Gülçiçek Valide Hatun
One of the first enslaved imperial mothers to have a tomb dedicated to her; Gülçiçek Valide Hatun.
Same as her date of birth, her birth name is unknown though it is sometimes suggested to be Maria.
Though the year of her capture is not documented, nor how she ended up in the Ottoman imperial harem there is a legend about her person; that she was never a concubine but instead a wife of Murad I.
The tale goes as such...
Maria was the young noble Byzantine widow of Aclan Bey and the mother of Yakhsi Bey. She was captured in 1344 when Orhan Ghazi captured the principality of Karasi. After 15 years of widowhood, the troubled mother of Murad: Nilufer, who on her end suggested many suitors for her, all of whom she refused.
Eventually, Murad offered himself and she accepted, changing her name to Gülçiçek. - ( " The European Sultanas of The Ottoman Empire " by Anna Ivanova Buxton )
The tale seems highly improbable as the Ottoman rulers, do not have a strong history of marrying widows, especially ones who have been captured, and thus are considered slaves. However, it is possible, or that at least there is some truth to this tale.
When looking at her name origin Gülçiçek means "rose blossom" in Turkish, meaning she was of slave origin and a convert.
Sakaoglu makes the suggestion that perhaps these women are two different individuals, but Gulcicek herself entrusted her endowments under the care of her son; Yahsi, and as we know Murad has no son under this name.
It might be possible that Gulcicek married a man from Bursa after Murad's death and from this marriage a child was born though this has never confirmed or looked at more carefully by historians.
Gülçiçek became Valide Hatun in 1389, after her son ascended the throne upon the death of his father; Murad, sometime after the battle of Kosovo. She will served as Valide Hatun from 1389 to 1400, upon her death.
Not much is known about her relationship with her child; Bayezid. The only thing I found and noticed is that she is not mentioned as one of the attendees of Bayezid's wedding to Devletşah Hatun in 1381. Instead, his unnamed governess was in attendance. - ( " Bu Mulkun Sultanari " by Necdet Sakaoglu, pg 54, narrated passage by Ashikpasazade )
An interesting point about the mosque in which she was buried is located in a Greek neighborhood in Bursa called the " Night Quarter ". This also indicates her Greek origin, and that she was still related or saw herself as a Greek woman which is why she was buried in this quarter; which had yet to be Islamized at the time. - ( Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları by Necdet Sakaoglu )