THE FORTUNE OF THREE
The life of Maria Gomez de Sotomayor: The Ottoman slave who had suffered great dispair in both Ottoman lands and outdoor lands.
Early Life
The date of birth nor origin of Maria is certain. Unlike Catalina, who has a fitted name for a Hungarian-origin woman, same for Angelina with her Greek/Byzantine influenced name, Maria’s name is too relatively common in both Hungarian and Greek areas to be certain of her origin, though it is possibly more likely that she is of Hungarian origin.
Maria is often regarded by some historians as the sister of Angelina of Greece, both regarded as Hungarian ladies who were captured by Ottoman raiders. While some historians suggest they could be siblings, others argue that they may have been referred to as "lady sisters" in a more metaphorical sense rather than literally.
Their differing names, Maria being called “Maria de Ungría”(Maria of Hungary) and Angelina referred to as “Angelina de Grecia” (Angelina of Greece) add to the confusion surrounding their identities. Additionally, some theories propose that they might have different mothers, as in Castile, children were often identified by their mother's nationality/ethnicity.
However, the odds that two sisters from different mothers could be captured in the same area at the same time and later reunited in an Ottoman harem is highly unlikely.
First Capture
Maria is believed to have been captured shortly after the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. It is worth mentioning that she might have been captured at a different time and location, possibly during another raid by the Turks near their home borders.
She was likely a child when she was captured, as she would later be sent to King Henry III of Castile as a “gift” in 1402/1403, which suggests she could not have been too old (possibly in her mid-teens to early 20s by 1402).
Life in the Harem
Though captured and sent to the harem, Maria did not convert to Islam and remained a Christian throughout her enslavement.
Considering that all potential concubines of the Sultan had to be converted Muslims, it is safe to assume that Maria did not have to worry about concubinage duties.
Second Capture
Maria was either captured following the plunder of Bursa, five days after the Battle of Ankara, which took place on July 20, 1402, or sometime later in an unknown residence in Yenisehir, along with Olivera Lazarevic, her daughters, and other servants.
Payo Gomez de Sotomayor
Payo was one of the two ambassadors (the other being Hernan Sanchez de Palazuelos) sent from King Henry III of Castile to his correspondent, Timur, in 1402.
After their mission ended, Timur tasked the embassy with escorting Christian maidens from the harem of Sultan Bayezid I, which he had decided to send to Henry.
As a result, Catalina, Angelina, and Maria were given to and escorted by Payo and his partner. It is unknown when exactly they left, but they were certainly in Castile by early 1403.
The Incident In Jodar
According to a folk love tale, upon passing through Jodar, Payo, who had been traveling with Maria for some months, realized his feelings for her by a fountain in Jodar.
Argote de Molina, a Spanish historian, quoted a somewhat unknown poem which seems to be from the point of view of Payo:
“Beside that fountain at Jódar, The maid with beauteous eyes I saw. I died by the wound they gave me, And not one hour could I survive.”
This is likely nothing more than Argote’s attempt at romanticizing the true story, which caused a scandal, especially considering the anger that fueled Henry upon learning this information.
Whether in a soft poem or not, a relationship with a maiden who was entrusted to you is completely inappropriate. Additionally, it is unknown what the extent of their “relationship” was, nor if it was even consensual.
Arrival In Castile
Upon their arrival at the court of Henry III, Payo had to face the wrath of the King, who highly disapproved of his inappropriate relationship with Maria.
Wishing to avoid the consequences of his actions, Payo fled to his lands in Galicia and later to France.
In the meantime, some nobles did their best to mediate some sort of reconciliation between the two, a mediation which ultimately succeeded, as Don Payo Gomez de Sotomayor was recalled to court and married Maria by order of the King.
The Death of the King
King Henry, who acted as the guardian of Maria and her companions, passed away in 1406. With the King gone, Payo planned to annul his marriage to Maria on the grounds of “forced marriage,” since the late King had ordered him to marry her to rectify his actions.
He set his sights on a relative of an archbishop, a woman named Maior de Mendoza; a marriage with her would elevate his reputation and status.
It is unknown when the annulment was finalized, but it is certain that it was from Dona Maior de Mendoza that Payo welcomed his eldest son and future heir.
Later Life
Some historians believe that after her “divorce,” Maria worked as a servant in her former husband’s household, based on a document released by Payo in 1453.
In his will, he names a certain Maria as his servant:
“…regarding my estate, that both the legitimate heirs of my wife Dona Maior and Doctor Diego Albrea, who has received gains from Maria Gomez, my servant who has passed away…” - *Colección Diplomática De Galicia Histórica, Volumes 1-2
Considering “Maria” and “Gomez” are extremely common names in Spanish areas, and that Maria was buried in a convent a few leagues away from her former husband’s burial place, it is possible that he could be referring to a completely different Maria Gomez.
There was no true reason for Maria to end her life as his servant; upon annulment, it was his duty to return the dowry, which was likely sponsored by King Henry, allowing her to care for herself or even remarry if she wished.
It is much more plausible that upon her “divorce,” Maria’s dowry was returned to her at some point, and she might have used her resources to support herself and the convent in which she would later be buried in.
(Sources: Two Christian princesses offered as Timur’s present for King Henry III of Castile, the analysis of the introduction to Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo’s narrative (1403-1406) by Lukasz Burkiewicz. Colección Diplomática De Galicia Histórica, Volumes 1-2 by Antonio Lopez Ferreiro. Revisión y estudio de la obra poética de Micer Francisco Imperial by UNIVERSITAT DE VALÈNCIA. EMBASSY TO TAMERLANE, The Broadway Travellers. Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları by Necdet Sakaoğlu.)
