known series - "Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska" (2003) and "Roksolana" (1996) - the image of Suleyman Kanuni's most famous sister was also used by scriptwriters.