#ottoman

[osmanbeyz]

| KURULUŞ OSMAN |

Leya Kirşan as Fatma Hatun

[osmanbeyz]

| KURULUŞ OSMAN |

Ecem Sena Bayir as Holofira/Nilüfer Hatun

[baebeylik]

The Cream of Histories (Zubdat al-tawarikh) by Sayyid Luqman-i 'Ashuri. Ottoman Empire, 1585-1590.

The Chester Beatty Collection.

[endowmentdeedhuntress]

Haseki Hurrem Sultan’s Charity Projects and Patronage

🩵Around 14 years old, she was presented to Suleyman in late 1521, to a 26 year old Suleyman who was born in late 1495

🩵Mother of Mehmet, Mihrimah, Selim, Abdullah, Beyazid, Cihangir and possibly other unknown daughters

🩵Legal wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Letter written by Genoese Bank of Saint George representative describes Hurrem Sultan’s wedding.

Haseki title being created for her for the first time, Hürrem Sultan had an unprecedented the role amongst the imperial women in the 16th century Ottoman Empire. By acting as a major patron of the arts and architecture, she utilized the Islamic tradition of endowments.

Her Patronage:

The Haseki Sultan Complex (also Hürrem Sultan Complex) (Turkish: Haseki Sultan Külliyesi) in Avratpazari (the former female slave market in Istanbul (1537-1551)

The buildings were designed by the architect Mimar Sinan. It was his first imperial project but it’s possible his predecessor is credited for some design elements.

Haseki Hospital is still an active hospital in Türkiye, named after her.

The Haseki Hamamı in Bahçekapı (also historically referred to as the Eminönü Haseki Hamamı or Çarşı Hamamı), was a public bathhouse — again built by Mimar Sinan. (1537-1540) plan drawn by Heinrich Gluck

Eminönü Daye Hatun Neighborhood Halıcılar Hanı (kervansarai) (1540)

Haseki Sultan Mosque in Ankara (1540)

Haseki Mosque was located in Ulus, Tahtakale Neighborhood. It was destroyed by fire during the fire known as the Tahtakale fire (on July 18-19, 1929).

Her complex in Macca and Medina (1548-1552)

Haseki Sultan Complex in Jerusalem (1549-1557)

Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı (also known as Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamamı) is a Turkish bath situated directly between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. The bathhouse was commissioned in 1556 and was designed by the legendary Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

Edirne Haseki Waterways (Haseki Suları) are an engineering network designed by Mimar Sinan. Commissioned in 1530 by Hürrem Sultan and completed in 1556, the system channeled fresh spring water from the Taşlımüsellim and Pravdi regions, located about 45 km northeast of Edirne, into the city.

Her commissioned projects were spread across the empire and were not limited to the capital.

She was also behind the patronage of a couple of repair works.

Haseki Hürrem Sultan was the first woman in the Ottoman world to commission such a large number of structures across a vast geographical area; moreover, she was unique in that she did so during her tenure as Haseki, without holding the title of “Valide Sultan.” Commissions date back to 1530’s, when she started to gain tremendous amount of influence after gaining her Haseki title.

[xavierbautistagarcia]

A Serbian fortress on the Hungarian-Ottoman borders

On the banks of the Danube, where the great European river narrows before opening into the Iron Gates, stands the imposing Golubac fortress. Its stone towers, set into a cliff in eastern Serbia, have for centuries guarded one of the most strategic river routes in Europe. The history of this fortress is, in fact, the history of a changing border between empires, religions and civilizations.

Golubac’s origins date back to antiquity. Long before the medieval fortress existed, the Romans and pre-Roman peoples made use of the strategic value of this Danube crossing. The military road that connected the Balkan provinces with the heart of the Roman Empire ran nearby. Its structure dominates the landscape that began to take shape around the 14th century, in the midst of the fragmentation of the Balkan world following the weakening of the Byzantine Empire.

The first written reference to Golubac appeared in Hungarian documents from 1335. By then, the fortress was already a military enclave of great importance. It controlled the flow of river traffic with a chain on the Danube, used to stop ships and collect tolls. This ability to block the river made Golubac a coveted piece of property for the great regional powers.

In the 14th century, the fortress passed alternately into Serbian and Hungarian hands. At that time, the Kingdom of Hungary and Serbian feudal lords were fighting for control of the Danubian border while the Ottoman Empire was advancing from the southeast. Golubac served as a defensive base and also a diplomatic tool in a region suffering from the instability of alliances.

The arrival of the Ottomans definitely changed the fate of the fortress. In 1389, the sultan's troops began to consolidate their presence in Serbia. Shortly after, Golubac came under Ottoman control. For the Turks, the enclave was essential: it dominated the navigation of the Danube and served as a gateway to Central Europe.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxembourg organized a major military campaign to recover it. The episode led to the Battle of Golubac, one of the most dramatic confrontations on the medieval Danubian border. The Christian forces, supported by European knights and heavy artillery, attempted to lay siege to the fortress. However, the Ottomans resisted and launched a large-scale counterattack. The Hungarian retreat ended in chaos and there were numerous casualties, temporarily consolidating Turkish dominance in the region.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Golubac remained a focal point in the rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, a power later replaced by the Habsburgs. The fortress was reinforced with new towers and walls adapted to the use of artillery. Its defenses eventually included ten towers interconnected by complex stepped walls that descended to the river.

Over time, the military importance of Golubac declined, although it continued to be occupied by different powers in the 19th century, when the weakening of the Ottoman Empire led to the resurgence of the modern Serbian state.

For a long period of time, the fortress was partially abandoned and deteriorated. In the 20th century, moreover, the construction of modern roads altered the historical setting: a highway crossed the walls. Nevertheless, the profile of Golubac remains one of the most powerful visual symbols of the Balkan Danube.

[endowmentdeedhuntress]

Names of Selim II’s Princes according to Seyyid Lokmân

Seyyid Lokmân recorded that upon Murad III’s accession (cülus), fratricide of five Sehzades of Selim II took place on December 22nd, 1574 Wednesday, and they were buried next to their father on the next day.

Selânikî also writes that the princes were killed on Wednesday and then buried next day on Thursday.

According to Seyyid Lokmân, Selim II’s Sehzades are named:

Murad, Süleyman, Osman, Cihangir, Abdullah, Mustafa, Mehmed and Mahmud (he recorded a total of eight princes)

😨He literally named a prince after every single brother of his except Beyazid! He really hated that man. One prince is named after his father as it’s the custom!

Mehmet passed away in 1572, sharing the same fate with his namesake Prince Mehmet “peerless amongst princes”, Suleyman’s son, who died 1543.

Lokmân doesn’t give the names of the five princes who were still alive at the time of their father’s death in particular, but since Mehmet died in 1572 and Murad took the throne, we can assume the victims of fratricide are Süleyman, Osman, Cihangir, Abdullah, Mustafa because Karaçelebizâde ve Atâyî only records seven total princes and doesn’t name Mahmud. Mahmud may have died young.

“We are the burning nightingales of the rose garden of separation; The breeze turns to fire as it passes through our rose garden” (from Selim’s Divan)

[endowmentdeedhuntress]

Valide Gülnuş Sultan’s incredibly stressful time during Mustafa II’s deposition: How blind loyalty to Shaykh Al-Islam Feyzullah Efendi led to Edirne Incident in 1703

Picture: Mustafa II, Abdulcelil Levni, early 18th century

Shaykh al-Islām Feyzullah Efendi is a key figure in Mustafa II’s reign, as he was a corrupt man who placed his sons or other family members in nearly all important governmental positions. Rumors also begun to circulate at this time, that he was making efforts to increase his wealth through various fraudulent means. Count Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy served as Tsar Peter the Great’s first permanent envoy to the Ottoman Empire from 1702 to 1709, observed this corruption well and actually even predicted that soon there will be a revolt. (However, he thought the revolt would take place in Istanbul — not in Edirne, where the revolt took form)

Shaykh al-Islām Feyzullah Efendi was so influential, there was this constant stream of Grand Viziers who were dismissed one after another after displeasing him.

It was well known that Shaykh al-Islām Feyzullah Efendi exerted influence over nearly every decision Mustafa II made. He had served as Mustafa’s tutor and Mustafa harbored a great sense of loyalty towards him. In the end, this blind loyalty would lead to his deposition.

“…When Sultan Mustafa Han ascended the throne, his teachers, led by Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi, were in Erzurum; they sent an imperial decree inviting him to Edirne. Subsequently, he was appointed Grand Mufti, and by placing the reins of authority in his hands, they secured a degree of complete independence such that, to this day, no one has been able to speak a single word against him; whichever of the Dârüssa’âde aghas or the distinguished viziers intended to speak out, no good came of it for them. To secure their positions, the viziers, commanders, and other officials would seek refuge at their doors and, through their intercession and pleas, attain high offices…”

(Source: Özcan, Anonim Osmanlı Tarihi, p. 223.)

Shaykh al-Islām Feyzullah Efendi was so influential and corrupt that he would famously say:

“…the vizier is our own apprentice…” (vezîr bizim kendi çırağımızdır) (Source: Silahdâr Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa)

The Edirne Incident: The new Grand Vizier Rami Mehmed Pasha was trying to find a way to get rid of him. On July 18th, 1703, after a series of events that started in Georgia, the movement swelled into a massive coalition of janissaries, tradesmen, and citizens who demanded the dismissal of the Grand Vizier and the execution of Feyzullah Efendi. Ambassador Tolstoy’s reports indicate the palace didn’t envision these event would lead to the deposition of the Sultan as “one correspondence was postponed for only five days”

Since Valide Gülnus Sultan had already witnessed the deposition of Mehmed IV (Mustafa’s father) in her lifetime, she was extremely distressed and worried about her son Mustafa’s fate from the very beginning of this uprising.

Mustafa II, aware of his mother’s concerns, tried to reassure her with the words, “…they have deposed me from the throne and made my brother Sultan Ahmed sultan in my place; may Allah bless my children and my beloved servants, may they be entrusted to Allah…” and had indicated that he abdicated.

Furthermore, the account of how Sultan Mustafa II was forced to abdicate and was betrayed by the viziers and soldiers whom he trusted shows us the pain caused by betrayal: “… No, no, it’s over, words have run out, my viziers and my loyal officers are in unison with those wicked bandits of ill character; I seek refuge in the Almighty from their evil. May he destroy them all…” (Source: Silahdâr Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa)

He passed away about five months later, due to sadness and urinary issues and cirrhosis (Source: Abdülkadir Özcan, “Mustafa II”)

On August 24, 1703, Mustafa’s full brother Ahmed III first visited the Chamber of the Holy Mantle (hırka-i şerîf) and after offering prayers, sat on the throne set up before the Babü’s-saade where the customary accession ceremony (cülus) was held.

…another one of Gulnus’s sons had become the Sultan.

Gulnus would pass away in 1715, and luckily, wouldn’t witness yet another deposition, but both of her sons would share their father’s fate…

Raşid Mehmed Efendi and Silahdâr Fındıklılı Mehmed Ağa are good sources for this period and I’ve also mentioned several researchers already in the above posts. Abdülkadir Özcan, “Mustafa II” is a paper you could find for this period in the empire.

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